On November 15, 2016, the United Nations Security Council, acting under its Chapter VII authority, passed a resolution expressing alarm at the escalation of ethnic violence in South Sudan. According to the press release, the Council urged the parties to cease all hostilities and avoid escalating the conflict in the impending dry season, emphasizing that there is no military solution to the conflict. Additionally, “[t]he members of the Security Council signalled their readiness to consider taking additional measures in order to prevent a further escalation of violence and conflict, including potential sanctions that may be appropriate to respond to the situation.”  Special Adviser or the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng stated “that what began as a political conflict has transformed into what could become an outright ethnic war,” and the Security Council “called on the Government of South Sudan to immediately address increasing hate speech and ethnic violence and to promote reconciliation among its people.”