UN Security Council members vote during a session. (File photo/Courtesy).

South Sudan’s government has appealed to Japan’s counterpart to support the country’s request to UN Security to lift the targeted sanctions and arms embargo imposed on South Sudan.

Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Deng Dau Deng on Thursday, April 13, 2023, met with the Japanese Ambassador to South Sudan in Juba where they discussed bilateral issues.

These included the sanctions and arms embargo that Juba has long been complaining about.

Speaking on the state-run South Sudan Broadcasting Cooperation Television, the Deputy Director of Media in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Deng Dau asked the Japanese government to support the lifting of the arms embargo.

“The minister has asked Japan to support the country in lifting the arms embargo and sanction labeled against South Sudan,” Muorchol Acut said.

“He [Acting Minister] asked Japan to help with the issue of human rights discussed between the human rights commissioner and South Sudan, so this is the important issue being discussed in the meeting.”

In May 2022, the UN Security Council extended for one year the sanctions regime imposed on South Sudan, including the arms embargo, travel bans, and financial measures.

The resolution was adopted by a vote of 10 member countries that favored the renewed arms embargo.

The countries included Albania, Brazil, France, Ghana, Ireland, Mexico, Norway, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Japan is not one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and does not have veto power in the Security Council Resolutions.

However, the Asian nation is one of the most active non-permanent members of the Security Council, having served on the council 18 times since the United Nations’ founding.

Japan is also a leading financial contributor to the United Nations and has been actively campaigning for a permanent seat on the Security Council.

On the 9th of June 2022, Japan was elected to serve as one of the 5 new non-permanent members of the UNSC for the years between 2023 and 2027.