Michael Makuei, Minister of Information at the TNLA on May 14, 2019 - Photo by Joakino Francis @EyeRadio

The minister of information says the renewal of UN sanctions on individual leaders and arms embargo is a mechanism meant to interrupt the implementation of the new peace deal.

Last week, the UN Security Council voted to extend the sanction regime for a year despite resistance from Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Russia and China.

The measure renewed the arms embargo along with an assets freeze and global travel ban imposed on eight South Sudanese nationals for their role in fueling the war. It will remain active until May 31, 2020.

Prior to the UNSC meeting last week, a coalition of 15 international and regional civil society organizations urged the council to renew and strengthen the arms embargo and targeted sanctions in South Sudan, saying it shall show the council’s desire to protect the South Sudanese in the face of continued threats to their lives.

In response, the government spokesperson, Michael Makuei, blames the UN Security Council saying the renewal is intended to weaken the implementation of the peace accord.

“To us, it’s not the right time for renewal because we are in the process of implementing the revitalized peace agreement which we reached with the opposition parties accept with those of Thomas Cirilo and Paul Malong,” Makuei told Eye Radio Monday.

Makuei alleged that the government stopped procuring arms years ago, adding that the funds that were used to procure arms in the past are now being spent in the implementation of the revitalized peace accord.

“It’s not acceptable because all these reports [suggest] that the government is buying weapons to kill its citizens are just cut and paste and made to appear as new things all together.”

The revitalized peace agreement to end the 5-year civil war that killed nearly 400,000 people was signed in September last year.

But the committee tasked with its implementation, the NPTC, says key elements have yet to be put in place due to lack of funds.