In a New York Times article titled “Sudan Slides Closer to War as Gunfire Rumbles in Its Capital”, written by Jacey Fortin and Jeffrey Gettleman, the journalists dramatically describe how: “South Sudan slid rapidly closer to war as helicopter gunships pounded targets, two United Nations peacekeepers were killed, foreign governments scrambled to get their citizens out and worries grew about the fate of civilians trapped in crowded displaced persons camps.”
“Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for an “immediate arms embargo” against South Sudan, saying that its rival leaders had “made a mockery” of the peace deal they signed only months ago. The ball is now in the Security Council’s court. The United States and China, the two countries with the greatest stakes in the country, have been lukewarm to the idea of an arms embargo in the past”, the authors say.
As optimistic as observers want to be in hoping that the carnage will finally stop, Fortin and Gettleman sound a somber note when they state that: “Many analysts said the mistrust between Mr. Kiir and Mr. Machar might run too deep to overcome.”
We discussed the situation in South Sudan with Anton Fedyashin, Professor of History at the American University in Washington DC (studio guest); Dr. Roslyn Fuller, Research Associate at the Waterford Institute of Technology and author of “Beasts and Gods: How Democracy Changed Its Meaning and Lost Its Purpose.”; and with Max Suchkov, member of the Russian International Affairs Counci and columnist, Al-Monitor.
