US to seek UN Security Council vote on arms embargo

The United States will ask the UN Security Council to vote soon on imposing an arms embargo on South Sudan, the US ambassador said Monday.

"It's extremely important to vote this by the end of the year," said US Ambassador Samantha Power.

The Security Council was due to hold closed-door consultations later Monday on the crisis in South Sudan, where a devastating war entered its fourth year this month.

The United States last month presented a draft resolution aimed at cutting off the arms flow to South Sudan following UN warnings that the war-torn country could descend into genocide.

France and Britain support an arms embargo. But veto powers Russia and China have voiced opposition, while non-permanent council member Japan, which has sent peacekeepers to South Sudan, is also balking at the proposal.

"We are going to need to vote this resolution and countries are going to need to raise their hands and decide where they stand on issues of life-and-death as it relates to the people of South Sudan," said Power.

The world's youngest nation, South Sudan descended into war in December 2013, leaving tens of thousands dead and more than 2.5 million people displaced.

The country won independence from Sudan in 2011 with strong support from the United States.