The United States Security Council has called upon “all actors” to “cease hostilities and allow humanitarian access”.

This statement comes after the Council discussed the situation in South Sudan Monday night. It expressed “deep concern” that “fighting continues throughout” the country.

It also called South Sudanese wherever they are in the world to end hate speech.

Here is a video of a statement on the situation in the country read by Olof Skoog, Permanent Representative of Sweden to the UN and President of the Security Council for the month of January 2017.

Attempts by the SC to act against individual leaders who are thought to be obstructing peace process have been thwarted by some member states of the Council, particularly Russia and China, arguing that sanctioning the leaders of South Sudan would not facilitate building a more inclusive society or forge a political process.

In December 2016, UN Security Council failed to impose an arms embargo and targeted sanctions on South Sudan.