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Official Journal EN
of the European Union L series
2026/1402 23.6.2026
COUNCIL IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2026/1402
of 22 June 2026
implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/735 concerning restrictive measures in respect of the situation
in South Sudan
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EU) 2015/735 of 7 May 2015 concerning restrictive measures in respect of the
situation in South Sudan, and repealing Regulation (EU) No 748/2014(1), and in particular Article 22(4) thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,
Whereas:
(1) On 7 May 2015, the Council adopted Regulation (EU) 2015/735.
(2) In accordance with Article 22(4) of Regulation (EU) 2015/735, the Council has reviewed the list of persons subject
to restrictive measures set out in Annex II to that Regulation.
(3) The Council has concluded that restrictive measures against one person listed in Annex II to Regulation (EU)
2015/735 should be maintained and that the entry of that person should be updated.
(4) Regulation (EU) 2015/735 should therefore be amended accordingly,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
Annex II to Regulation (EU) 2015/735 is amended in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation.
Article 2
This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Luxembourg, 22 June 2026.
For the Council
The President
M. PANAYIOTOU
(1) OJ L 117, 8.5.2015, p. 13, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2015/735/oj.
ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2026/1402/oj 1/2ANNEX
In Annex II to Regulation (EU) 2015/735, entry number 1 is replaced by the following:
Name Identifying information Statement of Reasons Date of listing
‘1. Michael MAKUEI LUETH DOB: 1947 Michael Makuei Lueth held the position of Minister for Information and Broadcasting 3.2.2018’.
in the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity in South Sudan from
POB: Bor, South Sudan; Bor, Sudan
2013 to November 2025. Since November 2025, he holds the position of Minister of
Gender: male Justice and Constitutional Affairs of South Sudan. He was also the public spokesman
for the government delegation to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development
peace talks from 2014 to 2015 and from 2016 to 2018.
Michael Makuei Lueth has obstructed, in particular through inflammatory public
statements, the implementation of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in
South Sudan (ARCSS) of August 2015 (replaced in September 2018 by the
“Revitalised ARCSS” (R-ARCSS)), the work of the ARCSS Joint Monitoring and
Evaluation Commission (JMEC, renamed “Reconstituted JMEC” under R-ARCSS), the
establishment of the ARCSS Transitional Justice Institutions (also provided for in
R-ARCSS), and the operations of the United Nations’ Regional Protection Force.
In addition, Michael Makuei Lueth is involved in the systematic curtailment of
political and democratic space and in the repression of media, including through
regular threats against journalists and support to media censorship, which hinders
democratisation and sustainable peace in South Sudan.
Since the beginning of 2025, Michael Makuei Lueth has publicly dismissed calls for
dialogue, using confrontational and inflammatory rhetoric in an increasingly tense
environment. Michael Makuei Lueth has also defended the arrests against First
Vice-President Riek Machar and his allies, hampering efforts to deescalate the
situation.
Therefore, Michael Makuei Lueth has been obstructing the political process in South
Sudan and is responsible for serious violations of human rights, in particular freedom
of expression.
2/2
ELI:
http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2026/1402/oj
EN
OJ
L,
23.6.2026