South Sudan Vs. North Sudan: a Comparative Analysis of The Two Governments

South Sudan: No Different From North Sudan

Throughout the world there are countries that suffer from conflicts that deal with either the government or the people, good or bad. The situations in which these conflicts arise can either be towards helping the country or destroying it. But in many of these cases, the people who think that they are doing good for the country are often doing the bad. The magnitude of this problem is astounding in countries like South Sudan, where there are ongoing skirmishes between the government and the people. The newly liberated land filled with people that told themselves they would not become what North Sudan was, but is now replicating their northern counterpart to a T. To maintain peace and prosperity, South Sudan should enact regulations on democratic voting within the country and more protection for the people from rebel groups along with preparing to receive help from other nations to maintain this peace.

South Sudan’s government has been in shambles since December of 2013, only two years after the country won their independence from the northern portion of Sudan. This conflict arose after President Salva Kirr accused Riek Machar of stealing money from the newly established country. Machar was former vice president at the time and is now a reigning leader of a powerful rebel group in South Sudan, determined to throw Kiir out of office and take over. Kirr has also accused Machar of inflaming situations between the different tribes living within the country, and heightening tensions with the government and the rebels in the process. Machar has denied these allegations by speaking out in a public rally, “’ During the time when I was a vice president of the Republic of Sudan in Khartoum, he was the one signing all contracts with all companies who later disappeared with South Sudan’s money and did not turn up for their promises.”’ (Clottey). President Kiir denies these statements said by Machar, his spokesman demanding for the arrest and imprisonment of Machar for his supposed exploitation of South Sudan’s money. South Sudan does not only have to worry about its struggles with Sudan, but its struggles between leaders within its government as well.

Much of this disagreement has to do with their respective tribes as well as money stealing and coup allegations. This strained relationship between the two leaders is causing violence between Kiir’s and Machar’s supporters, two highly different and feuding tribes. “Some 10,000 people are estimated to have died in the fighting, which has mainly been between President Kiir's Dinka ethnic group and the Nuer group of Mr. Machar.” (BBC). This now tribal based fight for power in South Sudan has escalated beyond the need by both parties to control the government, and has sent the entire country into a whirlwind of problems requiring outside help from other nations and the UN. Since the national spotlight shone on South Sudan, many countries have begun to intervene, pushing for the two leaders to cease the fighting and speak with each other. Kiir and Machar have agreed to negotiate with each other as of early February 2015, and stop the fighting within South Sudan that was caused by them. Machar demands a place in the government as vice president again if Kiir wants the fighting to stop, and if these talks are successful, he will become vice president again. The outcome of these negotiations will be announced in early March by the South Sudanese government, hopefully good not only for the feuding forces but for the people as well.

The excessive brutality of Kiir’s government has not only been limited to Machar’s rebel forces, but the South Sudanese people as well. Countless numbers of people who dare try to defy or question Kiir have been beaten or killed, and an even larger amount gone missing. Non-violent protestors that are against Kiir’s presidency—even if they are not apart of Machar’s forces— have been shot down by the military on Kiir’s commands. “Last December, 11 died after soldiers opened fire on people protesting over the relocation of a local council headquarters in Wau, 400 miles (643km) north-west of Juba. None of those who fired the shots have been arrested.” (Thomson). It is known that the protestors were killed not because of lack of training by the South Sudanese military; but because they were ordered to kill them. It has become apparent to both people in and out of South Sudan that Kiir’s claim of a democratic and righteous new government has been put to shame by his disgraceful actions against his people. The severity of his rule extends to not only protestors, but to lawyers taking up cases against people within the government and local writers who dare write about their struggles. “After taking on the case of a woman whose family home was taken from them without warning or compensation by soldiers he was kidnapped and then beaten with electrified rods.” (Thomson). This is the story of South Sudanese lawyer, Ring Bulebuk Manyiel. After three days of torture at the hands of the soldiers involved in the case, Manyiel was barely alive when they finally decided they had finished torturing him and threw him in an abandoned cemetery. Although Manyiel had reported the kidnapping and the individuals to the police, nothing has been done to apprehend his attackers. This disregard for justice and fairness in South Sudan by the people who are supposed to enforce it has many heads turning towards the government and President Kiir to answer why, and no answer has been given.

South Sudan’s government has also taken measures to shut down newspapers that published anything against Kiir and the government. These actions have not gone without notice by the U.S. ambassador Charles Twinning, “I have been alarmed at the recent reports of the intimidation and harassment of journalists in South Sudan by elements within the government and I hope this does not represent a tread” (Sudan Tribune). Twinning also called for the immediate re-opening of the newspaper, viewing the entire situation as an “intimidation and harassment of journalists” (Sudan Tribune). Twinning is among the long list of ambassadors to South Sudan that have been troubled by the government’s constant law-breaking tendencies. Kiir has enacted many laws to uphold the democracy that he promised the country, yet “South Sudan ranked 124 out of 148 countries in the press freedom index” (Sudan Tribune). These statistics are especially alarming for the countless numbers of world leaders who invested time in helping South Sudan achieve prosperity and democracy, realizing that their attempts have been futile.

Many of these leaders are considering denying aid to the South Sudan, because of Kiir’s poor job as a president. Britain’s ambassador to South Sudan, Alastair McPhail, has considered withdrawing aid from South Sudan. "It's always a calculation to be made but an awful lot of our programmes are about health, education and food security and if we were to withhold aid then we would be punishing the wrong people," (Thomson). The population of South Sudan that is not involved in the Kiir-Machar feud are experiencing the consequences of the conflict as well, with over a million people fleeing from their homes to evade the fighting taking place. Because the majority of the country is focused on keeping themselves and their families from being killed; there has not been time for other things, like farming and thus producing food. This deficit in food is on the brink of turning into a full out famine, “More than 7 million of South Sudan’s 12 million people are at risk of running out of food” (Mercy Corps).

These numbers have only been rising since the fighting began in South Sudan, with at least 229,000 children estimated to be “suffering from severe acute malnutrition – a number that has doubled since the start of the conflict just over a year ago” (Africa News Service). UNICEF is especially pushing towards sending expert teams into the most affected states of South Sudan, called ‘Rapid Response Missions’. The teams that UNICEF will send in are planning to treat the hungriest and sickly children and adults they are able to find. Along with treating the sick, UNICEF has plans to locate the families of displaced children with a special registration system and bring supplies to ensure fresh water is available. Organizations like UNICEF are continuing to make efforts to save South Sudan from a nationwide famine, as stated, “UNICEF is urgently appealing for additional funding of $34 million to continue to scale up its nutrition response in South Sudan in 2015” (Africa News Service). They are not giving up on South Sudan, but more organizations might be needed to put this country back on its feet.

In South Sudan, the necessity for a stable government and firm food source are the highest priorities for the country to ensure it will have a bright future. There needs to be more organizations like UNICEF, insistent on helping countries in South Sudan’s situation. There needs to be less people like President Kiir, letting the country succumb to chaos because of strained relationships between his past vice president. A person who has failed to meet up to the ideals he promised the people of his country since 2013, only two years after South Sudan was declared its own country in 2011. Countries with corrupt leaders cannot go far in this world, and do much for their people. It is up to the world to influence these leaders and make sure they are able to provide for their people and develop into the best leader they can possibly be.