By Tereza Jeremiah Chuei
Senior government official at ceasefire monitoring body, Lt. Gen Rabi Mujung has appealed to the Ceasefire Transitional Security Monitoring and Verification Mechanism to back government in their quest for lifting arms embargo.
I-TGoNU representative at CTSAMVM, Mr. Mujung said for the country to be able to fight insecurity, there is need for the joint Necessary Unified Forces to be armed and then be deployed to perform their duties to the fullest.
“We are aware that the Country is not fully stable and then deployment of soldiers without rifles to the fields, I think it’s any area that parties really need to take into consideration,” Mujung said.
Speaking during the opening session of the CTSAMVM technical meeting held in Juba, Mr. Mujung urged the monitoring body and other stakeholders to preach for removal of arms embargo.
“You as stakeholders also need to reflect this to UN agencies and AU, so that they also see how you deploy somebody unarmed to the units, fields and also there is continuous fighting from time to time,” he stressed.
He stated that elimination of arms embargo is essential to enable government equip the unified forces and then deploy them to tackle the insecurity for the country to attain sustainable peace.
“The issue of lifting arms embargo is very important so that government arms these groups and then deploys them so that they perform their duties,” he noted.
On May 26, 2022, the UNSC renewed arms embargo and sanctions on individuals by a narrow margin that saw the approval of 10 out of the 15 council members to another one year – until May 31, 2022, due to persistent ceasefire violation and intensifying violence.
Meanwhile, five countries abstained from voting on the US drafted resolution. They are China, Russia, India, Gabon and Kenya.
The resolution was passed despite repeated calls by Kiir’s administration to lift the arms embargo and sanctions, Kiir argued several times that its inability to buy guns frustrated efforts to graduate unified forces.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs registers its displeasure against the resolution passed today by the United Nations Security Council,” the government protested shortly after the vote.
“We therefore ask the UNSC member states to establish a co-open for the South Sudan file for greater fairness to the people of South Sudan who suffer under the cruelty of the UN sanctions and arms embargo,” the statement added.
Few months ago, President Salva Kiir meet with visiting US delegation led by Mark Siljander who lamented about imposed sanctions and vow to work tougher for removal of sanctions and arms embargo.
“The members of the US delegation have also acknowledged that they are aware that the sanctions are not helping, but affecting the Country’s prosperity and the implementation of the peace agreement,” Siljander said after meeting with President Kiir.
“They pledged to work harder to ensure that the sanctions are removed for South Sudan to prosper,” he added.