May 31, 2023 – New York. Today the UN Security Council extended for a period of one year sanctions previously imposed on South Sudan, including assets freezes, travel bans and an arms embargo. The vote was 10 for and 5 in abstentia. Numerous UN members stressed that instead of sanctions, the country needs a carefully managed support system to facilitate its transitional journey and overcome its security issues.

The Council further condemned targeting of civil society, including journalists, human rights defenders and humanitarian personnel, emphasizing that the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity bears the primary responsibility to protect its population from genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The government of South Sudan decried the action, saying it ignores the significant progress in implementing the Revitalized Peace Agreement signed in 2018, as well as the development that has taken place. “It is oblivious to the suffering of the people of South Sudan,” said an official statement.

Besides working to broker peace in the recent Sudan conflict, South Sudan President Salva Kiir has recently accelerated implementation of the Necessary Unified Forces (NUF) that was called for in the transitional peace agreement. A force that could be deployed to help ensure peace and stability in several regions of the country.

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