US Urges UN Arms Embargo Against South Sudan, Russia Says No

By EDITH M. LEDERER, ASSOCIATED PRESS UNITED NATIONS — Nov 17, 2016, 8:29 PM ET

The United States urged the U.N. Security Council on Thursday to impose an arms embargo and new sanctions on South Sudan to curb violence that could lead to mass atrocities, a proposal immediately rejected by Russia as premature and irresponsible.

U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power told the council that an arms embargo can't prevent weapons getting into the conflict-wracked country, but it would be "an important step toward curbing the ongoing violence perpetrated by government and opposition forces against civilians."

Russia's deputy U.N. ambassador Petr Iliichev countered that an arms embargo "would hardly be helpful in settling the conflict," and imposing a travel ban and asset freeze on South Sudan's leaders "would be the height of irresponsibility now."

Their exchange followed a plea by the U.N. expert on preventing genocide, Adama Dieng, for action including an immediate arms embargo to help keep ethnic hatreds in the world's newest nations from evolving into genocide.

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