UN Security Council urged to renew South Sudan arms embargo

May 1, 2020 News, Newsbeat, South Sudan, UN

The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Kelly Craft, takes the United State’s seat at the Security Council at UN headquarters in New York City. Craft, a Republican, takes over from her predecessor Nikki Haley. | September 12, 2019 (Photo courtesy:GettyImages)

May 1, 2020 (SSNN) – The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has been urged to renew South Sudan’s arms embargo which was imposed on the world’s youngest nation in July 2018 months before a peace agreement to end the seven-year-old conflict could be signed.

Deprose Muchena, the Amnesty International’s Director for East and Southern Africa said if the African Union (AU)’s vision of silencing the guns by 2020 is to succeed; the African leaders at the UNSC have to vote for renewal of South Sudan’s arms embargo.

“If the African Union wants to silence the guns in Africa by 2020, African countries currently sitting on the UN Security Council – South Africa, Niger and Tunisia – must vote in favour of renewing the arms embargo imposed on South Sudan,” Muchena said.

Muchena said “Renewing and strengthening the embargo on South Sudan is a crucial part of this effort.”

“The arms embargo on South Sudan should not be seen as punitive but necessary for curbing violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, improving the fragile security environment, increasing prospects of justice for victims, and facilitating socio-economic development and investment into the country’s grossly under-funded healthcare system – particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.”