The United States has proposed to the United Nations Security Council to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan, and further targeted sanctions amid warnings by a senior UN official that the country may slide into genocide.
The Special UN Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng last weekend visited South Sudan and warned that the country could descend into a genocide if an intervention is not carried out soon.
“I saw all the signs that ethnic hatred and targeting of civilians could evolve into genocide if something is not done now to stop it. I urge the Security Council and member states of the region to be united and to take action,” Dieng told the council.
South Sudan descended into violence in December 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused his then deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup against his government.
Machar denied the claims but went on to mobilize a rebel force to fight the government.
A peace deal was signed last year, paving way for the April 2016 return of Machar to the capital, Juba, to take up the position of first vice president in a unity government.
Forces loyal to the two leaders however were involved in a five-day gun battle in July, prompting Machar to flee the capital again.
Instances of violence have since continued to occur in the country.
The U.N. Security Council has long-threatened to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan, but veto powers Russia and China are skeptical whether such a move would make a difference as the country is already awash with weapons.
