SOUTHSUDAN

Key Figures:

Internally Displaced:

Refugees:

Deaths:

People in need:

1.6 Million

1 Million

Over 50,000

6.1 Million

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Overview"World's Youngest

Country"After over two decades of civil war, South Sudan seceded fromSudan on 9 July 2011. The split followed a referendum in whichnearly 99 percent of the population concerned voted for SouthSudanese independence. The referendum was a result ofextensive peace talks leading to the signing of theComprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005. Salva Kiir, part of theethnic Dinka group became the first President of South Sudan,while Riek Machar, a member of the ethnic Nuer group, becamethe first to assume the role of the country's First Vice President. Foundational Issues

As South Sudan gained independence, the population hoped for greater peace and prosperity after years ofviolence and human rights abuses under the Sudanese government. However, persistent inter-ethnic fighting hascontinued to plague South Sudan, with constant clashes between government forces and armed rebel groupsleading to horrific human rights abuses committed by both sides.

The power struggle between then First Vice President Machar and President Salva Kiir contributed greatly to theescalation of the conflict between South Sudan's ethnic groups as fears over an alleged coup led to President Kiirdismissing the entire cabinet and stripped Machar of the Vice Presidency in July 2013. This functioned as acatalyst for widespread fighting, which claimed thousands of victims.

Source: Paanluelwel.com

Key ActorsDinka Nuer

SPLM/A SPLM/A-IO

The Dinka people are the largestethnic group in South Sudan. Thereare many smaller factions withinthe Dinka group, but the majority ofDinka people follow PresidentSalva Kiir.

The Nuer people make up thesecond largest ethnic group in SouthSudan. The majority of Nuer peoplefollow the rebel leader, former FirstVice President Riek Machar.

Sudan People’s LiberationMovement, the SPLM, wasoriginally founded as the politicalwing of the Sudan People’sLiberation Army, the SPLA. WhenSouth Sudan became a sovereignstate in 2011, SPLM became theruling party together with theSPLA. President Salva Kiir is theleader of the party.

Sudan People’s LiberationMovement-In-Opposition, theSPLM/A-IO is a mainly Nuer politicalparty and a rebel group that splitfrom the SPLM and SPLA at thestart of the South Sudanese civilwar. The party and the militia is ledby former First Vice President RiekMachar.

President Salva Kiir Mayardit Former First VicePresident Riek Machar

Salva Kiir is a member of theDinka ethnic group. He started hiscareer in the military and politicsearly, joining the southernrebellion in Sudan in the late1960s and helped form the SPLMin 1983. He became the militaryleader in the 1990s and assumedthe position as leader of the SPLMin 2005 when the founding leader,John Garang, died in a helicoptercrash. Salva Kiir was a centralactor in the push for SouthSudan’s independence andbecame the new country’s firstelected president.

Riek Machar is a member of the Nuerethnic group. During the North-Southconflict in Sudan he was known toswitch sides on several occasions ashe sought to strengthen his positionand that of the Nuer people. As SouthSudan became independent, hispresence in the higher echelons ofgovernment was seen as vital topromoting ethnic unity between theNuer and Dinka peoples. Followingthis thinking, he was appointed FirstVice President of South Sudan.However, the government nowconsiders Machar to be a rebel leaderof the opposition party SPLM-IO.

Other Opposing GroupsAlthough most of the conflict is driven by theaforementioned key actors, there are severalother actors involved in the current crisis aswell. Some of these actors include:

The Cobra Faction

The Democratic Change Party

The National Democratic Movement

The Nuer White Army

Source:BBC News

Source: LA times

Source: LA times

Source: The Upper Nile Times

Outbreak of Violence and Civil War 2013

The two ethnic groups,Dinka and Nuer mergedwhile fighting for the SouthSudanese independence,since they had a commonenemy in Sudan.

Originally, the two major ethnic groupsin South Sudan, the Dinka and Nuerpeoples, worked together in the fight forindependence from Sudan. However,after successful secession, previousgrievances between the two groupsreemerged.

