Russia rejects calls for arms embargo on South Sudan

October 11, 2016 (JUBA) – Russia on Tuesday said it was opposed to calls for arms embargo on South Sudan, in the wake of reports that the Juba government had done little to allow more peacekeepers to be deployed into the war-torn nation.

South Sudan has been reluctant to accept the deployment of about 4,000 regional protection forces in its capital, despite approval by the African Union for the intervention forces to support the 12,000 U.N. troops in the country.

In July, renewed violence broke out near the presidential palace in Juba between the country’s rival factions, leaving hundreds dead.

The incident piled more pressure on the Juba regime, with the U.N. Security Council threating to consider a possible arms embargo on grounds that South Sudan failed to implement its peace 2015 deal.

Russia’s Deputy U.N. Ambassador, Petr Iliichev was quoted saying that an assessment report from Secretary General of the world body, Ban Ki-moon to the council on Monday said that “South Sudan was not impeding or increasing difficulties, so it’s a very neutral letter.”

“Our opposition doesn’t change. Yesterday we were discussing Central African Republic, where an arms embargo is in place but the country is just inundated with weapons,” he told reporters Tuesday.

Ki moon, in the past, called for imposition of arms embargo on South Sudan.

South Sudan’s rivals leaders signed a peace deal a year ago, but fighting has continued despite a declared ceasefire, displacing thousands of people.

(ST)