Africa-Press – South-Sudan. Amnesty International (IT) has called for renewal of the arms embargo on South Sudan.
Transparency International is a global movement with presence in over 100 countries with a core mandate id to fighting injustices, especially corruption.
According to a new report, TI alleged that the government of South Sudan has failed to end conflict-related sexual violence and protection for the survivors.
In a report titled, “If you don’t cooperate, I’ll gun you down’ claimed that guns have been used to facilitate conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) in South Sudan, hence, the need to stay the sanctions.
According to the report, CRSV survivors testified to Amnesty International how they were raped by a wide range of individuals, among them government soldiers; the National Security Service (NSS), the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO), and the rebel National Salvation Front (NAS) as well as unarmed men.
“The United Nations Security Council must renew its arms embargo on the territory of South Sudan amid the state’s failure to ensure accountability for conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) and to protect survivors, witnesses and judicial actors,” Amnesty International said on Tuesday’s report, signed by Deprose Muchena, the Amnesty International Director for East and Southern Africa.
“Amnesty International has documented over a dozen cases of conflict-related sexual violence in recent years, including women who were raped at gunpoint. “The UN Security Council must therefore renew its arms embargo on the territory of South Sudan,” it added.
They added, “The more weapons they have, the more violations… the gun is their strength to rape women.”
This followed another recent United Nations Security Council Panel of Experts on South Sudan’s report, which alleged the government had procured 150 new vehicles for police plus 25 armoured vehicles in defiance of the arms embargo.
The panel also alleged that in February 2022, and December 2021, similar vehicles were spotted at the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces Tiger Battalion, in Warrap and the Lakes States, respectively, which they said matched the “Tygra” model. The accusations the government denied.
Report rubbished
Reacting at the time when the UNSC sitting is due next, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Deng Dau Deng on Friday last week said the UN report was ‘damaging’ and could lead to another sanction.
“We are concerned because the UN Security Council is sitting next week, and this is a preparation for them to renew another sanction or to add more members to the given sanctions. We want to clarify that what has been reported, has no facts and it is misleading.”
“These reports can cause a lot of damage, the UN Security Council will sit next week, and if they get such kind of report, they will be the basis for them to renew or get in more people to be given sanctions,” Mr Dau lamented.
President Salva Kiir for the umpteenth time called for the removal of the arms embargo saying the restrictions are spoiling the bid to procure arms to graduate the necessary unified forces.
On May 28, 2021, the council adopted resolution 2577, which renewed South Sudan’s sanctions regime for one year. It encompassed the targeted sanctions, the arms embargo, and the mandate of the South Sudan Sanctions Committee’s Panel of Experts.
The resolution, which contained five benchmarks for the review of the arms embargo and targeted sanctions on the country, pressed the government to complete the Strategic Defence and Security Review process contained in the R-ARCSS; form the Necessary Unified Forces; and progress in establishing and implementing the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration process.
Others were positive progress in properly managing existing arms and ammunition stockpiles; implementing the Joint Action Plan for the Armed Forces on addressing conflict-related sexual violence.
The Council is due to meet next week to determine the fate of South Sudan’s arms embargo amidst wide support from neighbouring and regional countries to lift the sanction.
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