In July 2013, President Salva Kiirdismissed the entire cabinet, includingFirst Vice President Riek Machar,following infighting among the expandedSPLM party over President Kiir's allegeddictatorial tendencies, among otherthings. The conflict between the two sidesquickly spiraled into a civil war as fightingerupted on 15 December 2013, withinfactions of the SPLM/A as well as inter-communal violence between the twolargest ethnic groups, the Dinka and Nuer.President Kiir blamed the clashes on acoup attempt orchestrated by Machar andsoldiers loyal to him. The former First VicePresident, however, denied theallegations and accused the president of“inciting tribal and ethnic violence”. Thepresident arrested Machar's supporterswithin the government, but Macharsuccessfully escaped.

On 18 December 2013, Riek Macharannounced that President Kiir was nolonger fit to lead the country, creatingthe SPLM/A-IO under his ownleadership. The rebel party consistedof defectors, small militias, and ex-government officials. Rebel factionsseized control of several key areas ofthe country and the ensuing violentclashes between the SPLM/A andSPLM/A-IO caused the death ordisplacement of thousands of civilians.

In late December 2013, the UN Security Councilauthorized a security force of about 6,000 to be deployedto South Sudan in addition to the 7,600 peacekeepersalready in the country since the UN mission in the country(UNMISS) was established in 2011. The deployment wasoriginally mandated to aid in nation-building efforts,however, the mission’s mandate shifted in May 2015, toinclude civilian protection, allowing the UN peacekeepersto use force in that protection. The deterioration of thesecurity situation in the country is making it difficult forUNMISS to carry out its mandated mission.

By 2015 thousands ofcivilians had been killed inthe conflict and anestimated 1.5 millionpeople had been forced toflee their homes. Armedgroups had targetedcivilians due to theirethnicity and reports ofsexual violence, destroyedproperty and the use ofchild soldiers werefrequent throughout theconflict.

The Resulting Humanitarian SituationInternational Response

Common GroundViolence Erupts

Civil War Breaks Out

Source: Vice News

Source: Vice News

IGAD was created in 1996. MemberStates include Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya,Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudanand Uganda.

IGAD's mission is to assist andcomplement the efforts of the MemberStates to work together for peace andsecurity. The vision of the organization isto achieve peace, prosperity, andregional integration in the IGAD regionand to be the premier RegionalEconomic Community (REC) forsustainable development in the region.

UNMISS was established on 8 July 2011when the UN Security Council adoptedresolution 1996. The mission is mandatedto protect civilians, monitor human rightsand support implementation of thecessation of hostilities agreement.

The United NationsMission in the Republic

of South Sudan(UNMISS)

TheIntergovernmental

Authority onDevelopment (IGAD)

International Response Actors

Resolution 1996 (2011) –consolidate peace and

security and helpestablish conditions for

development.

Resolution 2155 (2014) –protection of civilians,

human rights monitoring,support for delivery of

humanitarian assistance,implementation of the

Cessation of HostilitiesAgreement.

Led South Sudan negotiationsresulting in ceasefire

Led South Sudan peace talksresulting in peace agreement

Kept ceasefire monitors in SouthSudan

Accused of failing to protectcivilians during July clashes inJuba

Established Protection of Civiliansites

What they've done:What they've done:

Peace Agreement and Its Implementation

Introduction to Peace

Peace Agreement andUnity Government

Peace Agreement

23 J

anua

ry 2

014 After weeks of negotiations and continued fighting, IGAD

successfully arranged an agreement on a ceasefire betweenthe warring parties on 23 January 2014. The Cessation ofHostilities included conditions such as the withdrawal ofarmed forces and suspension of hostile propaganda. IGAD'smain mediator during the talks, Ethiopian diplomat SeyoumMesfin, stressed the importance for the parties to implementand fully commit to ensure that the peace process movedforward.

