More than a decade after independence, South Sudan is still struggling to secure lasting peace. President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar have signed deals and broken them time and again. Tensions rising once again, the choices the two leaders make could determine whether the country moves toward stability. Presidential decrees become the central tool of governance. The consequences are damaging.
JUBA DECEMBER 5: More than a decade after independence, South Sudan is still struggling to secure lasting peace. President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar have signed deals, broken them, and returned to the negotiating table time and again.
Now, with tensions rising once again, the choices the two leaders make could determine whether the country moves toward stability or slides back into crisis – an outcome that would affect not only their citizens but the wider region.
When presidential decrees become the central tool of governance, the state itself begins to erode. For more than a decade, President Salva Kiir Mayardit has relied, just like Donald Trump, on sudden, unexplained decrees to hire, fire, reshuffle, promote, demote, and reorganise nearly every corner of the government.
The consequences are equally damaging. Sudden changes in key ministries such as Finance, Petroleum, and Investment disrupt revenue collection, scare away investors, and undermine donor confidence.
