Divided UN extends arms embargo on South Sudan as fears of renewed civil war grow

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - A divided U.N. Security Council voted Friday to extend an arms embargo on South Sudan, where escalating political tensions have led the U.N. to warn that the country could again plunge into civil war.

A U.S.-sponsored resolution to extend the embargo and other sanctions was approved by the narrowest margin - the minimum nine "yes" votes required. Six countries abstained - Russia, China, Algeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Pakistan.

The arms embargo, and travel bans and asset freezes on South Sudanese on the U.N. sanctions blacklist, were extended for a year until May 31, 2026.

There were high hopes for peace and stability after oil-rich South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011, becoming the world's newest nation.

But the country slid into civil war in December 2013 when forces loyal to President Salva Kiir, who is from the largest ethnic group in the country, the Dinka, started battling those loyal to Riek Machar, who is from the second-largest ethnic group, the Nuer.

A 2018 peace deal that brought Machar into the government as first vice-president has been fragile, and implementation has been slow. A presidential election has been postponed until 2026.

Last month, the U.N. envoy to South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom, warned that the escalating rivalry between Kiir and Machar had degenerated into direct military confrontation between their parties and led to Machar's arrest.

A campaign of misinformation, disinformation and hate speech is "fueling political and ethnic tensions - particularly on social media," he warned. And "these conditions are darkly reminiscent of the 2013 and 2016 conflicts, which took over 400,000 lives."

U.S. Minister Counselor John Kelley thanked the council after the vote, saying the arms embargo "remains necessary to stem the unfettered flow of weapons into a region that remains awash with guns."

"Escalating violence in recent months has brought South Sudan to the brink of civil war," he said, urging the country's leaders to restore peace.

Russia's deputy U.N. ambassador Anna Evstigneeva countered by saying the easing of Security Council sanctions on South Sudan is long overdue. She said the arms embargo and other sanctions are restricting implementation of the 2018 peace agreement.

She accused the resolution's supporters of "putting a brake on a successful political process unfolding in Sudan, as well as complicating the deployment and proper equipping of the national armed forces."

South Sudan's U.N. ambassador, Cecilia Adeng, expressed "deep disappointment" at the extension of the arms embargo and other sanctions.

"The lifting of the sanctions and the arms embargo is not only a matter of national security or sovereignty, but also a matter of economic opportunity and dignity," she said. "These measures create barriers to growth, delay development, discourage foreign investment, and leave the state vulnerable to non-state actors and outlaws."