Washington, DC, April 3, 2014 (SSNA) — The president of the United States Barack Obama on Thursday signed an executive order, clearingthe way for the U.S. to impose sanctions against anyone the Obama’s administration sees as a threat to peace in the war-wracked South Sudan.
The order also threaten to punish people who target the United Nations’ peacekeepers and those who commit atrocities, including human rights violations.
The move comes less than four months after fighting broke out in Juba late last year.
“Those who threaten the peace, security or stability of South Sudan, obstruct the peace process, target U.N. peacekeepers or are responsible for human rights abuses and atrocities will not have a friend in the United States and run the risk of sanctions”, the White House said.
The sanctions will include visa bans, asset freezes, among others.
The European Union (EU), United Kingdom (UK), Norway, and the United Nations (UN) are also reported to issue their own sanctions against the young nation.
South Sudan’s warring facions signed a ceasfire on the 23rd of January 2014, but, both sides have accuse each other of breaking the truce.