UN experts say arms embargo on South Sudan being violated

JUBA, MAY 5, 2023 (SUDANS POST) – South Sudan government has continued to import military equipment in violation of the arms embargo imposed by the UN Security Council in 2018, according to the UN Panel of Experts on South Sudan.

In their final report released on Thursday, the experts said military vehicles imported by the government looks different to those imported in violation of the sanctions between 2021 and 2022 as well as those before the sanctions were imposed, something that suggests they might have been imported recently.

“These vehicles are distinct in both design and colour from those purchased in violation of the arms embargo in late 2021 or early 2022 and detailed in the Panel’s final report (S/2022/359),” the report obtained by Sudans Post reads in part.

“They are also distinct from those known to have been purchased by the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces prior to the imposition of the arms embargo by the Security Council with resolution 2428 (2018),” it added.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) imposed an arms embargo on South Sudan in July 2018, as a part of its broader sanctions regime to put pressure on the country’s leaders to end a long-running and bloody civil war that had lasted since 2013.

The arms embargo aimed to cut off the flow of weapons to all parties involved in the conflict, to prevent further violence and protect civilians.

“……the Panel considers the import of the military vehicles to be a violation of the arms embargo, as no exemption request was submitted for their import,” the report said.

The report also documented how South Sudan army has continued to modernize its riverine force by providing equipment which should have been imported from a foreign country in violation of the arms embargo.

“Panel interviews have also confirmed that, in recent years, the military of South Sudan, including its riverine forces, has met with foreign Governments and collaborated with private businesses to advance its military and technical capabilities,” the report said.

“The Panel has seen several proposals and contracts for the supply of additional military equipment but has not been able to confirm delivery in those cases,” they added.