S. South stripped of right to vote at UN after failure to pay membership arrears

JUBA – South Sudan has been stripped of its right to vote at the United Nations after a UN Secretary-General report said it has failed – along with nine other countries – to pay its membership fees for more than two years.

Last week, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a letter to the President of the UN General Assembly that South Sudan, along with nine other countries including Zimbabwe and Iran, have not paid their arrears since 2019.

South Sudan is currently under UN sanctions and arms embargo for its failure to end the violence that followed the December 2013 Juba split of the army and is currently a subject of strict measures.

‘Animal farm’

Speaking to reporters today morning, information minister and government spokesman Michael Makuei Lueth however described the stripping of the right to vote as unfair, accusing some unnamed members of the UN of unfair treatment saying the UN is supposed to be an equal animal farm.

“What is happening in the UN is the animal farm. This is an animal farm where all animals are equal but some are more equal than others. I say this because if you are talking about the UN charter where all members are equal. They said they are equal but are they really equal?” Makuei asked.

“They are not equal even in the Security Council. In Security Council there are permanent members who have the right of  veto where it is your right or not, I can veto it and say no your right is gone and there are members of the Security Council even if they  all vote in favor and I  being a permanent member  with right of veto, I can veto  the decision and it is gone. then where do you talk about equality here,”  the senior government official added.