UN Security Council meeting venue in New York, USA. |fFile photo.

The UN Security Council on Thursday extended the sanctions regime including arms embargo, asset freezes and travel ban on South Sudan for one year, amid appeals from some members.

The sanctions regime, first imposed in July 2018, has since been extended annually in consideration of the security situation in South Sudan and reports of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General.

During the latest Council meeting on Thursday, a number of speakers highlighted that the resolution failed to acknowledge Juba’s positive achievements and hinders its efforts to peace and stability.

The resolution was adopted after nine council members including Ecuador, France, Japan, Malta, Republic of Korea, Slovenia, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States voted in favor and none voted against.

Meanwhile, 6 countries including Algeria, China, Guyana, Mozambique, Russian Federation and Sierra Leone abstained from the vote.

The Council strongly urged all member states to identify and prevent arms shipments to South Sudan in efforts to prevent risk of another civil war in the country.

It further reiterated its call on countries neighboring South Sudan to inspect all cargo to South Sudan in their territory, if there are reasonable grounds to believe the cargo contains items the supply, sale or transfer of which is prohibited by the arms embargo.

The 15-member body requested the Secretary-General, UNMISS and the Panel of Experts to assist the South Sudan Sanctions Committee in carrying out its mandate — to submit by 15 April 2025 an assessment report on progress achieved on the key benchmarks.

– Benchmarks for lifting embargo –

The UN Security Council has set five benchmarks to enable the review and potential modification of the arms embargo imposed on South Sudan.

The preconditions include redeployment and resource allocation to the necessary unified forces, progress on disarmament, demobilization and reintegration that also requires allocation of resources.

Other benchmarks are management of the existing arms and ammunition stockpile, completion of the strategic defense and security review process, and establishment of a joint action plan against Sexual Gender-Based Violence (S-GBV).

The estimated total number of guns (both licit and illicit) held by civilians in South Sudan is 1,255,000 in 2017 and 3,000,000 in 2013, according to a report published by Gunpolicy.org.

– Panel of Experts –

In a similar resolution, the Security Council extended until July 2025 the mandate of its Panel of Experts and tasked them to provide an interim report by December 2024, and a final report by May 2025.

The United States’ delegate, Ambassador Robert Wood, said the measures outlined in the resolution “continue to play a critical role in promoting peace and stability in South Sudan and the broader region.”

Ambassador Wood also said the arms embargo remains necessary to stem the flow of weapons into “a region flooded with guns,” adding that civilians especially women and children, have borne the brunt of violence.

Citing the explosion of the ammunition depot in Juba in February, the US delegate said the incident only reinforced the need to reduce weapons in the country and put in place proper protocols to safeguard them.

On her part, South Sudan ambassador to the UN Cecilia Adeng told the council that sanctions impede peace progress and reiterated Juba’s call for the measures to be lifted.

Adeng said eliminating the arms embargo will enable the country to build robust security institutions necessary for maintaining peace and protecting the citizens.