UN extends arms embargo on South Sudan despite appeals from African Union, Russia and China

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The divided U.N. Security Council has voted to extend an arms embargo on South Sudan despite appeals from the world’s newest nation, the African Union and half a dozen countries including Russia and China to lift or at least ease the restrictive measure. The U.S.-sponsored resolution got the minimum nine “yes” votes in the 15-member council on Thursday, with six countries abstaining – Russia, China, Mozambique, Algeria, Sierra Leone and Guyana. The resolution not only extends the arms embargo but travel bans and asset freezes on South Sudanese on the U.N. sanctions blacklist until May 31, 2025. U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood welcomed the resolution’s adoption saying extending the U.N. arms embargo “remains necessary to stem the unfettered flow of weapons into a region awash with guns.”