CEPO Director Edmund Yakani | Photo: File/ Office of the President

Juba, South Sudan (Eye Radio) – A prominent civil society activist has warned that the United Nations-imposed arms embargo on South Sudan will remain largely ineffective unless neighboring countries fully cooperate with the international community in enforcing the restrictions.

Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), said on Monday that the continued influx of weapons through illegal routes undermines efforts to curb armed violence in the country.

“The flow of arms into the country happens through numerous illegal channels, especially when South Sudan’s neighbors are not cooperating in enforcing the arms embargo,” Yakani told Eye Radio. “Without regional enforcement, the embargo will not hold water.”

The UN Security Council first imposed the arms embargo in 2018, renewing it annually. While the sanctions were intended to reduce violence and pressure armed groups to protect civilians, Yakani argues the embargo has only been effective in identifying non-compliant actors, not in halting the flow of arms or violence.

“The arms embargo helps in profiling armed groups that disregard civilian protection during military confrontations,” he said. “But so far, it has not made a significant impact on reducing armed violence in South Sudan.”

The United Nations has outlined five key benchmarks that South Sudan must meet for the embargo to be lifted. These include: completion of the Strategic Defence and Security Review; establishment of necessary command structures; implementation of the Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) process; proper management of weapons and ammunition; and progress on transitional justice and accountability.

These conditions were first introduced in 2021 and reaffirmed in the most recent Security Council resolution, 2683 (2023).

Despite the challenges, Yakani remains optimistic that the benchmarks are achievable. He believes that collaboration among government, political parties, and civil society can help South Sudan meet the required indicators.

“We have the capacity to deliver on the five benchmarks,” he said. “But our main limitation is that the government is not genuinely reporting progress to the UN and other international bodies.”

He cited the work of military mobile courts in Yei, Morobo, Unity State, and Upper Nile as a sign of positive developments in military justice, which he says are being overlooked internationally due to poor reporting.

“These courts are delivering justice in cases of military abuse and rights violations,” Yakani noted. “But their success stories are not being documented or shared with the UN Security Council or the Human Rights Council in Geneva.”

Yakani called for improved coordination and transparency in reporting progress to help pave the way for lifting the embargo and supporting long-term peace in the country.