Juba "unhappy" with 4th place inclusion in failed states index
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June 25, 2013 (JUBA) - South Sudan on Tuesday expressed disappointment
with the two-year-old nation’s inclusion as the world’s fourth most
failed state in a report by US-based organisation the Fund For Peace.
South Sudan’s first complete year on the Failed States Index (FSI)
shows it sinking into the same cycles of instability of many of its
neighbours. Sudan, from which the South separated in 2011 is ranked
third, while the Democratic Republic of Congo which borders the
country to the southwest.
The top five places are taken up by East and Central Africa, with
Somalia (1), Chad (5). Another of South Sudan’s immediate neighbours,
the Central African Republic was ranked ninth after a coup deposed the
government earlier this year.
Reacting to the report published on 24 June, a leading member of South
Sudan’s ruling party told Sudan Tribune that it was "unfair" to
compare the nation, which gained independence in July 2011 "with
countries which have had their independence thirty or fifty years
ago”.
Mark Nyipuoc, who was the first post-war governor of Western Bahr el
Ghazal state, said the ruling SPLM had faced many difficulties since
assuming official control of the region in a 2005 peace deal.
"Despite the large volume of aid that has flowed into the country
since independence, it has been unable to effectively utilize those
resources towards actual capacity building, the report said, adding
that "corruption is endemic in South Sudan, with an estimated $4
billion of public funds having gone stolen or unaccounted for by
mid-2012 alone."
Pointing to Sudan’s alleged backing of rebel groups in the young
nation, Nyipuoc argued that insecurity was hindering the government’s
efforts to allow development to take place at the speed expected by
the general population.
"Armed conflict with Sudan over oil rights and disputed pipeline fees
prompted the government in Juba to halt oil production in January
[2012], a risky move as 98% of their income was projected to come from
oil production", the report says.
Nyipuoc acknowledged that "not much development has taken place" but
argued that this was because Khartoum has never allowed South Sudan to
concentrate on building the country by backing rebel groups.
"If such mentality and attitude of war continues to be imposed, then
how you expect the country to focus on development efforts? The
conflict in Jonglei is part of the conspiracy by Khartoum to
destabilise this nation. They want us to fail so that they tell the
world we cannot manage our affairs", he explained
Decades of civil war have not allowed "development to take place. All
this happened because Khartoum did not want the South to develop the
way Juba is currently changing. You yourself can tell the difference
from 2005 and now”, he argued.
About 75% of Sudan’s proven oil reserves are now located in the new
nation, with some in the hitherto disputed border areas. Oil revenue
provides an estimated 98% of the total income of the government. With
the oil infrastructure of the pipeline, the refineries, the export
facilities, as well as the ports themselves all situated in northern
Sudan.
Although the new nation has had intricate and difficult negotiations
on a wide range of issues notably, nationality; currency; public
service, international agreements and treaties; debts and assets; oil
fields, production and transport; oil contracts; water resources; and
property, it managed to sign a deal to exports crude to the
international markets through Sudanese territory in September 2012.
However, differences continue to emerge over issues relating to
security and the borders between the two states.
Because of the ongoing disputes with Sudan many South Sudanese
officials feel the country should not have been considered or included
in this years failed states index.
The annual report, which looks at security, development, economic and
political pressures faced by each of the countries that are analyzed,
observed that independence has failed to provide the South Sudanese
population with a relief from conflict with continued tensions over
land and resources.
The report mentions the estimated $4 billion of public funds that had
been stolen or gone unaccounted for by mid-2012. The index also cites
allegations that South Sudan’s army - the SPLA - has been accused of
gross human rights violations including rape and torture.
The report further highlighted on the state of media freedom where a
notable comment writer, Isaiah Abraham was killed in December after
speaking out against government-sponsored corruption and violence.
The Failed States Index focuses on the indicators of risk and is based
on thousands of articles and reports that are processed by software
from electronically available sources.
(ST)
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