United States to deploy 45 military personnel South Sudan to protect US citizen and property 2112131

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Defence & Security News - United States
 
 
Saturday, December 21, 2013 05:46 AM
 
United States to deploy 45 military personnel in South Sudan to protect U.S. citizen and property.
On Thursday, December 19, 2013, U.S. President Obama sent a letter to Congress informing them that 45 U.S. military personnel have been deployed to South Sudan “for the purpose of protecting U.S. citizens and property.” The deployment took place Wednesday, the same day that the U.S. Air Force evacuated 120 people from Juba, the capital of the country, as fighting among local factions escalated. The evacuees included U.S. and foreign diplomats as well as other American citizens. They were flown to Nairobi, Kenya.
     
On Thursday, December 19, 2013, U.S. President Obama sent a letter to Congress informing them that 45 U.S. military personnel have been deployed to South Sudan “for the purpose of protecting U.S. citizens and property.”
U.S. Army soldiers with Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa's East Africa Response Force (EARF) depart an U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules from Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Dec. 18, 2013.
     

Obama said the troops in South Sudan are “equipped for combat” but their primary mission is to guard the Embassy in Juba, the capital.

“This force will remain in South Sudan until the security situation becomes such that it is no longer needed,” he said.

“We’re going to keep them there until the situation is stable enough for them to depart,” DOD spokesman Col. Steve Warren told reporters at the Pentagon on Friday.

The personnel are members of the East Africa Response Force — a joint team based at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti. The team is designated to quickly augment security at U.S. diplomatic facilities in Africa when called upon by the State Department in emergency situations.

The soldiers in Juba are from the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division based at Fort Riley, Kansas. A battalion from the 2nd Brigade is currently assigned to the EARF on a rotational basis, according to Maj. Martin O’Donnell, a spokesman for the 1st Infantry Division.