In December 2013, hundreds of people died in battles between rival army factions after President Kiir of South Sudan accused his former deputy, Riek Machar, of plotting a coup. Machar denied the allegation, but fled to the capital of Juba, and has been said to be coordinating a rebellion from an unknown location. Because Machar was the last ethnic Nuer in a leading position, there was an major outrage when he was fired by president Kiir, who is an ethnic Dinka. The Nuers and Dinkas are the two main ethnic groups in South Sudan. Soldiers who are loyal to president Kiir and those loyal to Machar have begun to fight for territory in more than six of South Sudan's ten states. After 22 brutal years of civil war with Sudan and eventual secession, South Sudan is the youngest nation in the world, and still very unstable. This conflict has brought South Sudan to the brink of a new civil war. According to the United Nations, over 10,000 people have died so far, and at least 860,000 people have had to abandon their homes because of the violence. Fighting between the government and the rebels has caused over 150,000 refugees to flee the country. Poverty and malnutrition levels have skyrocketed due to the overflow of people in refugee camps. (McConnell, 2014)
However, a peace talk between the two sides recently took place in Ethiopia to stop the fighting. On January 23, 2014 after five weeks of fighting, the rebels and the government signed a cease-fire. (South Sudan profile, 2014)
There are many concerns worldwide about this conflict, such as the mass killings and the use of child soldiers. There have already been at least three mass graves found in the capital Juba, and two more in the state of Unity. Because of the ethnic dispute between the Dinkas and Nuers, some villages have been targeted by the rebels and taken under control, in order to gain territory. Due to the recent violence, there have been many accounts of torture, extra-judicial killings, and sexual violence.
“The effect on the human rights situation has been profound,” said the UNMISS (United Nations Mission in South Sudan). “Fighting between opposing armed groups took on ethnic dimensions and while some civilians were caught in the cross-fire, others were deliberately targeted along ethnic lines.” (Richardson, 2014)
The UNMISS says that, “Holding perpetrators to account is crucial not only for ensuring respect for human rights, but also as a means of addressing the underlying causes of the crisis.”
Another issue that is concerning many other countries is the use of child soldiers. Though the government outlawed the use of child soldiers shortly after declaring independence, there is still thought to be substantial numbers of children fighting on either side of the war. Like in the civil war with Sudan, boys and girls from the ages 10-14 have been targeted. Fortunately though, international pressures have decreased the number of child soldiers in South Sudan as time goes on. (Mohamed, 2014)
It is very Ironic that the youngest country in the world, recently broken away from the dominant political power to the north, is in danger of breaking apart itself. Overall, South Sudan has undergone many hardships, and is still very unstable, but steps all over the world are being made to revive and unify the country for good.