Ceasefire

IGAD set up a team to monitor the ceasefire agreement,which would ensure that the parties adhered to the agreedterms. The first group was dispatched in April 2014. The teammonitored violations and submitted their observations to theOffice of the IGAD Special Envoys for South Sudan, whothereafter further reviewed the situation.

Febr

uary

20

14

The IGAD Monitoring & Verification Mechanism (MVM):

As the parties repeatedly violated and periodicallyrecommitted themselves to the cessation of hostilities, theconflict in South Sudan raged on for more than 20 months. InFebruary 2014, further peace talks were arranged and onceagain disrupted. IGAD repeatedly brokered talks and in May2014 they succeeded in arranging an agreement to form atransitional government. The parties, however, failed to agreeon the composition and the responsibilities of such agovernment.

Apr

il 2

014

Violating the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement:

Clashes between government forces and rebels continued asIGAD-led peace talks resumed in August 2014, dragging onfor several months. The general elections, scheduled for June2015, were cancelled in February 2015 due to continuedfighting between the parties.

Aug

ust

2014 Resumption of Peace Talks:

The parties missed several deadlines to sign a peace agreement setby IGAD. The international community threatened sanctions, suchas an arms embargo, if an agreement could not be reached swiftly.In August 2015, the peace agreement was signed by both parties.However, President Salva Kiir signed the deal more than a weeklater than Riek Machar as he expressed reservations regarding thecontent. He accused the agreement of attacking the sovereignty ofSouth Sudan. Although both sides signed the agreement andcommitted to its implementation, it took another six months before itwas carried out.A

ugus

t 20

15

The Peace Agreement

An important component of the agreementbetween the two parties included thereinstatement of Riek Machar to the positionof First Vice President. Machar returned toJuba on 26 April 2016 and was sworn intothe new unity government of South Sudan.

26 A

pril

20

16 Unity Government:

Source: Eye Radio Network

Source: The Inquisitr

Cessation of

Hostilities Agreement

Resurgence of Violence 2016

"I urge President Kiir and First Vice-President Riek Macharto put an immediate end to the ongoing fighting, disciplinethe military leaders responsible for the violence and finallywork together as partners to implement the Agreement on

the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan"

- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon8 July 2016Source: Alwasat News

As South Sudan prepared to celebrate its fifthanniversary since achieving independence, UNofficials expressed concern over the continuedviolence around the country. On 8 July 2016, on theeve of the anniversary, hostilities broke out in thecountry's capital, Juba. The violence quickly spreadto other parts of the country which led to a dramaticdeterioration in the situation. IGAD expressed theirgrief over the collapse of the peace agreement.8

Jul

y 20

16

On the anniversary, the fighting stilled, but clashesflared up again the following day. More than 300people, including civilians, were reported dead as aresult of the clashes, with over 36,000 people displaced from their homes. UN personnel andcompounds came under fire as civilians soughtshelter under UN protection. Many feared that thecountry would return to civil war.

Clashes continue tooccur in the country,with soldiers dying onboth sides of theconflict. There are alsofrequent reports ofviolence againstcivilians, including thekilling and raping ofpeople caught in theareas of fighting.UNMISS has, inseveral reports, expressed extremeconcern over thereports of violencetowards civilians.

The Following Violence

On 12 August 2016, the UNSC voted to send anadditional 4,000 peacekeepers to add to the already12,000 in the country to secure the capital of Juba. TheSouth Sudanese government accepted the deploymenton 2 October. However, by October 14 the authoritieshad done nothing to ensure access for the UN troopsand a report from the UN Secretary-General showedthat the state has continued to obstruct the work of theUN Mission to protect civilians.

The International Response

Following the July violence, FirstVice President Riek Macharclaimed the outbreak was acalculated attempt on his life andfled Juba. President Salva Kiirlater proposed that the twoleaders should meet and discussa way to reclaim peace.

