Washington, USA
The United States has imposed sanctions on two
senior South Sudanese officials it accuses of fomenting conflict, the US
Treasury Department said on Monday, in its latest move to pressure the
country’s politicians to form a unity government.
Minister of Cabinet Affairs Martin Elia Lomuro and
Minister of Defense and Veteran Affairs Kuol Manyang Juuk were blacklisted for
their role in perpetuating the conflict by obstructing the peace process, the
Treasury said in a statement.
Civil war broke out in South Sudan in 2013, less
than two years after the country gained independence from Sudan. The conflict
has killed an estimated 400,000 people and forced millions from their homes.
South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and opposition
leader Riek Machar signed a peace deal in 2018 to form a unity government by
November 12 this year, under pressure from the United Nations, the United
States and regional governments.
Days before the deadline, the leaders agreed to an
extension of 100 days, prompting Washington to recall its ambassador to the
African country.
The sanctions freeze any US assets held by the
officials and prohibit Americans from doing business with them.
The US Treasury accused Lomuro of recruiting and
organising militias to attack opposition forces, and Juuk of failing to remove
forces from the battlefield as agreed, stirring up violence with rival tribes
and preparing militias for the possibility of renewed violence.
Deng Dau Deng, South Sudan’s deputy foreign affairs
minister, defended the two officials and said Washington should resume
bilateral relations to help with the peace process.
“These are not sanctions against individuals but
sanctions against the whole country,” Dau Deng told reporters.
Deputy US Treasury Secretary Justin Muzinich said
the cabinet officials were targeted for “their role in inhibiting political
unification, expanding the conflict, and profiting from South Sudan’s war
economy”.
In prepared remarks seen by Reuters to a
Partnership to Combat Human Rights Abuse and Corruption meeting, Muzinich said
non-governmental organisations had provided documented findings supporting the
designations.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last week
threatened visa restrictions on anyone who endangers the peace process in South
Sudan and said on Monday that Washington could take further action.
“The United States stands ready to impose other
measures against any who seek to expand the conflict and derail peace efforts
in South Sudan,” Pompeo said in a statement. - Africa
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