PAX supports the urgent call the South Sudan Action Network on Small Arms made to the African Union for the imposition of a comprehensive arms embargo on South Sudan. The widespread availability of small arms and light weapons causes a lot of harm and suffering to the people of South Sudan, including children.
On 8 October the South Sudan Action Network on Small Arms (SSANSA), together with 15 other South Sudanese organisations, sent their recommendations regarding arms flow into South Sudan to the African Union Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan. They urged them to support their call.
Such an arms embargo would require every state to end the supply of arms, ammunition, military material and related services to South Sudan and take all necessary measures to prevent indirect supply, sale or transhipment of such materials through their territory to South Sudan. If effectively implemented, an embargo would help stop the flow of arms to government and opposition forces, and could play a role in preventing additional human rights and humanitarian law violations and abuses. This urgent call is supported by five international non-governmental organisations, including PAX.
Pending such an arms embargo, all states should immediately suspend international arms transfers to the warring parties and fighters allied to them until such arms no longer pose a substantial risk of being used to commit or facilitate serious abuses of human rights or war crimes.
Read here the recommendations of SSANSA and others regarding arms flows into South Sudan.