S. Sudan slams rights groups for regretting failure of sanctions
December 29, 2016 (JUBA)- A South Sudanese diplomat Thursday has slammed the regret expressed by some human rights organisations for the failure of the United Nations Security Council to impose targeted sanctions and arms embargo, saying they don’t care much about anybody.
He was reacting to reports in which seven international non-governmental groups expressed grave concerns over the UN Security Council’s failure to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan.
Last Friday, Amnesty International, Control Arms, Enough Project, Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, Humanity United, Human Rights Watch, and PAX said in a joint statement that the rejection of sanctions was ‘deeply disappointing.’
If the council had passed the proposal, the resolution would have placed a travel ban and asset freeze on two senior South Sudanese officials and SPLM-IO leader.
The seven groups warned that the rejection would allow the parties to the agreement in South Sudan to easily access more arms. It says growing stockpiles of arms in the country will eventually allow the conflict to continue.
The South Sudanese leadership says the decision by the UN Security Council was in the interest of peace in the country and it would have undermined peace efforts.
The proposal seeking imposition of arms embargo and targeted sanction was submitted to the Security Council by the United States but it failed to secure nine votes needed to pass. Seven votes approved and eight abstained.
(ST)