PRESENTACIÓN MILITAR

Case study

South sudan

In South Sudan, there are more than 60 ethnic groups, who were united during the Civil War with the North to strive for independence. The two main groups are the Dinka (35.8%) and the Nuer (15.6%). In January 2011 the South Sudanese took a vote and 99% of them chose to become independent Newly elected president Salva Kiir, a Dinka, chose in the act of solidarity Riek Machar as his vice president, a Nuer, nevertheless, this peace was short-lived as warlords and generals were granted political power that they were ill-fitted to keep plus the abandonment of the international community after independence. Vice President Machar started criticizing President Kiir, this led to forces loyal to the president and loyal to the vice president to clash in violence, both power figures started to exploit the ethnic differences between the two groups, mobilizing secret militias, and use hate speech to incite civilian violence.This has now escalated into a full-out ethnic conflict aggravated because of the fight for resources, international intervention by neighboring countries, and heavy flow of weapons.

Map of South Sudan

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(Britannica, 2024)

(BBC Africa 2024)

Identify ethnic groups and governments to explain the conflict

After the civil war, a peace agreement was signed that allowed the separation of South Sudan, being supported by the U.S. government, so in 2011 they achieved their independence. The ethnic groups that cover most of South Sudan are the Dinkas and the Nuer, for the renewed government of the country, Salva Kir was selected as president, belonging to the Dinkas, and as a sign of unity, Riek Machar was selected as vice president, belonging to the Nuer but there are over 60 different groups over South Sudan.The actors involved are the Former Sudan Government and now Sudan´s and South Sudan´s governments represented by the leaders previously mentioned.

State and Non-State Actors that tried to end this conflict

Nearby countries intervened with resources for the ethnic groups. As a state actor against the conflict the United States government proposed the arms embargo in South Sudan, to stop the conflict, but China and Russia are against the proposal because of the interests they can get through the conflict looking for other ways to stop the conflict, and until those happen they block any sanction proposal or arms embargo from the United Nations that is an Intergovernmental organization (Non-State Actor). Obama government and Ban Ki-moons the secretary general of the United Nations want the Africans to push nations to intervene and end the conflict. After the Rwanda Genocide, world leaders established an international criminal court designed to prevent conflicts in the future, by holding out the treat of punishing those who would carry them out these court is another Intergovernmental organization.In conclusion: State Actors: The USA goverment, Obama's goverment and Ban Ki-moons Non-State Actos: United Nations, International Criminal Court.

( ACCORD, 2021)

The leaders of two rival political coalitions, Salva Kiir (Dinka) and Riek Machar (Nuer), engaged in negotiations mediated by Uganda and Sudan in June 2018. These talks led to the Khartoum Declaration of Agreement, which called for a ceasefire and a commitment to negotiate a power-sharing arrangement to end the conflict. However, the implementation of the agreement has been slow, and violence has continued (Global Conflict Tracker, 2024).Progress on implementing the 2018 peace agreement has been slow, with key issues such as security arrangements, institutional reforms, and electoral preparations remaining unresolved. While the unity government is still in place, security sector reforms have stalled due to mutual distrust among the parties, who are keeping their best fighters on standby in case fighting resumes. Originally, the agreement was to be implemented by February 2023, but the government has extended the transitional period to February 2025, and the national elections are now scheduled for December 2024 (Global Conflict Tracker, 2024).

What happened in 2018?

(MEO, 2022)

The USA has suggested an arms embargo to be enforced in South Sudan, nevertheless, it's unlikely that it will pass the UN's Security Council with China and Russia being their main weapon providers. (Global Conflict Tracker, 2024)

In 2024, additional peacekeepers and urgent forces were deployed to hotspots in South Sudan after an escalation in inter-communal violence led to an increase in civilian deaths, abductions, and displacements. Meanwhile, South Sudan continues to suffer from one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, magnified by the worsening effects of climate change, macroeconomic shocks, and spillover from the nearby civil war in Sudan. Long-delayed elections are scheduled for December 2024. However, many fear the country is unprepared to hold free and fair elections and have advocated for their postponement. (Global Conflict Tracker, 2024)in April 2023 fighting erupted causing the displacement of many. (Global Conflict Tracker, 2024) Violent clashes and hunger have afflicted overcrowded camps, and the government and aid organizations in South Sudan lack the resources to meet humanitarian needs and it mostly depends on the participating IGOs, nevertheless, their support is sporadic. (Global Conflict Tracker, 2024)In 2023, more than 7.7 million people, or two-thirds of the population, faced severe food insecurity—the worst hunger crisis the country has ever faced. (Global Conflict Tracker, 2024)

What happened after 2018?

Recent news about South Sudan

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1. According to the BBC news, “more than 50 people had been killed in attacks on the border of South Sudan and Sudan (BBC, 2024)”. South Sudan and Sudan still have unresolved issues to resolve since independence in 2011, this time will be because of territory, specifically for natural resources. The UK, Norway and the United States said that they were deeply concerned by the increase of the violence.2. According to the BBC news, all schools would have to close for at least two weeks because of a heatwave. Deaths caused by the excessive heat had already been reported. People are left without energy and consequently they don´t count on air conditioning, they die because of the very high temperatures. The MSF told the BBC news that there's been a rise in the admissions to one of the hospitals (BBC, 2024).

A study estimated that "in 2018, nearly four hundred thousand people were killed during the five years of war, and an additional almost four million were internally displaced or fled the country" (Global Conflict Tracker, 2024, par.5).In response to widespread violence against civilians during the civil war, the UN peacekeeping mission (UNMISS) set up large-scale camps to safeguard civilians from ongoing attacks. In the fall of 2020, UNMISS began reducing its presence at these protection sites to focus on a more flexible approach to addressing violence throughout the country. This shift has raised concerns about the return of refugees and the government’s ability to provide security nationwide (Global Conflict Tracker, 2024)

social results of this conflict

Conclusion: type of conflict in South Sudan

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Due to the information learned, we can affirm that the conflict happening in South Sudan could be clasified as governmental; Even though both coalitions accepted to divide the power, it's most than obvious that they want to control the whole territory, and as each of these political movements are supported by two different ethnic groups (Dinkas aligned with Kiir, and Nuer aligned with Machar), they both groups have been involucrated in the problem, turning it also into an Ethnic conflict.

Global Conflict Tracker. July, 11th, 2024. “Instability in South Sudan”. Retrieved September 1st, 2024 from https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/civil-war-south-sudan South Sudan may be heading towards genocide – YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkWldwFdTPo MEO. (2022). MEO. https://middle-east-online.com/en/un-extends-peacekeeping-mission-south-sudan-year BBC AFRICA. (2024). BBC News; BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12115013 ACCORD. (2021, July 14). ACCORD. https://www.accord.org.za/analysis/the-united-nations-mission-in-south-sudan-reflections-and-future-priorities/BBC. (2024). South Sudan heatwave: Extreme weather shuts schools and cuts power. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-68596499‌‌‌