South Sudan: Civil War Continues as Rebels Take Up Arms Near Oil Fields

On May 19, rebels under the control of former South Sudanese Vice President Riek Machar took up post near oil refineries in the South Sudanese state Upper Nile, asking all staff to shut down the refineries and evacuate immediately to minimize civilian and environmental damage. Throughout the day, the rebels also fought with government forces over control of the oil fields and their spokesperson Gatdek Dak stated that they seized artillery from the government troops.

South Sudanese Information Minister Michael Makuei has contested the rebel group’s claims that they are near the oil fields, saying that the refineries do not need to worry about any threat posed by rebel forces. Meanwhile, the rebels say they want to stop government access to the refineries, because the government is using the oil to perpetuate the ongoing civil war in South Sudan.

This civil war, which is being fought between the rebels loyal to Riek Machar and forces that support current President Salva Kiir, has already lasted for 18 months. The war began in late 2013 when Kiir accused Machar of attempting a coup after removing him from office in July 2013. Currently, more than two dozen armed militia groups affiliated with either Kiir or Machar are operating in South Sudan and continue to clash with each other. The war has seen numerous failed peace treaties, as neither side has upheld any ceasefire agreements.

The current South Sudanese civil war is different from those that occurred in Sudan throughout the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries between the north and the south. The north was more heavily populated and was comprised of mainly Arabic speaking Muslims. In contrast, the south is mostly Black African. After decades of fighting between the north and south, which was oppressed both religiously and politically by Khartoum, the United States helped broker the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (2005) that eventually led to the formation of an independent South Sudan in 2011. Machar was originally a leading political figure in Kiir’s new South Sudanese government before the civil war began.

South Sudan is dealing with a refugee crisis. Within the past month alone, thousands of people have been displaced, and since fighting began, over a million people have fled their homes to escape attacks from both government and rebel troops. However, even though the conflict has generated humanitarian problems, the secession of South Sudan has helped to protect its citizens from violence perpetuated by the Sudanese state led by Omar Hassan al-Bashir, which bombed south Sudanese villages, massacred civilians, and forced children into slavery.

The United States has not taken a decisive stance in the current conflict. Secretary of State John Kerry has appealed to both Kiir and Machar to begin talks to more strongly enforce the ceasefire agreement of January 2015 that has been largely disregarded, and both have agreed to meet. Despite Kiir and Machar agreeing to begin negotiations, the rebels continue to clash with government forces. However, although the US State Department wishes to remain neutral in the conflict, this lack of meaningful engagement has led to deeper conflict and humanitarian disaster.