Zuma withdraws troops from Sudan”s Darfur region

South Africa will withdraw its troops from peacekeeping operations in Sudan’s Darfur region, President Jacob Zuma’s office said on Wednesday. Zuma’s office also announced on Wednesday that elected officials will receive salary increases of 4.4 percent, compared with inflation of more than 6 percent in Africa’s most industrialized economy, the presidency said on Wednesday. South […]

South Africa will withdraw its troops from peacekeeping operations in Sudan’s Darfur region, President Jacob Zuma’s office said on Wednesday.
Zuma’s office also announced on Wednesday that elected officials will receive salary increases of 4.4 percent, compared with inflation of more than 6 percent in Africa’s most industrialized economy, the presidency said on Wednesday.
South African troops joined one of the world’s largest peacekeeping forces five years after the conflict in Darfur began, but the force has been dogged by allegations by Western powers that it has not done enough to protect civilians and withheld information on the scale of violence.
“Members of the South African National Defence Force were employed in Darfur in 2008 as part of the AU/UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID). The termination will take effect from 01 April 2016,” the president’s office said in a statement.
The measures come at a time when South Africa’s economy is struggling, and government finances are under strain.