Further sanctions and arms embargo placed on South Sudan

The EU Council has added three people said to have been involved in serious human rights abuses to its South Sudan sanctions list. The decision was adopted in response to the ‘ever deteriorating humanitarian and security situation in South Sudan’ and the ‘lack of commitment by some actors to the ongoing peace process’.

This is the first time that the EU has imposed unilateral sanctions over South Sudan in addition to those of the United Nations. It brings the total number of persons under restrictive measures – a travel ban and asset freeze – to nine.

On 2 February, the day before the EU decision was published in the Official Journal, the US Department of State announced arms restrictions on South Sudan. The restrictions are in response to the continuing violence by both government and armed opposition, despite a peace agreement entered into in December 2017. State Department spokesperson, Heather Nauert said that the US was ‘appalled’ by the ongoing conflict, which has created a massive humanitarian crisis.

The Department of State will amend the International Traffic in Arms Regulations to implement a policy of denial – with limited exceptions – of the export of defence and defence services to South Sudan. The US says that it encourages other countries to follow its lead by imposing arms restrictions, and is seeking support for a UN Security Council embargo on ‘all arms flows into South Sudan’.

The EU Council press release can be found here:
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2018/02/02/south-sudan-eu-adds-3-persons-involved-in-serious-human-rights-violation-to-sanctions-list/

The U.S Department of State press release can be found here:
https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2018/02/277849.htm