The government of the United Kingdom says that it would like the UN Security Council to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan, making it illegal for countries to sell weapons to any warring party in the country.

Ambassador Matthew Rycroft, UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations, told journalist in New York today that his government is extremely concerned by how fragile the situation is in South Sudan.

“As the UK has said all along, we favour an arms embargo; we favour sanctions because accountability is important,” he said.

Rycroft added that his government also supports steps to strengthen the United Nations Missions in South Sudan including the possibility of adding more troops from countries in the region.

He explained, “The absolute short term priority has got to be the protection of civilians and that requires a robust UNMISS.”

The idea of an arms embargo on South Sudan has been opposed by White House officials, according to US media reports. European Union officials, on the other hand, have been seeking Security Council approval for an embargo.