On the recordJanuary 31, 2022
on January 6, 2022, I made a statement about the extreme hardships and insecurity that are a daily reality for the people of South Sudan, despite independence 10 years ago that held so much promise and hope for that country. That independence came as a result of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which took years of negotiations facilitated by the United States, Norway, and the United Kingdom, and it provided a roadmap for political stability, economic development, respect for human rights, and justice. Since then, two former warlords, President Kiir and Vice President Machar, who were never elected, have dominated the political landscape in South Sudan. It is they, throughout these critically important formative years, who have had the executive power and the responsibility to transform the aspirations of independence into tangible improvements in the lives of their people. Ten years later, it is fair to ask a simple question: What have they done? I would answer that question with these questions: After ten years, is South Sudan a country at peace where the rights of the people are respected and their basic needs, such as safe water, sanitation, food, shelter, and health care are being met? Has South Sudan's vast oil wealth been invested wisely in public infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, public transportation, roads, and bridges after decades of civil war? Is the country's agricultural economy expanding and reaching new markets?…
