Conflict in South Sudan
While still struggling to achieve peace with Sudan since its independence in 2011, South Sudan is now rife with inner-conflict. Rebel forces led by the former Vice-President Riek Machar want to overthrow the South Sudanese government, led by President Salva Kiir.
The U.S. must intervene in South Sudan, as it is an enduring interest within our National Security Strategy to maintain “An international order advanced by U.S. leadership that promotes peace, security, and opportunity.” General Rodriguez, commander of AFRICOM, should employ both diplomatic and economic instruments of power. By doing so, the U.S. risks a potentially long-term engagement in East Africa.
It is first necessary to discuss in detail the events leading up to the writing of this paper. In December of 2013, South Sudan found itself in yet another grizzly conflict. Tensions between President Salva Kiir and former Vice-President Riek Machar erupted. The fighting began after President Kiir accused Machar of plotting a coup to overthrow him. The accusation served as a catalyst for the feuding tribes of the two political figures. President Kiir and Machar are from the Dinka and Nuer tribes respectively, and their political dispute only intensifies the inter-tribal opposition. Multiple outbreaks of violence and fighting now plague the already young and struggling nation. The Nuer White Army is an unorganized and unpredictable force which the former Vice-President cannot control. On 18 February, they targeted the oil rich city of Malakal and slaughtered countless civilians. “Shocked aid workers reported marauding gunmen raping and murdering the patients at the town’s only functioning hospital,” a March issue of The Economist reported. On 19 Ap...
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United States AFRICOM webpage on South Sudan. http://www.africom.mil/about-africa/east-africa/South-Sudan. Web. 2 April 2014.
United States National Security Strategy (2010).
Watson, Cynthia Ann. Combatant Commands Origins, Structure, and Engagements. Westport, CT: Praeger Security International, 2011. Print.
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There is a general discord among stakeholders on the definition of irregular warfare and where the term and concept fits within the joint and the individual services’ doctrine. The 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review report uses the term “irregular” only once in its one hundred and five pages and only in terms of a focus on building the joint force’s capability and capacity to deal with irregular warfare while maintaining a clear conventional and nuclear global superiority. Currently, the definition is ambiguous and results in conflict or duplication of efforts across Department of Defense stakeholders. For the purposes of this paper, the stakeholders discussed are the Army and the Marine Corps. Stakeholders must reach a consensus and clearly define irregular warfare in order to establish comprehensive irregular war policy and strategy.
Steinvig, Morten. "China Tries to save a Dilemma in Sudan." Forsvaret.dk. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2013.
As the newest member of the United Nations, South Sudan receives military assistance from 55 countries and police assistance from 39 countries (UN, 2014). Despite the perception of the proper steps towards long-term success, South Sudan has great potential to destabilize the entire region. This perception is based largely on the success of its economy and its ability to provide security and governance to its citizens. We will examine the potential South Sudan has to destabilize North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Central Africa, and South Africa if South Sudan becomes a failed state.
In 1898, Britain and Egypt took control over Sudan. This didn’t include Darfur, which was an independent territory ruled by a sultan. In 1916, Britain added Darfur to the territory it controlled. After World War II, in 1945, Britain and Egypt began preparing Sudan for independence. From 1945-1989, Darfur -remote from Khartoum and having invaluable resources- suffered neglect from all governments. Sudan has been independence since 1956. However, the journey that led to Sudan’s genocide in Darfur began in the late 1800s. It’s a complicated tale that involves conquest; internal politics; social, ethnical, racial, and re...
In this section, I will provide a brief history of U.S. military involvement on the African continent, starting with the Barbary Wars and working up through the current date. This historical documentation will highlight the change in the role the United States has played in Africa [post 9-11???]. Prior to 9-11, the United States’ interactions were mainly [capture summary here]. Since [?], however, the continent has faced a marked increase in violent extremism and terrorism leading the United States to partner with many African nations in counterterrorism initiatives. These, and other initiatives, mean an increasing number U.S. service members are deploying to Africa to take part in training, humanitarian issues and military operations. These military activities are run by United States African Command, a recently created combatant command.
After the withdraw of Egypt and Britain, Sudan has been run by a number rickety / unstable government groups and milit...
"Sudan Backgrounder | United to End Genocide." United to End Genocide. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.
De Lira Jr., G. 2009. The Anger of a Great Nation: Operation Vigilant Resolve. Retrieved November 09, 2013, from http//www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltect/u2/a509044.pdf.
An attack on the Syrian state would fall within the boundaries of the international concept of the responsibility to protect. The crisis in Syria has escalated by protests in March 2011 calling for the release of all political prisoners. National security forces responded to widespread peaceful demonstrations with the use of brutal violence. The Syrian President Bashar al-Assad refused to stop attacks and allow for implementation of the reforms requested by the demonstrators. By July 2011, firsthand accounts emerged from witnesses, victims, and the media that government forces had subjected innocent civilians to detention, torture, and the use of heavy weaponry. The Syrian people were also subjected to the Shabiha, a largely armed state sponsored militia fighting with security forces. Al-Assad continually denied responsibility to these crimes and placed blame on the armed groups and terrorists for these actions.
Tadesse, Debay. Post-independence South Sudan: the challenges ahead. ISPI-ISTITUTO PER GU STUDI DI POLITICA INTERNAZIONALE. February 2012.no.46.
... and trying to make them cooperate was the biggest flaw of the British colonialism. Then when that didn’t work out, the British developed the North far more than the South, thus creating resentment in the South. With the end of colonialism the British left a nation that was unstable politically and culturally. The region, culture, language, and historical differences between the South and North leads to two civil wars for independence. Which further leads into an ethnic conflict in South Sudan. If no action is taken to bring peace between the two. There is a threat of those ethnicity fighting over resources, which could then potentially lead into a territorial conflict. And if South Sudan further divides there could be a possibility of a power vacuum happening, creating more chaos. All it takes is a single spark to trigger a series of unfortunate events.
Ford, Christopher M. "Of Shoes and Sites: Globalization and Insurgency." Academic Search Complete. Military Review, 1 May 2007. Web. The Web.