Fighting Resumes in South Sudan; Security Council Holds Meeting

Members of the United Nations Security Council met behind closed doors to discuss the resumption of fighting and violence in the capital of South Sudan, between former rebels and army forces. The new clashes have heightened concerns about the country falling into tensions and civil war. Deadly violence between the army loyal to the president and the armed forces loyal to his deputy has a history. On July 20, armed supporters of Riek Machar, the vice president, claimed that army forces, allies of Salva Kiir, the president, attacked his residence. According to Reuters, the new violence began on Thursday, and the country's Ministry of Health reported that at least 272 people were killed in the first round of clashes. One UN peacekeeper from China also lost his life in the crossfire. Two other peacekeepers were injured. Samantha Power, the U.S. representative to the United Nations, stated, 'We are deeply concerned about what appears to be a lack of control over military forces.' She noted that despite a joint statement by Riek Machar and Salva Kiir for calm, armed forces have attacked civilian citizens. Francois Delattre, the French representative to the UN, also expressed 'deep' concern, stating that the violence stems from a 'lack of political will among the parties... pressure must be applied to them to fulfill their responsibilities.' Hervé Ladsous, the UN peacekeeping commander, was also present at the Security Council meeting. Ultimately, the Security Council called for 'assistance' from South Sudan's neighboring countries. In its final statement, all 15 members urged Mr. Kiir and Machar to control their military forces and prevent violence. Since its independence, South Sudan has faced many challenges in forming an effective government. Part of the country's conflicts began after Riek Machar was removed from the vice presidency. The president of South Sudan is from the Dinka tribe, while his deputy, who was also a rebel leader, is from the Nuer tribe. These two tribes have had bloody conflicts multiple times. South Sudan is also recognized as the poorest country in Africa.