South Sudanese rebels on Thursday urged the international community to impose additional sanctions on the Kiir administration until there is real progress toward peace in the world’s youngest nation.
Henry Odwar, deputy chairman of the opposition group led by Riek Machar, said in interview with Radio Tamazuj that the region and the international community should do more to pile pressure on South Sudan’s government to accept peace.
“I think the international community will not tolerate the continuation of the current situation in South Sudan,” Odwar said.
“If the conflict continues, the international community should really act to make sure that the government chooses peace as the only alternative,” he added.
South Sudan government has recently criticized calls for all-out sanctions against the nation saying the sanctions would derail the peace process.
It said the sanctions emboldened the opposition groups who now believe the Juba government will collapse at any time soon.
The US Commerce Department recently imposed sanctions on the oil sector in South Sudan. The Trump administration said those South Sudanese entities were substantial sources of revenues for the government, accusing the government of using those entities to fund violence.
The US government also banned the export of weapons and defense services to South Sudan in a reflection of its growing frustration over the newest nation’s bitter conflict.
The Enough Project on Thursday urged the European Union to more clearly and consistently assert leadership and develop much-needed financial leverage that could support a truly reinvigorated peace process in South Sudan, a country hijacked by corrupt elites and marred by brutal conflict and urgent humanitarian crises.