US Submits Draft Arms Embargo Resolution on South Sudan to UNSC

The United States circulated a UN Security Council draft resolution on arms embargo in South Sudan following closed consultations with UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson upon his return from Addis Ababa, a UK ambassador said.

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) – On Monday, South Sudan's President Salva Kiir refused to sign the peace agreement with the country's opposition in Addis Ababa, saying that negotiations were expected to be resumed in 15 days.

"We had the Deputy Secretary General set out the situation, how much progress had been made… but also set out, the government’s not signed the agreement. The Americans have circulated a resolution. Experts are meeting to look at that resolution now," UK Deputy Permanent Representative Peter Wilson told reporters on Wednesday.

Wilson added that the move was an important attempt to urge the Council to seek an agreement that would enhance peace in South Sudan.

New Zealand Permanent Representative Gerard van Boheman noted that the draft resolution stipulated an arms embargo and additional sanctions should the peace agreement fail to be signed.

South Sudan has been engulfed in violence since December 2013, when President Salva Kiir accused then-Vice President Riek Machar of plotting a coup. The conflict triggered clashes between government forces and rebel groups.

The conflict in South Sudan has claimed lives of more than 50,000 people, according to the non-governmental organization International Crisis Group.