I had a meeting with Tor Muein, the former advisor for local governance in South Sudan, in June 2016. We discussed the future of the internal conflict in Juba, especially after emerging signs from within the presidential institution pointed toward escalating tensions. We also discussed the leadership’s vision for South Sudan a decade from then.
Seven years later, the internal crisis in South Sudan is still ongoing. The parties in Juba are not genuinely seeking to establish internal peace, which alone reflects the deep psychological divide between the two sides. We affirmed that the negotiations being mediated by Nairobi to bring the sides closer would not bear fruit—at least not in the short term—which is pushing the situation toward a domestic crisis that Juba may not be able to bear the cost of.
What South Sudan is experiencing today—and what it will experience in the future—is the result of accumulated failures that President Salva Kiir Mayardit has not been able to comprehend since taking power, nor has Riek Machar and his allies addressed them wisely.
Dr. Amina Al-Araimi
