Once again, South Sudan teeters on the brink of civil war. The unity government between President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar is unraveling — fueled by ethnic violence, political purges, and fresh militia clashes. With embassies closing and UN warnings mounting, the world’s youngest country seems hell-bent on repeating its blood-soaked past.

The Birth of a Nation: from hope to despair

In 2011, South Sudan became the world’s newest nation, seceding from Sudan after a near-unanimous vote for independence. This moment was heralded globally as a beacon of hope — ending as it did decades of brutal civil war with this dawn of self-determination. The international community rushed in, envisioning a prosperous new state built on oil reserves and rich cultural heritage.

But, as the confetti settled, euphoria gave way to grim reality. Just as I predicted, power struggles, ethnic tensions, and leaders more invested in self-enrichment than nation-building crushed high hopes. Peace and prosperity dissolved into political corruption, ethnic violence, and humanitarian crises.

Barely two years into independence, South Sudan descended into the heart of darkness. Ethnic militias loyal to President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar plunged the country into civil war. It was another genocide in the making — with atrocities eerily reminiscent of Rwanda. It killed an estimated 400,000 people, displaced millions, and culminated in a famine declaration in 2017.

Of course, this Dark Continent is no stranger to natural disasters. But man-made ones rival them. In this case, ethnic conflict disrupted not just food production but also aid deliveries. Man’s inhumanity to man is never more tragic than when Africans starve fellow Africans for political gain.

A unique tragedy amidst a Continental malady

Post-colonial Africa is a tale of failure and struggle. Yet South Sudan’s story is particularly bleak. Unlike other nations, its divisions weren’t drawn by colonial hands. They’re tribal — rooted in ethnic rivalries and leaders hungry for power.

This discord mirrors other sectarian conflicts, like the Sunni-Shia divide in post-Saddam Iraq, where sectarian violence destroyed any chance of unity. In South Sudan, the Dinka-Nuer rivalry is the fault line. Leaders exploit ethnic loyalties for power, fueling cycles of violence and revenge. Nation-building never stood a chance.

Women and children suffer while men war, war, war

Frankly, South Sudan’s short history is little more than wars and rumors of war — with all due respect to Matthew. So nobody should be surprised that in 2025, the fragile peace brokered in 2018 is unraveling.

Meanwhile, the world is watching, again, with bated breath. Embassies are closing, and aid groups are sounding the familiar alarms. The UN is begging for $6 billion to address the hunger crisis — because South Sudan is starving, again.

A never-ending tragedy

Alas, South Sudan’s fall from hope to hell is playing out like an African cliché. As usual, leaders squandered the people’s dreams. Rabid ambition and ethnic pride buried the common good.

The US is leading rich countries in watching with feckless despair—mocking every “never again” pledge they’ve ever made about genocide in Africa. And they made those pledges before Russia launched its genocidal assault on Ukraine. Before Israel answered Hamas with genocidal fire in Gaza.

So now the only hope is that South Sudan gets tired of war. That it forges peace not from leadership or wisdom — but sheer exhaustion.