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November 21, 2016 (JUBA) – A contingent of Japanese peacekeepers have arrived in the South Sudan's capital, Juba.

UN peacekeepers in South Sudan with one of their helicopters (UNMISS)

Japan's ambassador Masahiko Kiya received the 350 Self-Defense Forces that will replace the previous contingent of its peacekeepers who served in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, but lacked mandate to use force.

The new troops, officials said, will be tasked with engineering and construction work in the South Sudan capital.

These peacekeepers will have the ability to use force to protect civilians, United Nations staff and themselves.

Japan's constitution, drafted under U.S. direction after the war, forbids the use of force in settling international disputes, but the government has reinterpreted the constitution to allow Japanese troops to use force in some situations.

Japan's Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe was quoted saying the broader military powers give Japan ability to respond to growing threats that include China's growing military assertiveness and North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

Japan has dispatched troops to South Sudan since 2011, but their operation has been limited to construction projects in non-combative areas.

Currently, there are more than 12,000 UN peacekeepers in South Sudan, who have often been criticized for failing to protect civilians.

(ST)

November 21, 2016 (JUBA) –The leader of South Sudan's armed opposition faction (SPLM-IO), Riek Machar has been prevented from entering Ethiopia and was forced to return to South Africa, SPLM-IO officials told Sudan Tribune on Monday.

South Sudan's FVP, Riek Machar, departing from Bole International Airport, Addis Ababa to Pretoria, South Africa, 14 February 2016 (SPLM-IO courtesy photo)

A senior rebel officials said Machar was stopped by the Ethiopian authorities upon his arrival from South Africa at Bole International Airport in Ethiopia and forced later to board another flight back to Johannesburg.

The rebel official, who preferred anonymity, said the rebel leader was heading to the SPLM-IO headquarters in Pagak near the Ethiopian border.

Machar was detained at the airport in Addis Ababa for four and half hours and was later advised either to board back to South Africa or risk being deportation to Juba,''.

Last October, the deposed first vice president left Khartoum to South Africa to for medical treatment. He had arrived to Khartoum from the Democratic republic of Congo after clashes in Juba between his troops Juba

The Security Council members are considering a draft resolution to impose an arms embargo and additional targeted sanctions that could be brought to a vote as early as this week. The Associate Press disclosed that the U.S. proposed to impose travel bans on Machar and freeze his assets.

Washington blamed him for issuing a statement on 25 September 2016 declaring war on President Salva Kiir's government following a meeting held in the Sudanese capital.

Several sources from the armed opposition reached by the Sudan Tribune said their leader was safe, but declined to disclose his whereabouts.

Some officials claim Machar crossed into South Sudan, while others said the rebel leader returned safely back to South Africa.

Thomas Magok Chuol, SPLM-IO representative to Uganda confirmed to Sudan Tribune that Machar had indeed returned back to South Africa.

“Yes, it is true Dr. Riek Machar has been told upon his arrival in Ethiopia to return to South Africa. It is not yet known the reason behind the decision,” he said.

(ST)

The Army of the Czech Republic (ACR) has received its first batch of Ceska Zbrojovka (CZ) Bren 2 assault rifles. The rifles are the first of 2,600 ordered in May for CZK417 million (USD16.6 million). The first batch was delivered in early November, will the entire order due to be delivered by the

Key Points DNI James Clapper delivered his resignation on 16 November, although he will serve through the end of the Obama administration. Several reports using anonymous sources indicated that President-elect Trump was considering eliminating Clapper's position, and that President Obama had been

Key Points India has assigned its latest destroyer to the country's Western Naval Command The ship's arrival comes amid rising tensions with Pakistan The Indian Navy will assign the newly inducted Project 15A Kolkata-class guided-missile destroyer, INS Chennai, to the service's Western Naval

The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) published on 21 November long-delayed guidelines on how to deal with suppliers who have been charged with misconduct in defence procurement. The "guidelines for penalties in business dealings with entities" remove the previous blanket 10-year ban on

