South Sudan president urges UN Security Council to lift arms embargo

By Benjamin Takpiny

JUBA, South Sudan(AA) - South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit urged the UN Security Council to lift an arms embargo Thursday that was imposed on his country.

Kiir said lifting the embargo will speed up the implementation of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement and facilitate the election process scheduled for December 2024.

“We call upon the United Nations to lift the arm embargo imposed on us to aid peace implementation and to secure the elections,” he said in an address to the UN General Assembly in New York. “The embargo has impeded the implementation of security arrangements because effective deployment of the Unified Forces we graduated cannot happen without arms.”

Kiir said his government is currently fast-tracking the implementation of the remaining provisions of the peace deal to peacefully conclude the transitional period through fair, transparent and credible elections.

“We have also managed to engage in dialogue and consultation with various stake-holders, including civil societies, youth and women, traditional leaders and opposition groups to ensure that our peace process is owned and driven by our own people,” he said.

The Security Council imposed an arms embargo in 2018 and has since renewed it annually.

In May, the Council adopted a resolution to renew the embargo until May 31, 2024, as well as targeted sanctions and a travel ban and asset freeze against individuals and entities.