Things You Should Know About South Sudan Conflict

South Sudan, a landlocked country in east-central Africa, bordering Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic. In 2011, South Sudan became the world’s newest country after gaining its independence from Sudan.

In late 2012, soldiers from President Salva Kiir’s Dinka ethnic group tried to disarm Nuer soldiers perceived to be loyal to then-ousted Vice President Riek Machar, sparking fighting and inflaming ethnic tensions in South Sudan. Kiir is a member of the country’s majority Dinka population, while Machar is Nuer, the country’s second-largest ethnic group. In the ensuing two-year civil war, at least 50,000 were killed, more than 2 million displaced and nearly 5 million people faced severe food shortages.

 

 

1. Since South Sudan overwhelmingly voted to break away from Sudan in 2011, the government’s main concern has been to get oil flowing following disagreements with Khartoum – production only resumed in April.

 

 

2. On December 15, 2013, tensions between factions loyal to President Salva Kiir, of the Dinka ethnic group, and those aligned with his former Vice President, Riek Machar, of the Nuer ethnic group, exploded into fighting on the streets of Juba, the capital city. South Sudan’s dramatic return to war has torn communities apart and left countless thousands dead.

 

 

3. It is not clear. It started as a political squabble and has escalated into ethnic violence. President Kiir believes there was and has pointed the finger of blame at Mr Machar.

 

 

4. In December 23, 2013 the U.S. military’s Africa Command announces it is positioning 150 Marines in Djibouti in East Africa to be able to respond should conditions in South Sudan deteriorate even more. On December 24, 50 of these Marines are moved closer, to Entebbe, Uganda, and on January 3, Marines evacuate about 20 U.S. Embassy staff members from Juba.

 

 

5. The country is awash with guns after the decades of conflict and there is a history of ethnic tension, which politicians could whip up if they believe that could help them gain, or remain in, power.Violence spread across the young nation like wildfire, displacing 413,000 civilians in just the first month of conflict. Tens of thousands of civilians rushed to seek refuge in U.N. bases that were subsequently turned into makeshift displacement camps.

6. A handful of peace agreements have been signed over the course of the war — the most recent in August 2015 — but they have been repeatedly violated. The situation remains highly unstable.While some regions have recently become slightly less volatile, allowing people to move around fairly freely and return to their homes, violent outbreaks are still occurring throughout the country.

 

 

7. In February 2016, the U.N. displacement site in Malakal was attacked, killing 25 people and wounding over 120 more. Regions that previously had been relatively safe from clashes have experienced assaults over the past several weeks.

 

 

8. July 7-10, 2016 – Fighting breaks out with skirmishes between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, loyal to Kiir, and soldiers backing Vice President Riek Machar. The civil disputes leave more than 150 dead across the capital city of Juba.

 

 

9. July 11, 2016 – Following an overnight lull, fighting resumes through parts of Juba. President Kiir demands an immediate end to the fighting between his soldiers and those loyal to his rival vice president, and Vice President Machar later calls on his troops to respect the ceasefire.

 

 

10. On July 15, 2016, 156 Indians were evacuated from the violence-hit South Sudan, with 71 arriving by a special Indian Air Force flight to New Delhi. The evacuation was part of Operation Sankat Mochan launched by the Indian government.