WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. diplomat on Thursday urged the United Nations to sanction individuals in South Sudan who are accused of blocking peace in the world’s newest country.

In a speech in Washington, Donald Booth, the U.S. envoy to South Sudan and Sudan, did not suggest individuals to be targeted by penalties. But he blamed South Sudan’s leaders for what he described as squandering an opportunity for peace and prosperity when the country broke away in Sudan in 2011.

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