#US sanctions are 'unfortunate' and 'unhelpful,' says #SouthSudan Foreign Ministry

“What we need from the international community is moral and financial support, not sanctions”

The United States government has imposed sanctions on two senior South Sudanese officials and the former army chief of staff, accusing them of fueling and profiting from the conflict.

The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement on its website on Wednesday said it had blacklisted Malek Reuben Riak Rengu, deputy chief of defense for logistics in the SPLA; Paul Malong, former army chief who was dismissed in May; and Minister of Information Michael Makuei Lueth.

The measures freeze any assets in the United States or tied to the U.S. financial system belonging to the three men. In its statement, the U.S. Treasury said Malek Reuben was central to weapons procurement during the first few years of the conflict and helped plan an offensive in Unity State in April 2015.

It also accused him of issuing military contracts at inflated prices “in order to receive extensive kickbacks.

The U.S. Treasury blacklisted All Energy Investments, A+ Engineering, Electronics & Media Printing and Mak International Services which it said was owned or controlled by Malek Reuben.

The Treasury statement said former chief of staff Paul Malong “did not discourage” the killing of civilians around the town of Wau last year.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury accused government spokesperson Michael Makuei of attacks against the U.N. mission in South Sudan and obstructing of peacekeeping and humanitarian missions in the country.

Spokesperson in the Foreign Affairs Ministry Mawien Makol Ariik spoke to Sebit William about the targeted restrictions.