There is no consensus between members of the UN Security Council on whether to include an arms embargo in sanctions against South Sudan, a diplomat has said.
Reuters’s news agency reports that European Council members and Australia want an arms embargo and the US doesn’t.
The reason for the U.S. reluctance is fear that a weapons ban would disproportionately hurt the government.
Supporters of the arms embargo acknowledge the American point is a valid concern, but they argue that the conflict has continued for a year now because of the weapons.
“We recognize that risk but believe that the amount of killing that’s going on, the fact it’s been going on for a year now, there’s too many weapons there,” a senior diplomat said. “Sending a political signal of an arms embargo would be a good thing and we would do our best to make it stick for both sides,” said the unnamed diplomat.
Recently, South Sudan sent a delegation to Washington and New York this month to meet with Security Council delegations to lobby against sanctions.
However, there is broad support for targeting individuals on both sides of the government of South Sudan and SPLM In opposition with travel bans and asset freezes.