Washington, DC, May 6, 2014 (SSNA) — The United States Treasury Department has on Tuesday issued sanctions against South Sudanese military Generals, Maj. General Peter Gadet Yak and Maj. General Marial Chanuong.
The move comes just days after the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced that Kiir has agreed to hold direct talks with Machar.
Gen. Peter Gatdet is one of the leading military commanders supporting South Sudanese rebels leader, former Vice President Dr. Riek Machar.
Gen. Marial Chanuong is the commander of presidential guards also known as kiir’s private army — an army widely believed to be behind the December 2013 Juba massacre.
The United States Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen calls for violence to end and warns that the U.S. has new tools to crackdown on individuals who obstruct peace in the young nation.
“The violence and human rights abuses perpetrated by the Government of South Sudan and Riek Machar’s opposition forces must end”, David S. Cohen, the Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence said in a statement.
“We now have new tools to crack down on those who obstruct the peace process and hold accountable those responsible for violence against civilians. We stand with the people of South Sudan who are calling for peace” he added.
The sanctions prohibit American companies or Americans from doing any business with the two Generals. The sanctions will also freeze their assets in the U.S.
The United States has on many occasions warned that it will punish anyone it sees as a threat to peace in the war-torn country.