The presence of Ugandan and Sudanese forces in South Sudan seriously undermines the integrity of the state and threatens the peace process. Violence between various factional groups within South Sudan following the 1991 split into the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) resulted in the displacement and death of more civilians than had been inflicted by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) since the start of the civil war in 1983. On the other hand, the members of the National Legislative Assembly consisted of SPLM members appointed by the president at the beginning of the interim period.
The split of several opposition forces in the wake of the revived agreement on. Resolution of the conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) from September 2018 will further undermine the state's monopoly of power. An overwhelming majority (98.3%) of the people of South Sudan voted for an independent state in 2010.
However, civil rights are almost non-existent in practice, especially after the start of the civil war in 2013. Political actors in South Sudan are aware of the international value of a democratic government and act accordingly. Most of the new parties are SPLM splinter groups in opposition to the SPLM leadership.
With the start of the civil war in 2013, the space for civil society and the operation of both domestic and international non-governmental organizations has shrunk.
Economic Transformation
For example, women in South Sudan are threatened by the highest maternal mortality rate in the world, according to UNDP. Business development in South Sudan has several limitations, such as the weak rule of law, widespread corruption and the overall security situation. South Sudan is an emerging market and the government wants to create a favorable climate for investors (internal and external).
However, due to the conflict, South Sudan is a passive participant in the EAC and does not send delegates to EAC meetings. The Land Act of 2009 created a framework under which land belongs to the people of South Sudan but is regulated by the government. In addition, some cultural practices in South Sudan do not recognize women's land ownership, which contradicts the right to property in the constitution.
Ending the civil war will be essential to improving the business environment and attracting more companies to invest in South Sudan. However, the availability of quantitative data for South Sudan is still limited and the quality of the data is questionable. In short, more than 90% of the people of South Sudan are not contributing to the economy because of the civil war.
The existing legal framework of South Sudan places great emphasis on environmental protection, which is derived from Article 41 of the Constitution. In 2016, a separate Ministry of Environment and Forestry was established as part of the implementation of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (ACRISS). The Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) of September 2018 confirms the ACRISS agreements and sets a six-month deadline for the establishment of a new Environmental Management Authority (EMA).
Making progress in the quality of education is key not only to economic development, but also to peace and security in South Sudan. As in other areas, however, the lack of data makes it difficult to get a clear picture of the state of education in South Sudan. The three universities in South Sudan were developed by the Sudanese government before South Sudan achieved independence.
In addition to the state universities, there are several private universities in South Sudan: a prominent one is the Catholic University of St. Like primary and secondary education, universities in South Sudan face numerous challenges, including funding issues and staff availability.
Level of Difficulty
Civil society traditions in South Sudan have largely been confined to the various churches. Many faith-based structures have a long history in South Sudan and are active in all corners of the state. The Church has also played a role in mediating South Sudan's various conflicts during the interim period and since independence.
The Church continues to play a role in the current civil war, albeit with increasing difficulty. The number of civil society organizations has also been steadily growing in the country for years. The lack of an adequate tradition of civic representation results in a civil society that is not always as inclusive as many donors hope.
With the civil war still ongoing, the need for the constructive intervention of civil society is increasingly crucial and will be even more so after the civil war ends. Civil society organizations will be expected to play a role in promoting national healing and reconciliation between the various groups. As tensions between the government and NGOs grew, the government became increasingly suspicious of civil society groups, as shown in the 2015 National Security Bill.
In addition, the withdrawal of some NGOs or the downsizing of their activities due to the civil war has negatively impacted the performance of civil society organizations dependent on the donor community. Civil society is even weaker in remote rural areas, most of the country. Conflict between communities has been a major problem since the beginning of the implementation of the CPA in 2005 and has become increasingly intense since then.
Small conflicts escalated into wider conflicts, and conflicts rooted in power struggles between members of the political elites quickly led to conflicts between communities and ethnic groups. The start of the current civil war is a clear manifestation of the dynamic and multifaceted conflicts in South Sudan. The increasing intensity of conflicts in South Sudan is also due to contradictions in the existing legal framework and failure to resolve the root causes of conflicts.
Governance Performance
Since the beginning of the civil war, the government's priorities have been to contain the rebellion as much as possible. Threatening the dismissal of the elected parliament and governors is another method of maintaining a certain status quo in the areas where fighting between the government and opposition forces is absent. None of the priorities set by the government before December 2013 have received significant attention in recent times.
The role of the international community in providing policy frameworks, implementation models, monitoring and evaluation capacity was previously significant. Due to the start of the civil war, many donors suspended their support for the government of South Sudan. It is likely that some of the initial progress in this area is now in decline due to new priorities among both the government and the international donor community.
The largest part of the official budget is earmarked for the security sector (38%) and the financing of the war. However, due to a lack of transparency in recruitment procedures and the need to accommodate certain individuals in the government or military, returnees may face difficulties in using their abilities effectively for the benefit of the public administration and the country. Combined with the personal ambitions of some of the protagonists in the war, South Sudan today is more divided than it has been since its independence in 2011.
This change is the result of pressure from the international community on the government for reforms, which the government interprets as favoring rebel groups and an attempt to force regime change. With the start of the civil war, donors shifted their development aid to humanitarian aid. Members of the international community are nevertheless looking for ways to continue helping the people of South Sudan.
As a result of the civil war, human rights violations and opposition to the peace accords, the government and various other parties to the conflict have increasingly lost credibility. The neutrality of IGAD's efforts is jeopardized by the presence of the Ugandan army on South Sudanese soil. More broadly, there is a disconnect between the objectives of the regional body, IGAD, (responsible for peace talks and a monitoring and observation mission to respect the ceasefires signed earlier) and those of individual member states (with their own interests).
The presence of Ugandan and Sudanese forces inside South Sudan is a provocation and seriously undermines the integrity of the state. The country became a member of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) in 2011 and in April 2016 became a member of the East African Community (EAC).
