South Sudan’s Unity Government has fired back at the United Nations Security Council after the body extended an arms embargo and sanctions imposed on it in 2018, describing the renewal as unfortunate and unproductive.

The UN Security Council had, on Friday, voted to renew the sanctions on the African country amid the escalating unrest in the country.

The Council had taken the decision at its extraordinary meeting held on Thursday, resolving to extend the measures until May 2023.

The resolution which was drafted by the United States was passed with the support of 10 of the 15 council condemned “past and ongoing human rights violations and abuses, and violations of international humanitarian law, including the alarming surge in conflict-related sexual violence.”

But in a a reaction to the embargo extension in press statement on Saturday, the seen South Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, accused the Security Council of double standard when it comes to dealing with some countries, adding that the UN agency should have followed the position adopted by the African Union in approaching the issues it raised.

“The African people have spoken clearly through the African Union Decision 815 of February 2022 that sanctions and arms embargo is unproductive.

“That some countries would dismiss the African Union’s stance on this matter shows an old hubris with no value for a world shaken by wars, including Africa and Europe,” said the ministry.

The Unity Gvernment, however, lauded China, India, Russia, Gabon and Kenya, which declined from voting for the sanctions renewalon Juba. The five countries abstained from the vote.

“These countries understand that the United Nation’s vision of world peace requires that sovereign nations respect one another as equals. They stand in solidarity with the people of South Sudan for whom these sanctions are cruel policy with no clear intention.

“South Sudan will continue to model reconciliation through the peace agreement knowing other countries too experience violent political discord that requires tolerance, accommodation and healing.

“Just as sanctions on those countries would be counterproductive, they are also counterproductive to South Sudan.

“We, instead, invite friendly nations to support our efforts to stabilise the country, including the sovereign right to defend our territorial integrity,” the Foreign Affairs ministry said.

The arms embargo and sanctions on Africa’s youngest country was imposed by the UN in 2018 after a peace agreement ended five years of bloody civil war between factions loyal to President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar.