War, Conflict, and Its Impact in the Greater Horn of Africa: A Case Study of South Sudan

A Report Submitted to the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the United States International University-Africa in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Award of Degree of Masters of Arts in International RelationsLess than two years after independence, December 2013, violent conflict broke out in South Sudan that affected civilians who encountered sexual violence, destruction of property, death and displacement creating social and economic challenges in the country. This is devastating for a nation that is less than two years old and fought vehemently to become independent from the south and was expected was growth and development and not internal war and conflict. Most importantly, it would be adequate to address and comprehend the causes and impact of the conflict in Africa’s newest kid South Sudan. This thesis focuses on issues surrounding South Sudan conflict from the implementation of the comprehensive peace agreement in 2005 to the sharing of power between the government led by SPLM leader Salva Kirr and the opposition leader Riek Machar. The underlying issues are delicate and intrinsic that require the international community to comprehensively address the challenges and obstacles that continue to create violence which mainly affect the vulnerable in the society i.e. children and women