Government officials said that the UN could not move troops to border hotpots ahead of the referendum without Khartoum’s consent.
On Friday, UN peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy said UNMIS would increase its presence at what he called border “hotspots”.Mr. Le Roy was answering GoSS President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s request for a stronger peacekeeping presence along the north-south border in order to create a buffer zone and avoid northern forces to invade the south.
Security adviser Salah Gosh said UNMIS troops could not be deployed without the consent of the government.
Ibrahim Ghandour, a NCP official, said the peace partners could solve any tension in the region and the buffer zone between North and South was not needed.