KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — A spokesman for the U.N. mission in South Sudan says China is expected to deploy up to 700 peacekeeping troops to South Sudan as part of the increase in military personnel authorized by the Security Council last year.

Joe Contreras said Wednesday that none of those troops has arrived in South Sudan and that a final decision has not been made on where they will be deployed.

He said there are about 350 Chinese military personnel, mostly engineers, already serving under the U.N. mission in South Sudan. There are also medics and military liaison officers, all based in the states of Warrap, Lakes and Western Bahr el-Ghazal, he said.

Since December South Sudan has been hit by violence that has displaced many people and threatened the country’s oil wells.

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