US lawmakers urge Obama on UN arms embargo for South Sudan

NAIROBI, Kenya – More than a dozen U.S. lawmakers have written to President Barack Obama to urge a U.N.-imposed arms embargo on South Sudan following heavy fighting in its capital last month.

A draft U.N. Security Council resolution calls for a vote on an arms embargo if the U.N. secretary-general reports that South Sudan’s authorities have blocked deployment of a regional force to help restore calm.

The letter to Obama, obtained by The Associated Press, says the lack of an arms embargo would pose a direct threat to that regional force. It says both sides in the fighting have attacked civilians, aid workers and diplomats.

Human Rights Watch has accused Washington of failing to adequately push for an arms embargo at the Security Council, where the U.S. leads South Sudan policy.