Aug 16, 2017(Nyamilepedia) —– Two United States Senators, Senator Bob Corker and Senator Christopher A. Coons, who recently visited South Sudan and toured South Sudanese populated refugee camps in Northern Ugandan have come to conclusion that South Sudan’s political and military leaders are enriching themselves through the current violence and must be held accountable to end the war.
In a letter addressed to Honorable Steven Mnuchin, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Senators reiterate that South Sudan conflict has spiral out of control and has so far displaced over 4 millions people within the last three years.
“Despite initial optimism about the future of the world’s newest country, the people of South Sudan have spent the past three years entangled in a brutal conflict, which has spiraled out of control, with more than two million people intemally displaced and almost two million forced from the country.” Reads part of the Senators’ letter.
The U.S. diplomats believe that South Sudan’s dangling regime has hijacked people’s power and the elites warlords are now using the state institutions to enrich themselves at the expense of their very own people.
“The political and military leaders have hijacked and re-purposed state institutions to enrich themselves and fuel violence.” State the Senators.
The two senators recommend swift financial measures that will hit the corrupt politicians and warlords at their pockets.
“In conjunction with diplomatic efforts, Treasury should focus on deploying financial tools that target the financial networks ofthose obstructing peace and dispersing the proceeds ofcorruption through the region, and even through our own financial system.” Said Corker and Coons.
Although America has spent over $3 billions in response to South Sudan humanitarian crises and peace process to end the war, these senators reiterates that all that money was wasted on addressing the symptoms and not the root causes of the conflict.
“After billions spent to respond to the symptoms of this civil war, and your own efforts to identiff perpetrators, we ask the Treasury Department to act to hold South Sudanese leaders accountable.” the letter continued.
“We urge you to investigate corruption, impose network-focused sanctions, identify hidden assets, collaborate with international anti-money laundering standard setting bodies, and work with regional partners” they highly recommend.
They strongly reiterate that as long as the root causes are not addressed and elites are not held to account, South Sudan conflict will continue to escalate and humanitarian crises will continue to worsen.
“Those fighting in South Sudan will not agree to a sustainable peace until the international community develops more robust leverage and deploys stronger pressure.” They stress.
To cut off the free flow of resources to the political and military elites, their families and associates, Senator Corker and Coons recommend that the Treasury Department must imposed Network-focused sanctions, engage with International Financial Institutions and global commercial banks, and also work closely with Ugandan and Kenyan governments and banks to freeze assets and proceeds of corruptions from South Sudanese leaders who are fueling the conflict.
Corker and Coons letter came at a time Salva Kiir’s regime has been fighting for the control of SPLA-IO headquarters and its surrounding.
At the time of this writing South Sudan owned television, SSTV, was broadcasting the army Chief of Staff, Gen James Mawut Ajongo, from an area identified as Pagak, the rebels’ second headquarter, which the two warring factions claim to control.
The fighting in Pagak and other rebels’ strongholds like Waat and Walgak came at a time President Salva Kiir has declared a unilateral ceasefire leaving doubts if Kiir controls his forces.
Despite a peace agreement that was brokered by the TROIKA and IGAD, and signed in August 2015, South Sudan conflict has worsen since the rebel leader, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, was forced out of the capital in July last year.
More fighting has continued in the regions of Equatora and Upper Nile as economy and ARCISS continually collapse.
Senator Chris Coons Speaks after visiting South Sudan in April 2017.
