UNITED NATIONS — The divided UN Security Council voted Thursday to extend an arms embargo on South Sudan, despite calls from the world’s newest country, the African Union, and half a dozen countries, including Russia and China, to lift or end the restrictive measure. least to be relaxed.
The US-backed resolution received a minimum of nine “yes” votes in the 15-member council, with six countries abstaining: Russia, China, Mozambique, Algeria, Sierra Leone and Guyana.
The resolution also extends the travel ban and asset freeze for South Sudanese blacklisted by UN sanctions until May 31, 2025.
U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood welcomed the adoption of the resolution, saying that expanding the U.N. arms embargo “remains necessary to stem the unhindered flow of weapons into a gun-toting region.”
But Russia’s deputy UN ambassador Anna Evstigneeva accused the United States of ignoring all positive achievements in South Sudan and focusing on sanctions “which they present as some kind of panacea for all the country’s problems.”
Calling the sanctions “burdensome,” she noted calls for their lifting from South Sudan and the African Union, and said: “It is clear that at this stage many of the Council’s sanctions regimes, including South Sudan’s, are outdated and need to be revised. ”
South Sudan’s U.N. Ambassador Cecilia Adeng told the council that sanctions are “hindering our progress” and reiterated the country’s call for the measures to be lifted. Lifting the arms embargo “will allow us to build robust security institutions necessary to maintain peace and protect our citizens,” she said.
Expectations were high when oil-rich South Sudan became independent from Sudan in 2011 after a long conflict. But the country descended into a civil war in December 2013, largely based on ethnic divisions, as forces loyal to the current president, Salva Kiir, battled those loyal to the current vice president, Riek Machar.
The war, which killed nearly 400,000 people and displaced more than 4 million, ended with the 2018 peace deal, which brought Kiir and Machar together in a national unity government.
Under the agreement, elections were to be held in February 2023, but were postponed until December 2024. In early April, South Sudan’s president warned lawmakers “not to cling to power,” just weeks after Machar announced a further postponement of the elections had suggested.
A report two weeks ago by experts monitoring sanctions on South Sudan said the elections would be “an important milestone” and warned that the country’s leaders have little time “to ensure diverging expectations do not fuel further tensions.” and fuel conflict.”
Adeng of South Sudan told the council that her country is committed to ensuring that the upcoming elections are conducted peacefully, “with the full participation of all stakeholders.”
“South Sudan remains committed to working with the international community and our regional partners to achieve a peaceful and prosperous future for all South Sudanese,” she said. “We call on the Security Council to support our efforts by taking measures that facilitate rather than hinder our progress.”
