U.S. to Introduce UN Security Council Resolution for Targeted Sanctions, Arms Embargo on South Sudan

 

As threat of genocide looms, Enough Project lauds urgently-needed step, calls for swift adoption

Today, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power announced that the U.S. will introduce a resolution in the U.N. Security Council for targeted sanctions and an arms embargo for South Sudan. The Enough Project urges U.N. Security Council members to support the resolution to address the crisis in South Sudan. 

John Prendergast, Founding Director at the Enough Project, said: “South Sudan faces the very real threat of genocide. It is critical that the U.N. Security Council not stand idly by while the crisis intensifies. A resolution by the United States will be a critical first step to demonstrating that the international community will create significant consequences for the commission of mass atrocities.”

Prendergast added, "Every genocide early warning system is flashing red in South Sudan today. All of the classic elements are present for mass atrocities to unfold, and when atrocities are targeted at specific communities on the basis of their identity, that is genocide. The UN Security Council has the tools to bring pressure to bear on those that would consider using mass atrocities to maintain or gain power. In the 21st century, we need to draw a line in the sand and say that genocidal action will not be allowed to occur without a significant consequence."

• U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.N. Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng have both warned in recent days of the threat of genocide in South Sudan.
• Many South Sudanese people and U.N. officials have called repeatedly for an arms embargo.
• More than 2.8 million people have been displaced in South Sudan since conflict began in December 2013.

Read the September 2015 investigative report from The Sentry providing evidence of high-level corruption linked to individuals named in U.N. Security Council reporting for their responsibility for conflict and atrocities: https://thesentry.org/reports/warcrimesshouldntpay/

Enough Project experts are available for comment and analysis.

For media inquiries or interview requests, please contact:

Greg Hittelman, Director of Communications, +1 310 717 0606, [email protected].

About THE ENOUGH PROJECT
The Enough Project, an atrocity prevention policy group, seeks to build leverage for peace and justice in Africa by helping to create real consequences for the perpetrators and facilitators of genocide and other mass atrocities. Enough aims to counter rights-abusing armed groups and violent kleptocratic regimes that are fueled by grand corruption, transnational crime and terror, and the pillaging and trafficking of minerals, ivory, diamonds, and other natural resources. Enough conducts field research in conflict zones, develops and advocates for policy recommendations, supports social movements in affected countries, and mobilizes public campaigns. Learn more – and join us – at www.EnoughProject.org.

The Sentry seeks to disrupt and dismantle the networks of military officers, government officials, businessmen, arms dealers, bankers, and other enablers who benefit financially and politically from Africa’s deadliest conflicts. Our investigations follow the money from conflict zones and into global economic centers, using open source data collection, field research, document collection, and state-of-the-art network analysis technology. The Sentry provides information and analysis that engages civil society and media, supports regulatory action and prosecutions, and provides policymakers and the private sector with the information they require to take effective action. Co-founded by George Clooney and John Prendergast, The Sentry is an initiative of the Enough Project and Not On Our Watch (NOOW), with its implementing partner C4ADS. Current countries of focus are South Sudan, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, and the Central African Republic. Learn more at TheSentry.org