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Women and children wait for food distribution from the United Nations World Food Programme in Thonyor, Leer state, South Sudan, back in 2017.
South Sudan customs dispute taxes a long-suffering population
Even as three-quarters of South Sudan’s people face starvation, a squabble between the government and the UN over import taxes is leaving vital aid trucks stuck at the border.
The background: South Sudan’s trade ministry ordered this week that all goods trucks entering the East African country must pay a $300 tax. The measure was meant to ensure that the government got its share of revenue from imports that are often underbilled or misrepresented. There was supposed to be a carveout for UN aid vehicles, but if so, officials at the Ugandan border didn’t get the memo – at least not yet.
The bigger background: South Sudan is one of the world’s newest countries – and one of its poorest. After coming into existence in 2011 following years of war with the Sudanese government, it fell into its own civil war, which killed or displaced hundreds of thousands of people.
The legacy of that conflict – along with frequent natural disasters – persists: Seven million of the country’s 12 million people are facing hunger in the coming months. The harrowing civil war in Sudan, which just entered its second year, has exacerbated things, driving an estimated 500,000 people across the border into South Sudan, straining the country’s resources further.
A Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship searching for two MSDF helicopters in waters east of Torishima Island in the Izu Island chain in the Pacific after they crashed.
Hard Numbers: Japanese helicopter crash, Violence spreads in Sudan, Biden resumes deportations to Haiti, Protests against mass tourism in Canary Islands
2: Two Japanese navy helicopters crashed over the weekend during nighttime training in the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo, leaving one dead and seven missing. Officials believe it’s “highly likely” that the two choppers collided. The US pledged its support after the crash, offering to help with the search and rescue. Japan in recent years has boosted defense spending and strengthened military cooperation with the US amid concerns over China’s ambitions in the region.
800,000: Top UN officials on Friday warned that Sudan’s civil war was placing 800,000 people in the city of El Fasher in “extreme and immediate danger.” Fighting there could “unleash bloody intercommunal strife throughout Darfur,” says UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo. The war in Sudan, which just entered its second year, has displaced eight million people and left 25 million in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.
50: The US on Thursday restarted deportation flights to Haiti, which has been consumed by deadly gang violence, sending about 50 Haitians back to the Caribbean nation. The move was fervently decried by rights groups and faced pushback from some Democratic lawmakers in Washington. President Joe Biden has felt pressure to take a stronger approach to illegal immigration as Republicans zero in on the issue of border security amid an election year.
14 million: Tens of thousands of people in the Canary Islands took to the streets on Saturday to protest against mass tourism, which they say is putting too much strain on the Spanish archipelago and driving up housing costs while depleting resources. Last year, nearly 14 million people visited the Canary Islands, which is home to 2.2 million people. The protesters called for authorities to limit the number of visitors and place more restrictions on property purchases by foreigners, among other steps.
People gather as they watch from afar after an alleged gang member was killed and set on fire, amid an escalation in gang violence, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti March 20, 2024.
Want to stabilize the world’s worst crises? “Leave your textbook in your drawer.”
Matthew Kendrick spoke with Ghassan Salamé, the former head of the UN Support Mission in Libya, and former UN Deputy Secretary-General Lord Mark Malloch-Brown, as part of a panel at the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings on Wednesday.
The international community is struggling to address half a dozen conflicts, spanning from the Middle East to Haiti, that often involve institutions poorly equipped to tackle modern problems. But that doesn’t mean they can afford to stop trying; it just means they need to get creative.
“The most urgent need is to bring back humanitarianism as a domain independent from war,” said Ghassan Salamé, the former head of the UN Support Mission in Libya, noting that the basic concerns of food, education, and healthcare must not be held hostage to military objectives. “And you cannot apply it in a selective way. You have to apply it in Ukraine with the same strength you do in Gaza.”
Bias in attention is especially stark for Sudan, where just 3.2% of humanitarian needs have been funded despite a brutal civil war that has killed over 15,000 and forced a staggering 8.2 million to flee.
“Indifference is much worse than hostility,” said Salamé. “Sudan needs concern.”
Part of the problem, according to former UN Deputy Secretary-General Lord Mark Malloch-Brown, is that “humanitarianism was based on the idea that conflict is temporary, and then you go back to development.” That means when the shooting starts, the IMF and World Bank tend to back away and wait for the dust to settle before starting to help stabilize the affected economy. That just won’t fly in the 21st century, and Malloch-Brown called for the institutions to develop new tools to provide help before, during, and after a country falls into violence to strengthen key unifying institutions, such as ministries of finance, education, and social welfare.
The key, said Salamé, is to “leave your textbook somewhere in your drawer and try to solve the situation as it is.”
Looking at crises in developing countries along longer trajectories can help highlight their hidden potential. When asked how these new approaches could apply to Haiti, where the formal government has all but collapsed, Malloch-Brown said the country “never had the degree of internal development, social reform, or inclusive economic policies that allow a stable polity to emerge.” If Haiti receives “a persistent period of tender love and care,” he added, its economic potential means “I’m optimistic enough to believe it can be fixed.”
Members of the Sudanese Armed Forces gather on the street, almost one year into the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in Omdurman, Sudan, April 7, 2024
Sudan civil war blazes into second year
It’s been a year since tensions between the army and a major paramilitary group plunged the vast East African country into civil war. With much of the world looking elsewhere, there is little prospect for peace.
