CONFLICT IN SOUTH SUDAN: A THREAT TO INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY

Abstract

The study investigated the dynamics of the South Sudan conflict with emphasis on how it poses a threat to international peace and security. Since its independence, like those of other countries in the world, South Sudan has experienced huge human and material cost following decades of intense conflict between the Arab North and the non-Arab south. four years into the war, the number of displaced persons had increased to over 2.3 million people, as renewed fighting was taking place in the Equatorials, Western Bahr al Ghazal and the Greater Upper Nile, causing the death of thousands more. The theoretical framework employed in the study was the realist theory, which derives its impulse from the perspective that the nature of man is sinful and conflictual. Realism holds that political theory must flow from observation of history and experience of people and of nation-states, and that these show a pattern of violent and aggressive behavior. It was based on the qualitative methods of data collection and analysis. It was discovered that despite several peace agreements being signed, there were still weak support systems. The institutional bodies established to ensure the smooth implementation of the peace agreements had often fallen short of their mandate due to operational and institutional challenges that hindered them from operating efficiently. Following the above, the study recommended that there is a need to draft a new constitution for the country that will require the establishment of a political and economic system that guarantees each and every South Sudanese equity and equality.