S Sudan neighbors urged to call for arms embargo

More than 50 organizations are urging the neighbors of South Sudan to urgently call for the United Nations Security Council to establish an arm embargo ‘to stem gruesome violations in the country’s devastating conflict’ in the country.

The organizations include South Sudanese, international human rights and humanitarian organizations.

They made the appeal ahead of a summit of the IGAD heads of state scheduled to take place in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa tomorrow.

“South Sudanese civilians are desperate and need regional leadership to help protect them,” Geoffrey Duke, secretariat team leader at the South Sudan Action Network on Small Arms, told Human Rights Watch.

“More weapons will mean these civilians will face more abusive attacks: killings, rape, burnings, pillage. Now is the time to take action.”

Regional leaders including the presidents of Kenya, Uganda, and the Ethiopian Prime Minister will attend the summit.

The organizations say the regional leaders should emerge from the summit with a clear request to the UN Security Council to impose what they call a comprehensive arms embargo on South Sudan.

The right groups also urged IGAD to make public reports by its ceasefire monitors in South Sudan, including allegations of war crimes committed in the country.