South Sudan’s presidential spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny has denied a statement made by US Secretary of State John Kerry that the government had accepted the deployment of 4,000 regional troops in Juba. 

On Monday, the US Secretary of State said on the first stop of his latest Africa visit that the South Sudanese government agreed to allow the deployment of a regional protection force in Juba.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj yesterday, Ateny Wek Ateny said the statement attributed to the US diplomat was incorrect. He pointed out that the transitional parliament will decide whether to reject or accept the deployment of regional troops in South Sudan.

File photo: Ateny Wek