India's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has revealed that about 25% of the components used in the indigenously designed and built Tejas Mk 1 Light Combat Aircraft have been sourced from outside India. Junior defence minister Subhash Bhamre told parliament on 18 November that 344 of the so-called line

The Japanese government is planning to buy the uninhabited island of Mageshima in Kagoshima Prefecture to use it as an aviation training facility for both the US military and the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF), a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense (MoD) in Tokyo told IHS Jane's on 22

In a calculated rebuff to an already flailing government-sponsored peace process, an alliance of four insurgent factions in the north of Myanmar's Shan State has launched a co-ordinated offensive aimed at trade centres and key logistics arteries along the country's border with China. The wave of

EVENT On 17 November 2016, Russia's internet and telecom sector's regulator, Roskomnadzor, ordered internet providers to block LinkedIn, a social network for professionals, within Russian territory. This move followed a ruling on 10 November by a Moscow court which upheld an August 2016 ruling to

South Korea is looking to secure additional technologies from the United States to support its programme to develop the Korean Fighter Experimental (KFX) aircraft, it has been disclosed. The Minister of South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), Myoung-jin Chang, said on 21

EVENT Five soldiers and a civilian died in suspected jihadist attacks in north and central Mali on 20 November as the country conducted municipal elections. The delayed polls, the first since President Ibrahim Keita was elected in 2013, were originally scheduled for 2014 but repeatedly postponed

Belarus' Minotor-Service has used internal research and development funding to develop a new 4x4 multi-purpose amphibious armoured vehicle to the prototype stage. Designated Vitim, the vehicle has a monocoque all-welded steel hull that is claimed to provide protection from 7.62 mm ammunition fired

Seit gut zwei Jahren unterstützt die Bundeswehr die Peshmergakämpferinnen und -kämpfer im Nordirak im Rahmen eines Bundestagsmandats mit Ausbildung und Ausrüstung. Seit einem Jahr beteiligt sie sich auf Grundlage eines zweiten Mandates mit einem Einsatzgeschwader auch aktiv an Operationen gegen den »Islamischen Staat« (IS) in Syrien und im Irak. Die am 10. November 2016 erfolgte Verlängerung und Erweiterung des zweiten Man­dats fällt ebenso wie die im Januar 2017 anstehende Verlängerung des ersten Mandats in eine Phase großer politischer Dynamik in einer ohnehin komplexen Konfliktregion. Insofern ist das Engagement der Bundeswehr militärisch zwar weitgehend risikolos, politisch aber keineswegs. Um der Sicherheit und Stabilität in der Region auch weiter­hin dienen zu können, müssen beide Mandate auf den Prüfstand.

Am 2. Oktober 2016 hat die Bevölkerung Kolumbiens in einem Referendum das zwischen Regierung und FARC-Rebellinnen und -Rebellen ausgehandelte Friedensabkommen abgelehnt. Nur 41 Tage später präsentierte Präsident Juan Manuel Santos am 12. November einen zweiten Text, der auf Grundlage der Änderungsvorschläge der Opposition neu verhandelt worden ist. Dabei konnte nur ein Teil der Wünsche des in sich heterogenen Lagers der Kritiker des Abkommens berücksichtigt werden, zumal die FARC-Rebellinnen und -Rebellen nicht bereit waren, bestimmte Positionen aufzugeben. Ob sich die Opposition mit dem Verhandlungsergebnis zufriedengibt, ist fraglich. Allerdings sind die Chancen dafür gestiegen, dass der Frieden in Kolumbien auf einen breiteren gesellschaftlichen Konsens gegründet und eine politische Blockade des Verhandlungsprozesses vermieden wird, der seit mehr als vier Jahren andauert. Auf diese Weise wird verhindert, dass der Frieden in der Schwebe bleibt und die Bereitschaft der FARC-Kämpfer/innen zu einer Demobilisierung schwindet bzw. ihre internen Kommandostrukturen aufgeweicht werden. Das angestrebte Ziel einer baldigen Umsetzung des Abkommens rückt wieder in greifbare Nähe, sofern das Parlament rasch zustimmt. Damit könnte die fragile Situation des bis 31. Dezember 2016 befristeten Waffenstillstands überwunden werden.

