Four years of civil war in South Sudan

According to reports by the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP), South Sudan is currently – four years after the beginning of the civil war on December 15, 2013 – sinking deeper into violence and anarchy. The human rights organization reported that regular soldiers and local warlords are terrorizing the civilian population, and that about 750,000 people were forced to flee from their villages in South Sudan in 2017. “About 63 percent of the refugees are children. They are on the run from hunger, murder, rape, deportation, or forced recruitment as child soldiers,” said Ulrich Delius, the director of the STP, in Göttingen on Friday. Further, he demanded: “These crimes against humanity must finally be punished, in order to break the cycle of violence. The international community has failed in the struggle against impunity in South Sudan. The South Sudanese government has been holding out on the international community for years, and terror against the civilian population is increasing.”

Even humanitarian helpers are not safe from murder and manslaughter. On November 28, 2017, six local helpers were murdered in the village of Duk Payuel, Jonglei State, and a total number of nine aid workers were killed in November 2017. Due to the attacks, helpers have to be withdrawn from certain areas from time to time for security reasons, which is why humanitarian aid often doesn’t reach the needy in time.

However, even such crimes with far-reaching consequences for the civilian population often go unpunished. In August 2015, the African Union promised to establish a court of justice, consisting of South Sudanese as well as international judges. However, more than two years after the according decision, which is binding under international law, there has been no progress regarding the establishment of this mixed court. “Apparently, South Sudan’s neighbors and the African Union are not interested in tangible measures to fight impunity. Without measures against the crimes against humanity, however, there will be no lasting peace in South Sudan,” Delius criticized.

Around four million people from South Sudan are on the run. Compared to the previous year, the number of refugees has increased by 750,000, and about 210,000 internally displaced persons who are on the run from attacks by regular soldiers and other armed combatants have sought protection in UN peacekeeping camps. “The state of South Sudan is failing to protect its civilian population and to care for those who are in need,” said Delius. In 2017, the number of people who are suffering from hunger in South Sudan has increased from 3.7 million to 4.1 million. A further escalation of the famine is expected for January 2018.

Header Photo: UNMISS via Flickr