US Toughens on Uganda, Sudan over South Sudan War
The United States has strongly warned and appealed to countries bordering South Sudan to stop supplying arms to parties in the conflict in the volatile nation.
In a statement released by the Department of States on Friday evening, President Donald Trump’s administration is going to start full implementation of the United Nations arms embargo on South Sudan.
“The Department of State today announces that it is implementing restrictions on the export of defense articles and defense services into South Sudan. The United States is appalled by the continuing violence in South Sudan that has created one of Africa’s worst humanitarian crises,” part of the statement said.
The Superpower is set to amend her arms trafficking regulations to revise military related trade activities between South Sudan and any country.
“Specifically, the Department of State will amend the International Traffic in Arms Regulations to update the defense trade policy toward South Sudan by application of a policy of denial, with limited exceptions, on the export of defense articles and defense services to South Sudan, including all parties involved in the conflict,” the same statement added.
Without giving names, US appealed to appealed to South Sudan neighbors to instead promote peace by cutting off arms supply.
“We urge all countries, including South Sudan’s neighbors, to promote peace and save innocent lives by cutting off the flow of defense articles and defense services to South Sudan and to halt support to actors who are working to destabilize the country.”
It is suspected that Kampala and Khartoum are supporting the government of President Salva Kiir and rebels of Dr. Riek Machar respectively.
In August last year ChimpReports published a story detailing how 40 tons of arms destined for South Sudan landed in Uganda.
The consignment of 31 tons of AK-47 rifles, bayonets, spare magazines and related dangerous gadgets and another 12 tons of 3 hazardous cargos a board a Russian civil aircraft IL-76TD-90VD landed at Entebbe International Airport on 29th August 2017.
The UPDF Spokesman, Brig. Richard Karemire told this website it was a matter of South Sudan government but the importing company, Bosasy Logistics Ltd told our reporter that the consignment was for the Ugandan Defense Ministry.
Uganda and South Sudan signed military and defense cooperation agreement during the height of the civil war in 2014.
In the agreement, Uganda is supposed to buy arms for South Sudan since the UN has placed arms embargo on Juba.
Meanwhile Khartoum has been named in several UN Panel of Experts report on South Sudan conflict, for supporting the rebels of Machar. Also the origin of the samples of ammunitions and arms recovered from rebel control areas were traced to the Republic of Sudan.