The US Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southeast has contracted US-based construction services provider Sauer to construct a littoral combat ship (LCS) operational training facility at Naval Station (NS) Mayport, Florida.

Schiebel’s Group-developed Camcopter S-100 unmanned air system (UAS) has successfully completed search-and-rescue (SAR) missions in the Mediterranean for global charity organisation Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS).

L-3 Communications has secured a contract to deliver switchgear equipment for the power distribution and protection system to be installed on-board the US Navy’s new submarine programme.

Thousands of protesters demonstrated in Bamenda, capital of Cameroon's North West region, on 22 November against poor road infrastructure and perceived marginalisation of Anglophones in the country. The protest coincides with the beginning of an indefinite strike by teachers in Cameroon's

Americas

• Arms trafficker Viktor Bout will continue serving his 25-year stint in federal prison following the denial of a retrial by the US Circuit Court of Appeals. Convicted of conspiring to kill US soldiers by agreeing to sell arms to DEA informants posing as members of the FARC terrorist group, Bout maintained that he could not have been part of such a conspiracy as his business associate, Andrew Smulian, was already an informant for the US agency. The judge stated that the evidence suggested merely that the agency “saw Smulian as a way to get to Bout.”

• The Dutch Damen Shipyards Group is to provide two modernized Stan Patrol 4207 vessels to the Jamaican Defense Forces as part of the JDF’s renewal of its patrol boat fleet. Three decommissioned Damen-built Count-class offshore patrol vessels previously used by the JDF are being traded in as part of the deal. Delivery of the new boats is expected by the end of the year.

Middle East & North Africa

• Rheinmetall has secured a $10.6 million contract to modernize and expand a live combat training facility for a country in the region. The deal will see the company supply up-to-date hardware and software components for the customer’s Mobile Combat Training Center, which includes new laser engagement simulator to support combat vehicle and weapon systems training. A modernized Legatus combat simulation training system will also be provided to the customer and is already in use by the German military.

• Turkey’s quest for an air-defense system continued with Defence Minister Fikri Isik saying on Friday that they were in talks with Russia over purchasing the S-400. Other countries are also being contacted, but Isik maintained that the Russian stance on the issue has been positive. Ankara is also looking to develop its own indigenous system, but a foreign procurement would be ready for operational use in a much shorter time period.

Europe

• The US State Department has cleared the sale of 26 Predator B UAVs to the UK. Valued at $1 billion, the deal also includes 12 Advanced Ground Control Stations, 12 Multi-spectral Targeting Systems, 25 AN/APY-8 Lynx IIe Block 20A Synthetic Aperture Radars, and other communication and identification devices, as well as equipment spares. Having already operated the MQ-9 Reaper, it is expected that British forces will have no problems making the transition.

• Officials from the French and British governments have come to an agreement on further collaborative missile defense development. Franco-British missile manufacturer MBDA has been selected to support the project, which includes the establishment of new development centers in the company’s UK sites Stevenage and Bolton. The missile cooperation agreement comes shortly after officials announced the launch of the next phase of the $145 million joint Franco-British Maritime Mine Counter Measures program, which aims to improve naval defense technology.

Asia Pacific

• The Afghan military will be flying more American wares following the decision by the Pentagon to swap out Russian-made Mi-17s for the Sikorsky Black Hawk. Citing increased problems in maintaining the Mi-17 fleet due to sanctions caused by “Russian aggression,” a number of US lawmakers have been pushing for the switch. It’s believed that Washington will modernize 53 UH-60As by acquiring them from the Army before transferring to the Afghans.

• South Korea has been cleared to continue with their purchase of Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasure systems (LAIRCM). Developed by Northrop Grumman, the pods are designed to protect large aircraft from man-portable missiles. The $141 million sale will see four LAIRCM systems procured for Korean A-330 multirole tanker aircraft. South Korean F-16s are also slated for upgrade, following the awarding of a $1.2 billion contract by the Pentagon to Lockheed Martin.

Today’s Video

Combat debut of the Tu-95MSM strategic bomber: