Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement regarding South Sudan.
“I welcome the Executive Order issued today by the Obama Administration authorizing targeted sanctions against individuals who threaten peace and security, perpetrate human rights abuses, or undermine democracy in South Sudan. This is an important step toward restoring stability in the world's newest nation. Although recent negotiations, supported by the United States, yielded a cessation of hostilities, the agreement has been consistently violated by those on both sides of the conflict and atrocities are occurring on a daily basis. With a faltering peace process, deteriorating human rights situation, and the obstruction of the delivery of humanitarian assistance ongoing in South Sudan, I urge the Administration to swiftly identify and designate the individuals responsible and to work with like-minded global partners to institute similar measures.”
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