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The UK will send extra 100 soldiers to South Sudan in a bid to step up its United Nations peacekeeping commitments in the conflict-ravaged country, the defence secretary said.

Sir Michael Fallon said the government would make a “bigger commitment to peacekeeping, particularly in Africa”.

Last year, David Cameron said the UK would send about 70 troops to Somalia and up to 300 to South Sudan.

Fallon said the UK needed to help states “on the brink of failure”, or face instability that leads to extremism.

Later this year, more than 80 nations will participate in a peacekeeping conference that will be held in London.

The soldiers to be sent to South Sudan will be tasked with building a field hospital first.