South Sudan claims arms embargo delaying peace implementation

JUBA, FEBRUARY 22^nd 2023 (SUDANS POST) – South Sudan government on Tuesday claimed that the arms embargo imposed in 2018 by the international community over continued violence is delaying the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement.

Speaking during a press conference to announce end of the current transitional period in Juba on Tuesday, information minister and government spokesman Michael Makuei Lueth said that the arms embargo is undermining efforts to provide arms to the graduated unified forces.

“A soldier is not a soldier as long as he or she is in full uniform without a rifle but those we graduated with sticks are the ones that now the international community is telling us to deploy them, okay we will deploy them with sticks, will they protect you?” Makuei asked

“There will be no difference between them and myself who is not armed,” he added.

The senior government official further appealed to the international community to lift the army embargo so as the government is allowed to arm the necessary unified forces to provide security to the civil population.

“Our appeal to the international community is to reconsider that arms embargo so that we arm these soldiers and deploy them, the only item remaining is the arms embargo which is an obstacle and will continue to be an obstacle as long as that arms embargo is not lifted and to me, this is an obstruction of the implementation of the agreement,” he said.