Kiir’s calls for arms embargo to be lifted ‘not logic’ – SPLM-IO official

JUBA – A senior South Sudan main armed Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) led by First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny has said that calls by President Salva Kiir Mayardit to have the sanctions lifted is not logic saying the country has more weapons to graduate the forces.

This comes a day after President Salva Kiir Mayardit made a remark during the closing session of the 5^th Governors’ Forum in which the South Sudanese head of state said the delay in the graduation of the unified forces is due to several factors one of which is the arms embargo.

The United Nations Security Council in 2018 imposed sanctions and arms embargo on South Sudan over its lack of willingness to achieve peace for its citizens following years of civil war.

In a statement this morning, SPLM-IO member of National Liberation Council and close ally of First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny, Dut Majokdit, said the calls by President Kiir to have the sanctions lifted are not logic and that the sanctions and arms embargo were imposed because of the war he said was initiated by him.

“The call for lifting of the arms embargo as an obstacles to the graduation of the unified forces is not logic, we have more guns in the country to graduate fifty three thousands unified forces in the training centers,” Majokdit said in an email to Sudans Post.

“Sanctions were imposed on South Sudan during the war time, due to the purchasing of the more weapons and ammunition by the government in Juba to fight the opposition by then before the peace deal was signed on the 12^th September 2018,” the Machar-ally added.

The senior opposition official further said it was necessary that the parties are recommitted to the graduation of unified forces than blaming sanctions which he said will automatically lifted only if the deal is implemented.

“Therefore it’s the time for the parties to graduate the unified forces and the sanctions are going to be lifted if political will is demonstrated to implement Peace Agreement,” he said.

“According to the UN reports the country has more weapons to graduate the unified forces, let’s organized the military to build the national and professional army and the parties cannot graduate the unified forces before the formation of the unified command structure to continue with the chapter two until it’s completed,” he added.