The Republic of South Sudan is once again embroiled in a political tussle with the UN and has grounded planes belonging to the UN peacekeepers in a dispute over the control of the airport in Juba. In 2016, South Sudanese officials intercepted 11 United Nations trucks carrying weapons, in violation of a U.N. rule. According to UNMISS, the arms were in a shipment of "general goods" in which "several containers were wrongly labelled and inadvertently contained weapons and ammunition." 

More than one million citizens of South Sudan perished during the 60 years struggle for independence in the hope for a better future. The baby steps towards peace and prosperity are worrying. While the fighting may be attributed to civil misunderstanding on the outside, it is no secret that it accrues from internal factors (such as the politics of exclusion, corruption, self-seeking and bloated egos) and external factors such as resource and dominance generated global geopolitics.

Both the young country’s leaders and the African Union must take responsibility, dialogue with competing interests and hoist South Sudan on the pedestal of a prosperous future. Meanwhile, the UN must be careful not to aggravate the dismal situation.