US threatens South Sudan arms embargo

UNITED NATIONS – The U.S. ambassador to the U.N. says her country will support an arms embargo on South Sudan if the government there continues to prevent peacekeepers from moving around freely to protect civilians.

Samantha Power said Wednesday she hoped the U.N. would be able to achieve consensus on how to hold the government of South Sudan to the commitments it made during a recent visit by the Security Council.

Power spoke to reporters ahead of a closed-door Security Council meeting to discuss the situation in the world's youngest country that has been wracked by civil war for much of its short existence.

She said the visit left council members feeling the situation was far worse than they had imagined.