US launches bid to impose arms embargo on South Sudan

Children who are soldiers listen to a speech after being released from a group called Cobra Faction and from the main Sudan People's Liberation Movement In Opposition rebel faction during a ceremony in Tenet, South Sudan on October 26, 2016. PHOTO | CHARLES ATIKI LOMODONG | AFP

What you need to know:

  • US ambassador Samantha Power said a draft resolution would be presented to the council to ban weapon sales to the country and impose sanctions, setting the stage for a clash with Russia, which opposes the move.

  • Of the council’s permanent, veto-wielding members, Britain and France backed the proposal, Russia reaffirmed its opposition and China expressed reservations.

NEW YORK CITY, Friday

The United States has launched a bid at the Security Council to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan following warnings of a potential genocide.

US ambassador Samantha Power said a draft resolution would be presented to the council to ban weapon sales to the country and impose sanctions, setting the stage for a clash with Russia, which opposes the move.

“South Sudan is a nation at the precipice,” Power told the council.

“In the coming days, the US will put forward a proposal to impose an arms embargo on the county and sanctions on individuals who have been spoilers to achieve lasting peace,” she said.

Of the council’s permanent, veto-wielding members, Britain and France backed the proposal, Russia reaffirmed its opposition and China expressed reservations.

The move followed a report by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who warned that South Sudan faced a risk of mass killings and that 14,000 peacekeepers deployed would not be able to stop the bloodbath.