South Sudan conflict
Why
in news?
2 Indian peacekeepers were killed in ethnic clashes
Why
conflict?
- South Sudan
became an independent nation in 2011
- Its
population comprises of several ethnic tribes
- Nuers and
Dinkas are two of largest tribes in the region
- Its
president Salva Kir belongs to
Dinka tribe
- In july
2013, he dismissed his deputy Macher
on grounds that he was plotting a coup
- Macher
belongs to Nuer tribe
- The
political squabble has escalated into a tribal conflict
Impact
of Conflict
- Forces
backing Mr Machar have seized the key oil producing regions like jonglei
and unity state
- However
Kiir’s forces still control all or most of the country’s other seven
states and has upper hand in terms of supplies, arms and international
support.
UN
mission in south sudan[UNMISS]
- India has
lost seven of its soldiers this year in the world’s newest country who
were part of UN peacekeeping mission in south sudan
- UNMISS was
setup in 2011 to support state building and economic development
- peacekeepers are deployed in
small numbers across South Sudan in remote and inaccessible areas and are
in the frontline of the “brunt of the violence” while protecting large
numbers of civilian refugees in their camps.
- India is a major contributor
of troops to this mission
- UNSC has approved doubling
of strength of UN peacekeepers to handle the crisis
Current
situation
·
Two sides are holding ceasefire talks as
a first step towards resolving the conflict
·
But fighting continues to rage
·
On-going crisis may hit oil supplies
from sudan which could have repercussions on world markets and will also hit
finances of south sudan government
- Oil revenue makes up 98% of
south sudan’s budget
- Hopes that regional leaders
might mediate a ceasefire are bleak
- Uganda a major regional
power is supporting Salva Kiir with hope of getting South sudan to
transport oil through Uganda rather than Sudan
- Sudan has so far stayed away
from conflict but it could be tempted to intervene to protect its own
interests in oil fields close to the border
- Way forward is to negotiate
for a new power sharing agreement
India’s interests in
the region
- India’s investments have
been mainly in the energy sector.
- Most of these assets are
located in South Sudan.
- conflict and instability in
the region will have an adverse impact on India.
Sources:
