UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council has voted unanimously to extend the almost 20,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force in South Sudan, with a mandate “to advance a three-year strategic vision to prevent a return to civil war” and build peace both nationally and locally. The resolution approved by the council on Friday also authorizes the mission, known as UNMISS, to “support inclusive and accountable governance and free, fair and peaceful elections.” It also demands that all parties to the conflict and armed groups “immediately end the fighting throughout South Sudan.” The world’s youngest nation slid into ethnic violence in December 2013.
