Divided UN renews South Sudan arms embargo

The UN Security Council on Thursday extended for a year an arms embargo and sanctions on South Sudan despite resistance from African countries, Russia and China.

A US-drafted resolution was adopted by a vote of 10 in favor with five abstentions. Resolutions in the 15-member council require a minimum of nine votes for adoption.

The measure renews until May 31, 2020 an arms embargo on South Sudan along with an assets freeze and global travel ban slapped on eight South Sudanese nationals for their role in fuelling the war.

The United States sharply criticized the three African countries on the council -- Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast and South Africa -- for refusing to support continued sanctions on South Sudan.

US acting Ambassador Jonathan Cohen expressed regret that the African countries had shown "an unwillingness to stop the flow of weapons to one of the continent's deadliest civil conflicts."
Ambassador Jerry Matjila said South Africa held the "firm view that sanctions imposed on South Sudan at this time are not helpful to the current complex political process."