International Concerns over South Sudan’s Kiir, Machar Disagreement Leading to War

Women and children wait to be registered to a food distribution of the World Food Programme, South Sudan (File photo: Reuters)
Women and children wait to be registered to a food distribution of the World Food Programme, South Sudan (File photo: Reuters)
TT
20

International Concerns over South Sudan’s Kiir, Machar Disagreement Leading to War

Women and children wait to be registered to a food distribution of the World Food Programme, South Sudan (File photo: Reuters)
Women and children wait to be registered to a food distribution of the World Food Programme, South Sudan (File photo: Reuters)

The international and regional community fear war will erupt again in South Sudan, following escalations between President Salva Kiir Mayardit and Vice President Riek Machar who disagreed on how to share regional states between them, despite the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2018, South Sudan ended five years of civil war over Mayardit - Machar power sharing struggle, which later became an ethnic war between both their tribes that killed and displaced thousands.

The president’s office announced that a meeting concluded the leadership of six of the 10 states would go to Kiir’s side, three would go to Machar’s side and one would go to an alliance aligned with neither Kiir nor Machar.

The Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO), led by Machar, rejected the presidency’s decision to allocate states, indicating it was not taken by consensus.

“It does not take into consideration the relative prominence each party has in each of the respective states or counties.”

Machar issued a statement, of which Asharq Al-Awsat received a copy, indicating that the decision issued by the President’s office did not take into account “parties’ domination in every state or province.”

Machar explained that SPLM-IO is very popular in Upper Nile State, and the government or the coalition of parties known as ‘Sawa’ do not have the right to control the state, referring to an article in the peace agreement calling for taking into account the popularity of the parties when sharing power in the states.

Machar asked the heads of state group of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and its envoy in Juba to intervene to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

For its part, the group of other political parties strongly rejected the presidential decision regarding power-sharing in the states and considered it a clear violation of the peace agreement.

They threatened to withdraw from the transitional government and said, in a statement, that they were given 8 percent of the states which means they are trying to exclude them

A senior analyst with Brussels-based think tank International Crisis Group, Alan Boswell, said the disagreement between Kiir and Machar endangered the gains made so far toward a lasting peace.

“South Sudan’s new unity government is facing its biggest crisis yet, as negotiations broke down on how to share power in state and local governments across the country,” he said in a statement.

Boswell stressed that despite the attention of South Sudan’s international partners on the COVID-19 pandemic, quick action from regional leaders will be key so that this latest power squabbling doesn’t escalate.

South Sudan’s civil war claimed the lives of 400,000, triggered a famine and created Africa’s biggest refugee crisis since the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Panel of Experts on South Sudan warned that the country’s revitalized peace deal is in jeopardy because the unity government’s partners are bickering over security control and resources.

The panel accused former government and opposition military leaders of forcefully recruiting children to boost the size of their forces.

The power of National Security Service agents remains unchecked and has been expanded to silence political and civic dissent, according to the panel.

It said security operatives continue to arbitrarily arrest, detain, and torture civilians in a prison near the Nile.

The report also accused both the government and the opposition of committing violations against human rights in central equatorial regions.

It also reported several incidents of looting and burning of civilian properties on an ethnic basis, and continued saying: “There are hotbeds of corruption and misuse of state funds, and that undermines political and security reforms.”



Myanmar Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 3,085 as More Bodies Found

People look at the collapsed Maha Myat Muni Pagoda following an earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, 28 March 2025 (issued 29 March 2025). EPA/STRINGER
People look at the collapsed Maha Myat Muni Pagoda following an earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, 28 March 2025 (issued 29 March 2025). EPA/STRINGER
TT
20

Myanmar Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 3,085 as More Bodies Found

People look at the collapsed Maha Myat Muni Pagoda following an earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, 28 March 2025 (issued 29 March 2025). EPA/STRINGER
People look at the collapsed Maha Myat Muni Pagoda following an earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, 28 March 2025 (issued 29 March 2025). EPA/STRINGER

The death toll from the massive earthquake that hit Myanmar nearly a week ago rose Thursday to 3,085 as search and rescue teams found more bodies, the military-led government said, and humanitarian aid groups scrambled to provide survivors medical care and shelter.
In a short statement, the military said another 4,715 people have been injured and 341 are missing.
The epicenter of Friday's 7.7 magnitude earthquake was near Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city. It brought down thousands of buildings, buckled roads and destroyed bridges in multiple regions, The Associated Press said.
Local media reports of casualties have been much higher than the official figures and with telecommunications widely out and many places difficult to reach, it's thought the numbers could rise sharply as more details come in.
The World Health Organization said that according to its initial assessment, four hospitals and one health center had been completely destroyed while another 32 hospitals and 18 health centers had been partially damaged.
“With infrastructure compromised and patient numbers surging, access to health care has become nearly impossible in many of the worst-hit areas,” the UN said. “Thousands of people are in urgent need of trauma care, surgical interventions and treatment for disease outbreaks.”
A mobile hospital from India and a joint Russian-Belarusian hospital also were now operating in Mandalay.
With many left homeless by the earthquake, and many others staying away from their homes over fears ongoing aftershocks will bring them down, workers in Naypyitaw labored in the 40 degree Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) busily erected big tents in open fields to provide some shelter.
In Mandalay, local residents gave slices of watermelon to Chinese volunteers taking a break from the heat.
More than 1,550 international rescuers were operating alongside locals on Thursday, according to a statement from the military. Rescue supplies and equipment have been sent by 17 countries.
Myanmar’s military seized power in 2021 from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking what has turned into a civil war.
The quake worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis, with more than 3 million people displaced from their homes and nearly 20 million in need even before it hit, according to the United Nations.
As concerns grew that ongoing fighting could hamper humanitarian aid efforts, the military declared a temporary ceasefire Wednesday, through April 22. The announcement followed unilateral temporary ceasefires announced by armed resistance groups opposed to military rule.
The military said it would still take “necessary” measures against those groups if they use the ceasefire to regroup, train or launch attacks.
Already on Thursday there were reports from local media in Kachin state in the north of Myanmar that military attacks continued in several areas, but they could not be independently confirmed.
Prior to the earthquake the military was battling the Kachin Independence Army group. The KIA on Wednesday also declared a ceasefire but reserved the right to defend itself. It was unclear how the reported fighting broke out.
The earthquake shook Kachin, but there have been no reports of damage there.
In Bangkok, where the quake brought down a skyscraper under construction, the search for survivors and bodies continued as Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt said a possible sound of life was detected in the rubble. By near day's end, however, nobody was found.
Twenty-two people were killed and 35 injured in the city, mostly by the collapse of the unfinished building.