Refresher: Back in 2021, the Sudanese army and Rapid Support Forces jointly toppled long-ruling dictator Omar Bashir. But last April, they clashed over power-sharing, and a full-blown civil war erupted. Egypt and Iran have backed the army, while the UAE supports the RSF.
Since then, at least 14,000 people have been killed, and some 10 million displaced, many to neighboring South Sudan and Chad, already two of the world’s poorest countries. In all three countries, 30 million people now face food insecurity.
Humanitarian aid has fallen short. Donors have met just 5% of the UN’s appeal for food aid. Meanwhile, Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea – meant to pressure Israel to stop its assault on Gaza – have complicated efforts to deliver aid.
Saudi Arabia and the US have failed to broker several cease-fires. In recent days, scores of villages have been torched, suggesting that, with the world focused elsewhere, Sudan’s war may be entering a brutal new phase.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visits an exhibit during a ceremony celebrating the achievements of the country's defense industry in Tehran on August 22, 2023.
Is Iran sending drones to Sudan?
Iranian drones are playing a game-changing role in Sudan’s civil war, with the country’s armed forces increasingly using them to spot rival forces and direct artillery fire, Reuters reports.
Sudan has reportedly acquired Iranian-made drones in recent months, but it denies obtaining “any weapons from Iran” – though flight tracking records from December and January show an Iranian cargo airline making repeated trips between Iran and an important hub for the Sudanese army.
Iran’s arms industry flexes its muscles. “Iran's involvement in Sudan is part of its broader strategy for expanding its presence in the Red Sea, building off of its success in supporting and building up the Houthis,” says Gregory Brew, an Iran expert at Eurasia Group.
“Iran also sees Sudan's embattled government as a potential ally, one that it can cultivate through arms deals and drone sales,” Brew adds, which tracks with Tehran’s broader strategy of exploiting conflicts to its advantage.
Beyond Sudan, Iranian drones have played a central role in the Ukraine war, with Russia repeatedly using them to strike civilian targets and vital energy infrastructure. “Iran has built up its arms exports bona fides through its sales to Russia, and it now sees new customers all across the globe,” says Brew.
Among other things, arms sales are also just a way for Iran to make money.
File Photo: South Sudan's President Salva Kiir Mayardit attends the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) 42nd Extraordinary Session, at the State House in Entebbe, Uganda January 18, 2024.
As oil stops flowing, South Sudan risks crisis
South Sudan’s main oil export pipeline has been caught in the crossfire of the brutal civil war ripping across its northern neighbor, threatening the country’s economy and power structure. The fighting means engineers can’t access the pipeline to repair damage, so South Sudan declared “force majeure” earlier this month, essentially absolving it of certain contractual obligations.
South Sudan is the least developed country in the world after Somalia, according to the UN’s Human Development Index, and some 90% of the country’s revenue comes from oil exports. Between two thirds and three quarters of its exports pass through Sudan, from which South Sudan broke away in 2011.
But very little of that revenue benefits ordinary citizens, as it is largely directed into “special projects” overseen by President Salva Kiir, who has been accused of corruptly diverting the funds. Experts told Al-Jazeera that Kiir uses the funds to pay off a tiny elite, who in turn keep him in power.
With the oil taps shut for the foreseeable future, South Sudan will likely face a currency depreciation, worsening the already grim economic situation. Without money to pay off elites, Kiir could also face a power struggle, particularly with (admittedly dubious) elections expected in December. Juba may not even have the cash to hold sham contests, which could spark unrest.
FILE PHOTO: A member of Sudanese armed forces looks on as he holds his weapon in the street in Omdurman, Sudan, March 9, 2024.
Famine looms in Sudan
As much of the world focuses on conflicts raging in Ukraine and Gaza, the ongoing war in Sudan has generated what a senior UN official said last week was “one the worst humanitarian disasters in recent memory.”
The numbers speak for themselves. Nearly a year of war between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has killed tens of thousands, forced eight million from their homes, and left more than 18 million people facing acute food insecurity. Some 730,000 Sudanese children are now suffering from severe malnutrition. Famine looms as a real possibility in the coming weeks.
The beach, Red Sea State, Port Sudan, Sudan.
Sudan’s lost sea access worsens humanitarian disaster
Since fighting between rival military factions in Sudan erupted last April, nearly 8 million people have been displaced, and 24 million require urgent food aid. But the crisis now may begin to beggar description as the country loses access to its Red Sea coast and migrants stream across its borders.
Refugee influx. Over 400,000 Sudanese refugees have fled to Libya, where they face long waits for registration, leading many to turn to smugglers to attempt dangerous Europe-bound sea crossings. Their first destination is Italy, with nearly 6,000 Sudanese refugees arriving there in 2023.
Numbers are expected to soar this year, prompting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to urge support for investments designed to disincentivize migration. Meloni unveiled a plan last month to enhance energy cooperation with African states and assist them in areas including health and education, at a cost of 3 million euros annually for four years.
Impact of Houthi attacks. Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have cut off Sudanese ports and are disrupting aid shipments, forcing humanitarian agencies to reroute deliveries at significantly higher costs. Some shipments are delayed, others are stuck altogether, and still more face exorbitant air-freight costs. Aid workers describe the situation as "catastrophic" and fear mass starvation is imminent.