UNITED NATIONS, November 6 (RIA Novosti) – The UN Security Council on Wednesday condemned the renewal of hostilities in South Sudan and called for an immediate end to violence in the country.
In their Press Statement, issued by Council President Gary Quinlan, the members “expressed their alarm and outrage at the resumption of hostilities between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army and Opposition forces in Bentiu and Rubkhona, Unity State, South Sudan on 26-30 October, and along the Sobat River in Upper Nile State on November 2.”
According to the statement, the violence testifies to “an already serious humanitarian crisis which has displaced a total of more than 1.8 million South Sudanese.”
In light of the recent events, the members of the Security Council “strongly demanded an immediate end to all violence, and … confirmed their intention to commence negotiations … on all appropriate measures, including targeted sanctions against those impeding the peace process.”
The statement comes a day after a US official told Reuters that the US delegation to the United Nations is seeking a UN resolution allowing for the imposition of sanctions targeting “individuals undermining South Sudan's political stability and abusing human rights.”
Violence erupted in South Sudan in December, when the country's president, Salva Kiir, accused his ex-deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup. Thousands of people have been killed in the civil war.
