Donald Booth, U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan.

The U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan has urged the United Nations to impose sanction on individuals who are accused of blocking the peace process in the country.

Amb Donald Booth, who was speaking in Washington, did not suggest individuals who are to be targeted.

He blamed South Sudan’s leaders for what he described as ‘squandering an opportunity for peace and prosperity when the country became independent three years ago’.

“The patience with the process is wearing thin,” he said.

He says it was up to the U.N. Security Council to decide the new sanctions on those individuals, but he did not rule out the potential of an arms embargo, as the U.S. and European allies have suggested.

Ambassador Booth says neighboring African nations appear to be more supportive of sanctions than they have in the past, given the meager progress in the peace talks that he says have languished for months.

He says the patience with the South Sudan peace process is wearing thin.

The U.S. already has sanctioned several military commanders and Ambassador Booth said more people could be penalized soon.