Amid continued fighting on the outskirts of Jubaand several other regions in the country, with hiswhereabouts at the time unknown, Machar wasdismissed as First Vice President on 23 July2016 and Taban Deng was made the new FirstVice President. Machar responded, calling theappointment of Deng illegal.

The Political Situation

In fleeing the violence, Riek Machar crossed the border and sought refuge in theDemocratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Hundreds of soldiers loyal to the rebel leaderalso fled to the DRC province of Kivu, resulting in protests from people in the DRC,calling for the removal of the army. The government also asked the UN mission inthe country, MONUSCO, to evacuate the soldiers as they raised security concerns inthe area.

In October, a spokesperson for the SPLM/A-IO confirmed that Mr. Machar hadtraveled to South Africa for medical treatment, but would not seek asylum there ashe has vowed to return to South Sudan to resume his position as First VicePresident.

Machar and the SPLM/A-IO

Amid reports of continued and escalatingtargeted ethnic violence in South Sudan, UNSpecial Adviser on the Prevention ofGenocide, Adama Dieng, on 11 November2016, released a media briefing on thesituation in in the country, in which heconcluded that all indicators for ethnic war andgenocide are in place. He also called on SouthSudanese leaders to take immediatemeasures to end the violence and to upholdthe responsibility to protect.

Warning of Genocide

Source: Business Insider

UNMISS Failure to Protect Civilians

An independent inquiry released a report in November 2016 regarding the Julyviolence in Juba and the reaction of the UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).The inquiry found that UNMISS had failed to uphold its mandate to protectcivilians. During the three-day outbreak of violence in the capital, armedgovernment forces killed and assaulted civilians and humanitarian workers,committing sexual assaults and other atrocity crimes.

There were about 12,000 UNMISS peacekeepers deployed in the country, butthe forces reportedly abandoned their posts and failed to respond to pleas forhelp.

The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, responded by dismissing a ForceCommander as the findings of the investigation indicated that a lack ofleadership was the main cause for the “chaotic and ineffective” response to thecrisis. Ban urged for a prompt replacement of the Force Commander andpledged to present measures to strengthen the mission's capacity for theprotection of civilians, such as greater accountability for both civilian anduniformed personnel.

UN Photo/Tim McKulka

The humanitarian crisis in South Sudan has greatlydeteriorated since the beginning of 2016. Clashes havespread across several regions in the country and a largenumber of people have been uprooted from their homes.Violence has greatly affected civilians, who are oftensubjected to atrocities, including sexual assault, torture andkillings.

Humanitarian Crisis

By July 2016, an estimated 4.8million people were facing asituation of severe food insecurity.The hunger and malnutritionsituations have reached historicallevels and are now spreading overseveral regions which werepreviously considered stable.

Since the conflict began, 2.6million people have fled theirhomes, with over a millionpeople seeking refuge inneighboring countries.

Food SituationRefugees and IDPs

Crimes against civiliansThere is no formal death toll, buttens of thousands have beenkilled throughout the conflict.Death rates due to disease havealso risen as the clashes havecaused access to healthcareand other assistance to worsen.

Death toll

Children in the country faceimmense risks as their schoolsare destroyed, they arecontinuously recruited by armedforces for both sides, and over10,000 children have beenregistered as unaccompanied,separated, or missing.

Situation for children

Source: Australia for UNHCR

Hunger has also continued to be ahuge problem as malnutrition hasreached historic levels. Fighting hasoften blocked humanitarianoperations, while aid workers arerepeatedly attacked while trying toreach people in need, making theoperational environmentcatastrophic.

Despite such challenges,humanitarian actors succeeded indelivering aid and protection to morethan 3.2 million people in needbetween January and July in 2016.By the end of August 2016,humanitarian agencies had reachedapproximately 3.4 million out of 6.1million people in need of assistance.

The civilian population is beingtargeted from both sides.People are killed and subjectedto horrific atrocity crimes,including sexual violence,extrajudicial killings, andassault.

AT A GLANCE