{"id":45095,"date":"2026-06-03T14:30:36","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T12:30:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/?p=45095"},"modified":"2026-06-03T14:30:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T12:30:36","slug":"south-sudan-government-calls-for-lifting-of-sanctions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/03\/south-sudan-government-calls-for-lifting-of-sanctions\/","title":{"rendered":"South Sudan government calls for lifting of sanctions"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Louis Loku<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The government of South Sudan has rejected recent remarks made by the United States at the United Nations Security Council, defending President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s leadership and renewing calls for the lifting of sanctions and the arms embargo imposed on the country.<\/p>\n

In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the government responded to comments by U.S. Alternate Representative for Special Political Affairs Jennifer Locetta following the adoption of a UN Security Council resolution extending sanctions and the arms embargo on South Sudan.<\/p>\n

The ministry said South Sudan values its long-standing partnership with the United States, which played a pivotal role in supporting the country’s journey from the Comprehensive Peace Agreement to independence and post-independence state-building efforts.<\/p>\n

However, it expressed disappointment with what it described as an inaccurate assessment of the country’s current political situation.<\/p>\n

According to the statement, President Salva Kiir has remained the principal driver of the implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), demonstrating a consistent commitment to peace, national reconciliation, inclusive governance, and political stability.<\/p>\n

The government pointed to the establishment of the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU) and ongoing implementation of key provisions of the peace agreement as evidence of progress made under President Kiir’s leadership.<\/p>\n

While acknowledging the significant challenges facing South Sudan, including economic hardship, humanitarian pressures, institutional weaknesses, and social difficulties, the ministry argued that such challenges should not be interpreted as a failure of governance.<\/p>\n

“South Sudan remains a young nation emerging from years of conflict and continues to navigate a complex transition while facing both regional and global economic pressures,” the statement noted.<\/p>\n

The government highlighted progress in several areas, including the cantonment and training of forces, political consultations among signatories to the peace agreement, and cooperation with regional and international partners in support of peace implementation.<\/p>\n

The ministry reiterated its commitment to accelerating reforms and completing the remaining provisions of the peace agreement, including preparations for a peaceful democratic transition.<\/p>\n

On the issue of sanctions, the government argued that the measures have become counterproductive and now undermine efforts to build effective national institutions.<\/p>\n

According to the statement, the arms embargo has restricted the government’s ability to develop professional and accountable security forces capable of protecting civilians, implementing security arrangements, and responding to emerging security threats.<\/p>\n

“The continued restrictions have hindered efforts to strengthen national security institutions and implement meaningful security sector reforms,” the ministry said.<\/p>\n

The government further argued that the embargo has failed to produce the intended security outcomes and instead has weakened state institutions while creating opportunities for non-state actors to exploit existing vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n

South Sudan called on the United States and other international partners to shift from punitive measures toward a policy of constructive engagement, technical assistance, and institutional capacity-building.<\/p>\n

The ministry reaffirmed the government’s commitment to completing the political transition, strengthening democratic institutions, promoting accountability, and fully implementing the peace agreement.<\/p>\n

It also expressed readiness to continue dialogue and diplomatic engagement with the United States, the United Nations, and other international partners in pursuit of lasting peace, stability, and development in South Sudan.<\/p>\n

The statement comes amid ongoing international discussions over the pace of South Sudan’s peace implementation process and preparations for the country’s long-awaited elections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Louis Loku The government of South Sudan has rejected recent remarks made by the United States at the United Nations Security Council, defending President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s leadership and renewing calls for the lifting of sanctions and the arms embargo imposed on the country. In a statement issued by[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[80,79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-national","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45095","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45095"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45095\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45096,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45095\/revisions\/45096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45095"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}