South Sudan's civil war is a consequence of a power struggle between President Salva Kiir and former Vice-President Riek Machar and their respective supporters. Nine months into the deadly conflict, the parties remain committed to a military "solution," despite repeated pledges to put down their weapons. Unless the calculations of the leaders of the warring parties are altered, the war will continue and likely intensify, further threatening the 1.7 million civilians displaced and 4 million at risk of starvation. A new Enough Project report by Sudan and South Sudan Policy Consultant Justine Fleischner, Spoils of War, Spoilers of Peace: Changing the Calculus on South Sudan's Deadly Conflict, urges the international community to build economic leverage for peace by imposing consequences on the warring elites.
The application of a globally enforced targeted sanctions regime could change the calculus of parties and end impunity for mass atrocities, the obstruction of humanitarian aid, and violations of the cessation of hostilities agreement. While the United States and the European Union have already made limited sanctions designations against key military commanders on both sides, the impact of these unilateral measures has been insignificant since most South Sudanese elites' wealth is concentrated in neighboring states. Although they have threatened punitive measures repeatedly, regional states, ...
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