The conflict in the youngest nation in Africa, and on earth, South Sudan, has dragged on for long.  This conflict has caused great suffering to the people of South Sudan and increased insecurity in the region. Many lives have been lost, many people displaced and much property destroyed. Resources that would have pulled this poor country out of abject penury are directed to the cockpit of the conflict. The time to call upon Mayardit and Machar to talk peace is now. South Sudan needs stable peace.

Although the conflict in Syria has overshadowed other conflicts in Africa (especially in Central Africa Republic, Nigeria, and South Sudan), US Senator Bob Corker (chairman, of Senate Foreign Relations Committee) has minced no words that the two leaders in South Sudan would ‘end up in jail soon under any standard court.’

The two nemeses in South Sudan need to learn from what happened in neighbouring Somalia after the leadership failed. They can also learn from what happened to warlords such as Charles Taylor (Liberian former dictator) or Laurent Gbagbo (former Ivorian dictator).

Ironically, while a leader far away in the US is sickened by the atrocities in South Sudan, her sons aren’t bothered with the sufferings their brothers and sisters are going through. The winner in the war in South Sudan is the one who will stop the war and go to a round table to chart out the way for South Sudan.

It is awkward to note that this young nation is borrowing money to feed the war machinery instead of pulling its people out of manmade miseries. According to the Wall Street Journal (Aug. 5, 2014), South Sudanese authorities are myopically and wantonly selling their countries to any bidder without reckoning with tomorrow. The Wall Street Journal reported, “Strapped government afloat, South Sudan officials huddled in June in Juba with Chinese, Malaysian and Indian oil executives to propose an emergency loan of $200 million.”

According to Countryeconomy.com, In 2014, the South Sudan public debt was USD 2,757 million, up from USD 972 million in 2013. This amount means that the debt in 2014 reached 20.27% of South Sudan GDP, a 7.91 percentage point rise from 2013, when it was 12.36% of GDP. If the country still has tumbledown infrastructure, poor or no social services, where does the money the government borrows go? The answer is simple. It goes to servicing war.

To illustrate how bad the situation is in South Sudan is, Nigeria’s Vanguard (December 01, 2015) quoted Philip Boldit, Director-General, Directorate of Macroeconomic Planning, South Sudan as saying, “In fact, most of the borrowings were through the Central Bank. The Central Bank is supposed to be the last resort but we abused it. This resulted in the apex bank printing more money, which meant more money in the market and it caused the devaluation of our currency. So, we have a very high inflation which can only be brought down when we devise ways to manage our debts properly.”
 
As Corker puts it, shall bloodbath go on in South Sudan, the two protagonists deserve nowhere to live except in prison. It is still early though, for the duo to decide to resume their sanity and save themselves and their country.

By Nkwazi Mhango

Author of Saa ya Ukombozi, Nyuma ya Pazia, Souls on Sale, Born with Voice and Africa-Reunite or Perish.