The United Nations Security Council on Monday extended a mandate for the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) for one year.
The 15-member Council voted 13 in favor to extend the mission until April 30, 2025 with permanent members Russia and China abstaining.
The resolution seeks to uphold a maximum capacity of 17,000 troops and 2,101 police personnel in total. It also comes at a crucial time as South Sudan prepares for its first elections.
China’s deputy representative to the UN, Dai Bing, told the Council that the resolution “puts too much pressure” on the South Sudan government, while making judgments “beyond reasonable limits.”
China also criticized the United States for ignoring their calls for amendments, and said the penholder “should display inclusiveness, remain objective and impartial.”
Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative for Political Affairs, Anna Evstigneeva, commended UNMISS’s role in South Sudan; however, she rejected the broadening of the mandate mission, which she referred to as an “already complex” one.
UNMISS is tasked, among other things, to provide technical assistance, including capacity-building, and logistical support for the electoral process, as well as security support to facilitate the electoral cycle.
The UN secretary-general’s latest report on South Sudan, however, reserved judgment on the country’s preparedness for general elections scheduled for December 2024.