UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations Security Council has renewed an arms embargo against South Sudan, as well as targeted sanctions such as a travel ban and asset freeze against individuals and entities until May 31, 2023.

Resolution 2633, passed with 10 votes in favour and five abstentions on Thursday, also extends the mandate of the Panel of Experts, which assists the work of the South Sudan Sanctions Committee, until July 1, 2023, according to the Xinhua news agency. However, China, Gabon, India, Kenya, and Russia did not vote.

The resolution decides that the arms embargo shall not apply to the supply, sale, or transfer of non-lethal military equipment solely for the purpose of implementing the terms of the peace agreement, as previously notified to the Sanctions Committee.

It also reiterates the Security Council's willingness to review arms embargo measures, whether through modification, suspension, or progressive lifting, in light of progress made on the key benchmarks outlined in Resolution 2577 last year, and encourages South Sudan authorities to make further progress in this regard.

The resolution requests that the UN Secretary-General conduct an assessment of progress on the key benchmarks by April 15, 2023, in close consultation with the UN Mission in South Sudan and the Panel of Experts. It also requests that the South Sudanese authorities report to the Sanctions Committee on the progress made in this regard by the same date.

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