UN Security Council to vote on arms embrgo on South Sudan

The UN Security Council will vote today on whether to impose an arms embargo and sanctions on South Sudan, but diplomats said they expected the measure to fail. The council will meet today to decide on the US-drafted resolution calling for a one-year ban on weapons sales to the war-torn country. 

The United States, backed by Britain and France, has argued that cutting off the arms flow



was urgently needed following UN warnings that the country faced the risk of mass atrocities. 

Diplomats however said the measure fell short of the nine votes needed for adoption in the 15-member council. Russia, China, Japan, Malaysia, Venezuela and more importantly the three African council members -- Angola, Egypt and Senegal-- have all expressed serious reservations.