By Matik Kueth
President Salva Kiir has reiterated his call to the international community to reconsider the continued arms embargo and sanctions imposed on South Sudan, saying they are stalling crucial security reforms and peace implementation.
Speaking at the reopening of parliament on Wednesday, Kiir urged regional peace bodies, including IGAD, the AU, and the UN, to broker peace in South Sudan, stating that sanctions must be withdrawn so that the country can cement peace.
“To the international community, consider lifting sanctions on South Sudan, it’s hindering crucial reforms and peace consolidation,” Kiir said.
South Sudan has been under a UN arms embargo since 2018, following repeated violations of previous peace agreements.
However, the government argues that the embargo now obstructs efforts to train and equip unified forces, a critical provision of the R-ARCSS.
According to the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM), only 6 percent of the planned 83,000 unified forces have been deployed during the transition period before the 2026 elections.
The United Nations Panel of Experts stated in a March 2025 report that, while significant progress had been made, a paucity of arms and logistical assistance continues to impede deployment and integration.
Kiir applauded the Troika, UN, EU, and African Union for their continual assistance, adding that it must now transition from punitive to constructive.
“We are grateful to the Troika, EU, UN, American Union, and others. Your support remains invaluable. However, the suffering of our people must not be prolonged by the continued rejection of dialogue,” he stated.
Earlier this year, the African Union appealed to the international community to lift the arms embargo, saying it could assist in addressing security sector reform, disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration.
Last year, the first batch of unified forces was deployed armed only with sticks.
Michael Makuei, the government’s spokesperson, blamed the international community, stating they had to “deploy unified forces with sticks after learning that they did not yield to the request to lift the arms embargo.”
The UN Security Council initially imposed sanctions, including the arms embargo and an asset freeze, in 2018.
These have often been expanded based on recommendations from the UN Special Representative for South Sudan.
Western countries have also imposed sanctions on certain South Sudanese leaders for their role in undermining stability.
Despite appeals from countries like China, Russia, and the AU, the embargo remained in place.
In May 2023, the UN renewed the embargo until May 31, 2024. After further appeals, China again urged the Security Council in May and June 2024 to reconsider but abstained when the Council voted on May 30, 2024, to extend the embargo and other measures until May 31, 2025.
However, on May 30, 2025, the UNSC adopted Resolution 2781 (2025), renewing the arms embargo, travel bans, and asset freezes until May 31, 2026.
The resolution also extended the Panel of Experts’ mandate until July 1, 2026, and kept open the possibility for reviewing, modifying, suspending, or progressively lifting the embargo based on progress against key benchmarks under Resolution 2577.