South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit. |File Photo|
The UN Security Council has renewed the arms embargo on South Sudan and extended targeted travel bans and asset freeze measures for an additional 12 months, until 31 May 2025.
The United States-drafted resolution was adopted with nine votes in favor, none against, and three abstentions from Russia and the ‘A3 plus one’ group—Algeria, Mozambique, Guyana, and Sierra Leone.
The Council also extended the mandate of a UN Panel of Experts assisting the South Sudan sanctions committee for the same period.
“The UN arms embargo remains necessary to stem the unfettered flow of weapons into a region awash with guns,” explained the US representative, “Many people, and especially women and children, have borne the brunt of this ongoing violence. In addition, extending the panel of experts underscores the importance of the panel’s independent reporting, which informs the UN and Member States how best to allocate resources.”
The representative from Algeria spoke on behalf of the ‘A3 plus one’ group.
“The A3 Plus abstained based on its conviction that the time has come for the Security Council to make the necessary adjustments to the South Sudan sanctions regime,” said the Algerian representative, “The complexity of the challenges faced by South Sudan calls for more robust and structured support from the international community on critical areas such as weapons and ammunition management.”
The Permanent Representative of South Sudan to the United Nations, Cecilia Adeng, updated the Council on the progress made in the peace process and stated that the arms embargo and continued sanction measures would hurt the peace process.
“Lifting the arms embargo and other sanctions will empower us to further implement the agreement, enhance security, and build sustainable peace,” said Adeng.
The arms embargo on South Sudan was initially imposed in 2018.
The UN Security Council listed key benchmarks as necessary pre-conditions for the removal.
These are – the unification of the armed forces, establishment and implementation of disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration processes, management of existing weapons and stockpiles, and the implementation of a Joint Action Plan for the Armed Forces on addressing conflict-related sexual violence.
