South Sudan needs a peace plan

OPINION:

The world’s attention is now rightly focused on the brutal civil war in Sudan, which has claimed thousands of lives, unleashed a great humanitarian catastrophe and witnessed horrendous atrocities committed by the warring groups. Still, this focus overlooks the dire conditions in South Sudan, its southern neighbor.

South Sudan’s long desire for self-determination culminated in its independence from Sudan on July 9, 2011, after decades of wars that claimed millions of lives.

Unfortunately, since its independence, South Sudan has never had any semblance of peace or democracy. Salva Kiir Mayardit, the unelected first president, has remained in office ever since. His authoritarian leadership has been marked by gross human rights violations, corruption and political instability, including a civil war that killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan recently concluded that systemic corruption combined with political intransigence is fueling fresh violence.

Mr. Kiir’s government is not a neutral bystander to the civil war in Sudan. To the contrary, the South Sudan government has enabled the warring parties and profited from the violence. Sudan and South Sudan are so closely interconnected that any political conflict in either country has direct effects and spills over into the other.

The international community should not only recognize the destabilizing impact the Kiir government has had on the tragic war in Sudan but also come to terms with the fact that recognizing the problem alone is not enough. To ensure peace and stability in Sudan, a peace process is needed to concurrently resolve the conflict in South Sudan. This is essential to achieving regional peace and stability in this strategic region of the Horn of Africa.

A viable alternative for peace and stability in South Sudan has long been articulated by our movement, the National Salvation Front. NAS was formed in March 2017 with a mission to transform the failing young state of South Sudan into a stabilizing force in the region, grounded in democratic good governance based on federalism, accountability, human rights and principled engagement. These values are not abstract ideals; they form the foundation for how a stable South Sudan could live in peace and engage with its neighbors — particularly Sudan, in partnership to achieve political stability, security and economic prosperity.

A South Sudan inspired by such principles would be capable of acting not as a destabilizer in Sudan’s conflict but as a credible advocate for peace and development. It would prioritize strengthening state institutions, securing its borders, and ensuring that its territory is never used as a conduit for armed actors. It would approach economic diplomacy, especially regarding vital oil infrastructure, not as a tool of political patronage but as a mechanism for promoting stability, predictability and cooperative regional outcomes.

The NAS welcomes the recent announcement by President Trump that he will be involved in resolving the conflict in Sudan. This announcement has brought great hope to millions of Sudanese who have borne the brunt of the tragic conflict for more than two years. Mr. Trump has not only shown interest but also put forward strong and decisive peace plans to resolve conflicts around the world. It is important that this same zeal for global peace is extended to the conflicts in Sudan and South Sudan.

A U.S. policy focused solely on peace in Sudan will not be durable if South Sudan’s conflict remains unresolved. The dangerous feedback loop between the two crises means that any American role must acknowledge the stakes on both sides of the border. A stable, legitimate South Sudan would be a force for regional peace, while a South Sudan left to fester will only deepen the unfolding crisis across the region.

South Sudan must be rescued before it totally collapses and becomes a source of regional and global insecurity. Under the leadership of Mr. Kiir and his corrupt Sudan People’s Liberation Movement elites in government, the country is slowly turning into a hub for international crime networks in illicit activities, including human and drug trafficking, money laundering and global terrorism. These threats are not confined to South Sudan; they will spread through it, across the Mediterranean to Europe and eventually to the United States.

Washington now has an opportunity to align its diplomatic efforts with the reality on the ground. To help Sudan, the United States must not forget South Sudan. Only by addressing both crises concurrently can the region begin to chart a new path toward lasting peace, security and stability to advance mutual interests.

• Lt. Gen. Thomas Cirillo Swaka is the founder and chairman of the National Salvation Front, an opposition movement in South Sudan.