South Sudan

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South Sudan's President Salva Kiir Mayardit dismissed the country's police chief following reports of a rumored coup plot, BBC Africa reported on Nov. 15.

South Sudan: President Fires Police Chief Following Coup Rumors

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir Mayardit promised that the country will hold delayed elections in December 2024 and that he will run for reelection, Voice of America reported July 4.

South Sudan: President Kiir Pledges to Hold Elections in 2024

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The U.S. government is using emergency funding powers to give $670 million in food aid to six countries in or near the Horn of Africa that are heavily affected by food shortages resulting from the Russia-Ukraine war, Bloomberg reported April 28.

Sub-Saharan Africa, U.S.: Biden Administration to Send Emergency Food Aid to Horn of Africa

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The government of South Sudan wants to negotiate a new oil production quota with OPEC and non-OPEC allies (OPEC+), as some of its oil fields have restarted since it agreed to join the group’s market stabilization efforts, Argus Media reported Oct. 8. 

South Sudan: Government Hopes to Negotiate New Oil Production Quota With OPEC+

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South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit has traveled to the United Arab Emirates to meet Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and discuss improving bilateral relations, The National reported April 23.

South Sudan, U.A.E.: Leaders Discuss Improving Bilateral Relations

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Regional and U.S. leaders have met at various locations in the Horn of Africa region for bilateral and multilateral meetings in recent days, underscoring a significant increase in diplomatic activity in the area, RFI reported March 4.

Sub-Saharan Africa: Horn of Africa Countries Engage in Shuttle Diplomacy

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit and rebel leader Riek Machar, a former vice president, reached a power-sharing agreement in an attempt to end the country's five-year civil war, the Sudan Tribune reported July 25.

South Sudan: Leaders Reach Peace Deal

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un promised in May to invite foreign journalists and experts to witness the Punggye-ri nuclear test site being dismantled, according to South Korea's presidential office, The Guardian reported April 29.

North Korea: Pyongyang to Dismantle Nuclear Test Site, Invite Observers

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South Sudanese military police officers sit on a pickup truck as they monitor the area during a deployment ceremony for South Sudan's unified forces at the Luri Military Training Center in Juba on Nov. 15, 2023. 

If a coup destabilizes South Sudan's fragile power-sharing government, the country could return to civil war.

Coup Rumors in South Sudan Highlight Continued Risk of Political Instability and Civil War 

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People flee their neighborhoods in Khartoum, Sudan, amid fighting between the army and paramilitary troops on April 19, 2023. 

Government institutions in eastern and western Africa remain relatively strong, but potential succession crises, simmering unrest and weak leaders still pose latent risks.

Assessing the Risk of Future African Coups, Part 2: West and East Africa

Workers load luggage onto a vehicle that belongs to refugees from Sudan who entered Ethiopia in Metema on May 5, 2023.

South Sudan's tenuous peace wavers as Sudan's civil war rages on, placing the broader region at risk of a humanitarian crisis.

Sudan's Civil War Endangers South Sudan's Fragile Peace

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Women sit under U.N.-branded cardboard boxes in Semera, Ethiopia, on Feb. 14, 2022, as they wait to be registered by the authorities at a hotel compound hosting civilians fleeing violence. 

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GBV is often primarily seen as a women’s and human rights issue. But in sub-Saharan Africa, it is also a key constraint to stable (and democratic) governance, economic growth, and lasting peace.

The Geopolitics of Gender-Based Violence in Africa

The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, speaks during the African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Feb. 5, 2022.

Congo's ports will grant the East African Community access to the Atlantic Ocean, but the country's overall poor infrastructure and security will limit the volume of trade with other bloc members. 

How Congo's EAC Membership Will Alter Trade in East Africa

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Protests against Sudanese President Omar al Bashir have intensified in recent weeks, including some that erupted during a pair of African Champions League soccer matches last month.

In a twist on the athlete-led political statements seen at some sporting events, spectators in Sudan have turned recent soccer matches into a venue of protest.

When Stadiums Become Venues for Dissent

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The unexpected announcement of a U.S. pullout left Syria's Kurds scrambling to find a new ally, fearing that the loss of Western support will leave them exposed in the event of a long-threatened Turkish assault. 

The Syrian Civil War

In this short video, Stratfor Global Security Analyst Analyst Thomas Abi-Hanna discusses three events to watch for this week.

Three Geopolitical Events in the Week Ahead • December 31, 2018

Aid workers have fled the hardest-hit region as the country's civil war continues to rage.

South Sudan: Famine Affecting 100,000 Is Expected to Spread

Despite its recent success, the bloc will have a hard time achieving its bold agenda.

East Africa has been blessed, at least for the past decade, with a level of political stability rarely found on the African continent. Amid this period of relative calm, the East African Community (EAC) has enjoyed unbridled growth and rapid progress toward fulfilling its mission to merge its members -- Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and, most recently, South Sudan -- into a single, federated state.

East Africa: Where Ambition Meets Reality

A deal between the ruling government and the opposition is unlikely in the near future, but so is the resumption of civil war. 

For South Sudan, Peace Is Still a Distant Prospect

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Paris Agreement Emphasizes Shift Away From Oil

The pace of the transition will be decided by how quickly new technologies reach the developing world.

Delegates attend a plenary session at the U.N. climate change summit in Paris on Dec. 9.

The agreement signed Dec. 12 in Paris is just a small part of a broader energy transition driven by technological change.

Climate Agreement Will Only Hasten Transition Beyond Oil

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South Sudan is a landlocked state in East-Central Africa whose capital is Juba. The country is bordered by Sudan to the north, Ethiopia to the east, Kenya, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the south, as well as the Central African Republic to the west.    South Sudan is also the youngest country in the world. Since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, it has experienced ongoing instability, including civil war and famine. Amid the nascent country's many problems, South Sudan's main challenge is the management of its various ethnic groups. Indeed, much of the nation's civil war has stemmed from battles for power between its major ethnic groups.    The country's lack of sea access has also restricted its economic prospects because of the associated high cost of imports and exports. As it is, transport links throughout Central and East Africa are poor, but South Sudan's logistical problems are naturally exacerbated by its instability and violence.    Still, South Sudan does boast proven oil reserves – something that has driven foreign interest in the area for decades. Nevertheless, the unlikelihood that hostilities will end anytime soon, coupled with the further erosion of Juba's control over territory, has greatly complicated investment in the oil industry. Accordingly, there appears little chance that South Sudan will rectify its deep structural deficiencies and end the fighting among its major ethnic groups anytime soon.

SITUATION REPORTS

South Sudan: President Fires Police Chief Following Coup Rumors

South Sudan: President Kiir Pledges to Hold Elections in 2024

Sub-Saharan Africa, U.S.: Biden Administration to Send Emergency Food Aid to Horn of Africa

South Sudan: Government Hopes to Negotiate New Oil Production Quota With OPEC+

South Sudan, U.A.E.: Leaders Discuss Improving Bilateral Relations

Sub-Saharan Africa: Horn of Africa Countries Engage in Shuttle Diplomacy

South Sudan: Leaders Reach Peace Deal

North Korea: Pyongyang to Dismantle Nuclear Test Site, Invite Observers

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