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Amnesty International Urges UN to Renew South Sudan Arms Embargo

Nabeel Biajo

   Amnesty International is urging the United Nations Security Council to
   renew its arms embargo on South Sudan, saying violence, atrocities and
   war crimes against civilians have quadrupled this year despite a
   cease-fire and formation of a unity government in February.

   The Security Council first imposed an arms embargo on South Sudan in
   May 2018, which it renewed a year later and again in May 2020.

   Brian Castner, senior crisis adviser and weapons investigator at the
   New York-based rights group Amnesty International, told South Sudan in
   Focus the embargo is needed because government forces do not "use their
   weapons responsibly," adding that they are "often the ones committing
   the atrocities themselves."

   In a report Amnesty International submitted to the Security Council
   last week ahead of a midterm review of South Sudan's arms embargo to be
   conducted sometime before December 15, the rights group reported
   numerous cases of extrajudicial executions, forced displacement, rape,
   torture and destruction of civilian property by government and former
   opposition forces from April to June 2020 in Central Equatoria state.

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