The UN Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution to impose sanctions on South Sudan’s warring sides. A sanctions committee will be formed to review and submit names of individuals responsible for blocking the peace process.
The proposal was initially drafted by the United States.
The sanctions will include global travelling bans and asset freezes. It is hoped these sanctions would allow African mediators the leverage they need to push for a lasting agreement.
The resolution drafted by the United States says an arms embargo is possible if the warring sides can’t stick to a peace deal. Talks between the government and rebels continue this week in Ethiopia, with a Thursday deadline to reach a decisive peace agreement.
Fighting between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and rebels allied to his former vice president, Riek Machar, plunged South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, into a civil war in December 2013 that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions of civilians.
Efforts to unite the two waring parties have not succeeded hence worsening the situation for the millions of civilians who have been left without shelter after running away from the conflict zones.
