Cost of independence, South Sudan’s plight

Recently, a rebel official Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth said there can be no lasting peace in the country as long as President Salva Kiir is at the helm of government.According to reports, Gatkuoth, who is former South Sudanese ambassador to the United States, said Kiir is a symbol of disunity that does not enjoy the support […]

Recently, a rebel official Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth said there can be no lasting peace in the country as long as President Salva Kiir is at the helm of government.
According to reports, Gatkuoth, who is former South Sudanese ambassador to the United States, said Kiir is a symbol of disunity that does not enjoy the support of majority of the people.
Infact, the country came into existence amid great challenges after a fierce battle with Sudan. The state’s failure to provide infrastructure, education, or a stable investment climate has meant that young South Sudanese have few opportunities.
Even though the region holds many natural resources such as petroleum, iron ore, silver, gold, diamonds, hardwoods,  and hydropower potentials, the economy of South Sudan is one of the world’s most underdeveloped. According to observers, the recurring violence has the potential to set South Sudan’s development further back by years and it is heading towards that.
The nation has suffered internal conflict since its independence. Its government is at war with at least seven armed groups in 9 of its 10 states, with tens of thousands displaced.
A power struggle within South Sudan’s ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) has shaped the course of a civil strife and continues to impact the politics of the newly-independent nation.
On December 15th  2013, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and his former Vice President Dr.  Riek Machar came to a head, with the president accusing Machar of plotting a coup d’état. In July 2013, Kiir dismissed Machar along with all the other members of the cabinet. Machar accused Kiir of abusing his executive authority and publicly announced his intention to challenge Kiir in the 2015 elections.
Both men claim allegiance to the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), South Sudan’s most powerful political party. Nonetheless, they have been at odds for some time.
The two leaders and their allies took up arms. By exploiting existing ethnic gaps and capitalizing on an atmosphere of fear, both sides successfully mobilized supporters throughout South Sudan. Kiir and Machar are each from the two largest ethnic groups in South Sudan–the Dinka and Nuer.
As fighting between the two armed groups spread beyond the capital city, violence increasingly moved along ethnic lines. What began as a political power struggle soon took on an ethnic character.
Also, Sudan has struggled with cyclical inter-communal violence for decades upon which the South craved for self-rule. Ethnic groups have a history of rivalry over access to water and grazing land and groups have easy access to arms.
As a consequence, youth from all communities have perpetrated retribution for past grievances. South Sudan’s army and police are unable to provide adequate security to prevent the violence and the United Nations intervention seem not help.
While 10,000 people are estimated to have been killed in the inter-ethnic Dinka-Nuer fighting, up to a million people have been displaced inside South Sudan and over 250,000 people have fled to neighbouring countries, especially Kenya, Sudan, and Uganda.  In addition to widespread displacement, reports of mass killings, sexual violence, and other war crimes have emerged from the round of violence.
As the South Sudanese seek to move forward, they face the challenge of building stable government structures and asserting credible rule by law across the country.
A dangerous trend is the continuous recruitment of uneducated teenage boys for rebel commanders and opportunistic politicians who use them to further their own ambitions.
Wither the crisis in South Sudan would end soon is not certain. Unfortunately, this problem was faced by many African nations after independence who could not manage gains of freedom and South Sudan has caught the bud-too.