UN approves arms embargo against South Sudan

article-img

The United Nations Security Council narrowly approved an arms embargo against South Sudan on Friday.

The US-drafted resolution received the minimum number of nine “yes” votes required from member nations, despite concerns the embargo could hurt peace efforts in Africa’s youngest nations. Russia, China, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Kazakhstan and Bolivia were the six nations to abstain from voting on the issue.

UN approves arms embargo against South Sudan

Aside from the immediate arms embargo, the resolution imposes a travel ban and asset freezes against two key individuals in South Sudan: deputy defence chief for logistics, Malek Reuben Riak Rengu, and former chief of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, Paul Malong Awan.

The decision comes amid ongoing peace talks between South Sudan’s government and rebel forces, which have been embroiled in a bitter war for almost five years. Successive peace deal failures have strained the patience of key members of the international community – most notably the US, which announced it no longer backs South Sudan’s government earlier this year.

Some member states strongly opposed the arms embargo, arguing that progress is being made in the most recent peace talks, despite a ceasefire being violated hours after its implementation during the final days of June.

Featured image: Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=829476

About Aaron Brooks

Aaron Brooks is a UK journalist who wants to cut out the international agendas in news. Spending his early years in both England and Northern Ireland he saw the difference between reality and media coverage at an early age. After graduating from the University of Chester with a BA in journalism, his travels revealed just how large the gap between news and the real world can be. As Editor-in-Chief at East Africa Monitor, it’s his job to provide a balanced view of what’s going on in the region for English-speaking audiences.