S. Sudan protests as UN passes draft resolution on sanctions

JUBA, Wednesday
United Nations sanctions aimed at bringing an end to South Sudan’s civil war would be counterproductive if imposed, the country’s foreign minister said today.

On Tuesday the UN Security Council unanimously passed a US-drafted resolution outlining a sanctions regime that will allow for worldwide travel bans and asset freezes for “spoilers” of the peace process and a possible arms embargo. However, no sanctions have actually been imposed.

“Any sanctions imposed on South Sudan, will not only hinder the peace process but will inherently be felt by our countrymen and women down to the very basic level,” Mr Barnaba Marial Benjamin said in a statement.

“We need to remove obstacles obstructing peace not create new ones,” he said.

South Sudan’s conflict began in December 2013 when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of planning a coup.

Fighting quickly spread from the capital Juba. Tens of thousands have been killed, one in six have been forced from their homes and millions more have been pushed to the edge of starvation.

Peace talks, brokered by regional bloc IGAD, got underway within weeks of the outbreak of conflict but have only resulted in a series of broken ceasefires and empty promises. IGAD sanctions have been threatened but not imposed.

President Kiir and Mr Machar are in the Ethiopian capital this week for the latest round of talks. IGAD has set March 5 as the latest deadline for a final peace agreement.

Despite the lack of progress in peace talks, the continued fighting, suffering and destruction Benjamin struck an optimistic tone in his call for sanctions not to be imposed.

“Our struggle for growth and prosperity is only just beginning,” he insisted. “We’ve fought long and hard to get where we are.”

Regional mediators have given President Kiir and rebel chief Machar until Thursday to reach a final deal to end 14 months of war that have killed tens of thousands of people.

At the UN, US Ambassador Samantha Power told the council that the resolution would give African mediators leverage in their push for agreement by making clear that “those who frustrate peace must begin to pay the price.”

The resolution was approved by all 15 council members, including veto-wielding member China, which had criticised the move as unhelpful at a time when the warring factions were involved in complicated negotiations.

Diplomats said the move toward sanctions won the backing of all council members after African governments, deeply frustrated with the lack of progress in peace talks, threw their support behind the measure.

SANCTIONS COULD BACKFIRE

Russian envoy Pyotr Ilyichev expressed scepticism, saying that the move could be “hasty” and that sanctions could backfire in the effort to bring peace.
The resolution states that those who “threaten the peace, security and stability of South Sudan” could be targeted for UN sanctions.

These include leaders of officials who obstruct peace talks, impede humanitarian aid deliveries, recruit child soldiers or attack UN peacekeepers.

The resolution raises the possibility of imposing an arms embargo on South Sudan, a measure strongly backed by European countries despite concerns that the ban could penalize Kiir’s forces more than the rebel fighters.

Criticising the move, South Sudan’s Ambassador Francis Deng urged the council to refrain from taking the next step and actually imposing sanctions, arguing that the punitive measures would not help bring about peace.

“What the president and the government of South Sudan need is encouragement and support, not condemnation,” said Mr Deng.

Fighting has raged in South Sudan despite several peace deals that have never been implemented in what UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous described last week as “serious failure of leadership.” (AFP)