At least 5 Japanese troops assigned to the U.N. peacekeeping mission in
South Sudan were detained by government forces and turned over their
weapons but were later released, the Japanese Defense Ministry said.
None of the troops were injured, the ministry added.
It marked the first time that Ground Self-Defense Force members have been taken into custody since Japan dispatched the SDF engineering unit on the U.N. mission to the new African nation in 2012.
When they were detained around 4 p.m. on March 18 Japan time, the GSDF members were visiting a shop 1.5 kilometers south of their base in the capital of Juba to buy clothes for their unit. At that time, they were wearing fatigues and were armed.
Two soldiers of the government forces questioned the Japanese troops about their weapons before confiscating the guns.
Then the South Sudan soldiers rode in the GSDF vehicle to take them to a square about 4 km away.
They were released about an hour later after the Japanese Embassy and the government forces held a discussion to resolve the situation.
According to the ministry, the South Sudan government apologized for the detention, saying some of its soldiers did not know that U.N. peacekeepers were exempt from being searched for weapons.
The GSDF has been involved in work to construct roads and install toilets for refugees since the deployment.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced earlier this month that Japan will wrap up the peacekeeping mission in South Sudan at the end of May and pull the SDF troops out of the country.
None of the troops were injured, the ministry added.
It marked the first time that Ground Self-Defense Force members have been taken into custody since Japan dispatched the SDF engineering unit on the U.N. mission to the new African nation in 2012.
When they were detained around 4 p.m. on March 18 Japan time, the GSDF members were visiting a shop 1.5 kilometers south of their base in the capital of Juba to buy clothes for their unit. At that time, they were wearing fatigues and were armed.
Two soldiers of the government forces questioned the Japanese troops about their weapons before confiscating the guns.
Then the South Sudan soldiers rode in the GSDF vehicle to take them to a square about 4 km away.
They were released about an hour later after the Japanese Embassy and the government forces held a discussion to resolve the situation.
According to the ministry, the South Sudan government apologized for the detention, saying some of its soldiers did not know that U.N. peacekeepers were exempt from being searched for weapons.
The GSDF has been involved in work to construct roads and install toilets for refugees since the deployment.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced earlier this month that Japan will wrap up the peacekeeping mission in South Sudan at the end of May and pull the SDF troops out of the country.
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