Threat of Sanctions against South Sudanese Leaders: What Implications?

The conflict in South Sudan between the government of Salva Kiir and the opposition forces, led by former Vice President Riek Machar Teny, has undoubtedly escalated into a civil war. The two sides have so far failed to reach a negotiated settlement and have continued to cause death, destruction and much suffering of the civilian population, with tens of thousands dead and over a million people displaced from their homes. This has increased the frustration of the people of South Sudan and regional and international leaders who feel compelled to mediate or intervene in some fashion. South Sudanese frustration with the continued mayhem and the lack of obvious solutions has manifested itself in a variety of ways, including the increasing calls for political transitions that exclude the two leaders from power. For the world leaders the frustration was recently expressed through two strongly worded press releases that warned the warring factions against intransigence at the peace talks, continued civilian abuses and killings and against further machinations for a military solution to the wrangling.