00:00In 2011, South Sudan voted to secede from Sudan, choosing independence after decades
00:06of war.
00:07With newfound oil wealth, things looked optimistic for South Sudan.
00:11So, how is it that the world's youngest country is again teetering on the brink of
00:16war in 2025?
00:18This is the flip side.
00:20Let's first look at the country's rival leaders, President Salva Kiir and Vice President
00:25Riek Machar.
00:26They have outwardly promised peace, but have also used fear of mass violence along ethnic
00:31lines to keep South Sudanese on tenterhooks and democracy at bay.
00:42After the first civil war between 2013 and 2020, key provisions of the 2018 peace agreement
00:49between Kiir and Machar remain unimplemented.
00:53There is no constitution acceptable to all parties, armed forces have not been unified,
00:59and voter registration has also not been renewed.
01:09So why has the situation worsened now?
01:12A catalyst is the civil war that has been raging in neighboring Sudan since 2023.
01:18A major oil pipeline runs through Sudan, and South Sudanese leaders in Juba can no
01:23longer benefit from oil revenues.
01:39More specifically, Salva Kiir and Riek Machar can no longer rely on oil money to buy the
01:44loyalty of the various armed groups in South Sudan, and thus strengthen their power.
02:03And so we must ask, how does this all end?
02:07I do think the international community will coalesce a bit around sending messages to
02:13them discreetly and also publicly to stop.
02:19The situation could trigger a much wider regional conflict, and I think that is the risk.
02:26Political instability in South Sudan has so far emboldened a violent rush to control resources,
02:31and again shown how South Sudanese civilians are beholden to the whims of their aging leaders.
02:37But some argue this could become a pivotal moment for the state.
02:41It can also lead, maybe, if it's channeled correctly, to conversations about, you know,
02:50state building and social contract, because that's what this is all about, right?
02:56What is the state supposed to provide for me, and why am I a part of this state?
02:59And countries like South Sudan were put together in opposition to something, but what is the
03:04country about?
03:05And that's a conversation that needs to be had, right?
03:08You know, what do we believe in?
03:10Consider this.
03:11The average age of South Sudanese citizens is just 18 and a half years old, and most
03:17have only known a few years of peace.
03:20I wish Biden to provide for us a permanent peace, peace that we can move across the South
03:26Sudan without any attack, without any fight.
03:29They should always have reconciliation among themselves, because we have come from far,
03:36from war, and where we are today, all we wish for is peace in the country.
03:40There is a desire to move away from ethnic quarrel and political infighting over resources.
03:47I'll be like, we should leave this issue of tribalism, where I'll be like, because this
03:51political party is from my tribe or this person is from my tribe, I should support him.
03:57If he's wrong or right, this is not what we want as a South Sudanese.
04:00And that's the flip side.
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