Washington, D.C. – House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) released the following statement after the U.N. Security Council acted today to extend the peacekeeping mission in South Sudan:

“The crisis in South Sudan is now entering a third year, and millions of people continue to lack food, clean water, and adequate medical care.  I’m glad to see the U.N. has extended and strengthened its peacekeeping mission, and committed to holding individuals in all parties accountable for continued human rights abuses.  These heinous acts – including ethnically targeted violence, rape, use and recruitment of children, and violence against schools and places of worship – must stop immediately.  The focus on women throughout the resolution and urging their participation in the peacebuilding effort is both notable and laudable.

“Ultimately, however, the U.N. needs to do more.  As we mark the start of this crisis on this day in 2013, I’m very disappointed that another opportunity to establish an arms embargo has been lost.  As noted in the resolution – weapons are flooding the country and worsening the war.  Strong actions to protect innocent southern Sudanese and bring an end to this bloody conflict must be taken.”

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