Russian Peacekeepers End S.Sudan Mission

MOSCOW, March 7 (RIA Novosti)

As the Russian air group in South Sudan ends its mission all the equipment will be withdrawn within a week, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Vladimir Drik said on Wednesday.

All Russian soldiers and helicopters will leave the African country by the end of this week, he added.

The move follows a Russian presidential decree after the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) ended on July 11, 2011.

Russia currently has eight helicopters and 120 personnel servicing the UNMISS.

A series of recent tribal clashes in the country, which just won its independence six months ago, is believed to have left some 3,000 people dead, according to local officials.