By Spy Uganda
Juba:”South Sudan remains significantly peaceful”, declared the opening line of a government-issued fact sheet for visitors and press as they awaited the historic arrival of Pope Francis in the country in 2023.But on his first day in Juba, as the pontiff waved to the faithful, mass graves were being dug just 100 kilometres away for 27 civilians killed in a hail of automatic gunfire.
The deadly episode underscored a sobering reality in South Sudan: despite assurances to the contrary, and billions spent on peacekeeping, law and order rarely extends beyond the capital. Conflict still torments the oil-rich but deeply poor country half a decade after its leaders declared an end to the civil war that killed over 380,000 people.
President Salva Kiir and his rival Dr.Riek Machar once lied to themselves and formed a transitional government and committed to uniting their forces into a single army to safeguard their long-suffering people, but this has not happened, and horrific violence continues with impunity.
Atrocities witnessed during the 2013-2018 war — including sexual enslavement and deliberate starvation — are still taking place even today, in the eyes of African Union and UN.
Experts say localised violence has surged even as large-scale combat between Kiir and Machar’s forces has subsided since the peace agreement but also add that greedy gov’t officials especially those close to Kiir & Machar are sometimes behind the atrocities with the aim of causing fights so that they can selfishly milk the wealth of this country.
Among the top generals alleged to be on top of the game and reaping big from these endless fights include; Spy Chief Gen Akol Koor Kuc, Security Advisor NCP Tut Gatluak Manimne, and Dr Martin Elia Lumoro.
Political experts in S.Sudan say the above government and military elites in Juba are framing violence for their own political gain.
“Throw a dart at a map of South Sudan and you will find a conflict that has political dynamics or political drivers to it,” said one Juba-based researcher who requested anonymity to discuss security matters.
“The peace agreement has brought no end to that, and in that way, the spirit of the war continues. I find it hard for them to acknowledge in black and white that we have peace and at night they go brainstorm how they can create more bloodshed,” added the researcher.
United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) reports that violence rose sharply in late 2022 due to the Upper Nile conflict, and accused state officials of direct involvement.
Meanwhile, it is worth noting that the Independence of S.Sudan from Sudan came after more than two decades of civil war, which led to massive loss of life, destruction, and displacement. Before that, there were even more decades of conflict in the region, coupled with huge humanitarian and development needs. Many of these issues have persisted in the many years of South Sudan’s history as an independent state. The country has rich oil fields, giving it economic opportunity. However, the ongoing fueled instability has caused severe consequences for a country that frequently ranks among the poorest in the world.
