The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned two South Sudanese officials pursuant to Executive Order 13664 for expanding or extending the conflict in South Sudan by obstructing the reconciliation process.
In September 2018, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar reached a revitalized peace agreement that called for the formation of a unified government on May 12, 2019. Government and opposition leaders extended the deadline twice, most recently on November 7, 2019, but have failed to make any progress towards an adequate implementation of the peace agreement.
According to OFAC, the designations of Minister of Cabinet Affairs Martin Elia Lomuro and Minister of Defense and Veteran Affairs Kuol Manyang Juuk are intended to target senior leaders in South Sudan that have perpetuated the conflict for their own personal enrichment. Lomuro is responsible for actively recruiting and organizing local militias to conduct attacks against opposition forces in South Sudan; and, Juuk has failed to remove military forces from the battlefield as agreed and incited violence with rival tribes.
OFAC noted that the removal of sanctions is available for persons designated under EO 13664 who take significant actions to form a government in line with the agreed-upon peace agreement, refuse to take part in human rights violations or abuse, speak out against abuses committed by both the government and opposition, and combat corruption in and related to South Sudan.