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2013 South Sudanese political crisis
Part of the South Sudan internal conflict (2011–present)
Map of South Sudan
Date 14 December 2013 – ongoing (11 years, 1 month and 3 days) Location South Sudan Result Ongoing SSLA seize Bor and Bentiu SSLA have taken control of at least some of South Sudan's oil fields
Belligerents
Government of South Sudan Sudan People's Liberation Army (At least ethnic Dinkas) Uganda People's Defence Force	Sudan People's Liberation Army faction (Mostly ethnic Nuers) South Sudan Liberation Movement
Commanders and leaders
President Salva Kiir Chief Whip and MP Tulio Odongi Ayahu President Yoweri Museveni	Riek Machar (Alleged, but denied) Pagan Amum Peter Adwok Rebecca Garang Peter Gadet
Casualties and losses
66-530 killed overall (66+ combatants, 2 Indian peacekeepers and 2 Kenyan civilians) 800 injured

On the evening of 14 December 2013, a faction of the Armed Forces of South Sudan (also the sole party's armed forces) caused a political crisis, beginning as a mutiny, in South Sudan. President Salva Kiir announced that the coup attempt was put down the next day, but fighting resumed on 16 December and spread beyond the capital, Juba, to the region around Jonglei which is prone to ethnic instability, again largely along ethnic lines. At least 500 people were reported to have been killed and over 400 other people were injured. Kiir blamed former vice president Riek Machar for instigating the "coup" but Machar denied any knowledge of it and instead blamed Kiir for playing power politics. Though the international news media have depicted the event mainly as an ethnic conflict between the Dinka and Nuer, there are also Dinkas and Shilluk on the side of the Nuer rebels such as Rebecca Garang, the widow of the SPLM leader John Garang, and Pagan Amum; while there are Equatorians on the government Dinka-majority side.

Bor was seized by the South Sudan Liberation Army on 19 December. On the same day, a UN compound was stormed in Akobo, Jonglei, resulting in two Indian UNMISS peacekeepers killed.

Background

Following the independence of South Sudan, Culture Minister Jok Madut Jok said of the country's challenges:

The first leg for any government is a disciplined military. We have problems with the way our military functions today. That's a broken leg. We have civil society, right now it is very weak. The third leg is delivery of services. It is hard to deliver security...The fourth leg is political unity. We had political unity in the days leading up to the referendum . Since the referendum, we have been having difficulties uniting our ranks. So right now the animal is standing on four crooked legs. If we do not fix these legs, the future is going to be very, very difficult..

The transitional constitution of South Sudan also has broad powers reserved for the president, including sacking governors and appointing MPs. In February, President Salva Kiir ordered more than 100 army generals to retire so as to reorganise the military, but this was viewed as troublesome in regards to a power grab by others. Kiir had also suggested that his rivals were trying to revive the rifts that had provoked infighting in the 1990s.

In summer 2011, Riek Machar, who was vice president of the only party, SPLM, was made the vice president of the country. In July 2013, he, along with the entire cabinet, was dismissed from office by Kiir. However, Machar said that Kiir's move was a step towards dictatorship and that he would challenge Kiir for the presidency in the next presidential election scheduled for 2015. He added that if the country is to be united, it cannot tolerate "one man's rule." Kiir also dissolved some key party institutions, suspended the SPLM Secretary-General Pagan Amum, an ethnic Shilluk, and issued a decree preventing him from leaving Juba or speaking to the media. At the same time, the U.S. and the E.U. feared political upheaval.

Further, Machar and Kiir, while being members of the SPLM, are members of different tribes. Kiir is an ethnic Dinka, while Machar is an ethnic Nuer. Similarly, since independence, tribal factionalism has routinely occurred, especially in Jonglei. Similarly, United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has had previous conflicts during its mission, particularly in Jonglei.

Mutiny

The South Sudanese Sudan Tribune reported clashes breaking out late on 14 December in South Sudan's capital, Juba, between members of the presidential guard. Kiir also claimed that the fighting began when unidentified uniformed personnel started shooting at a meeting of the SPLM. Former Minister of Higher Education Peter Adwok said that on the evening 15 December after the meeting of the National Liberation Council had failed, Kiir told Major General Marial Ciennoung to disarm his soldiers of the "Tiger Battalion," which he did. Adwok then controversially claims that the officer in charge of the weapons stores, opened them and rearmed only the Dinka soldiers. A Nuer soldier passing by questioned this and a fistfight then ensued between the two and attracted the attention of the "commander and his deputy to the scene." Unable to calm the situation, more soldiers got involved and raided the stores. It culminated in the Nuer soldiers taking control of the military headquarters. The next morning, he says that SPLA reinforcements arrived and dislodged the mutineers. He then explained standard procedure:

Military doctrine dictates that once a contingent of mutinous troops have been dislodged, appeal is made for their surrender and then disarmed. Those who remained loyal (to the president) are also disarmed to prevent bad blood. The loyal troops of Tiger, hailing mainly from Warrap and Aweil, have not been disarmed. In fact, they are the ones rampaging Juba, looting and shooting to kill any Nuer in the residential neighbourhoods."

Adwok was then placed on a list of wanted politicians, to which he said "this may be my last contribution, because, as I said, I'm waiting for the police in order to join my colleagues in detention."

The military headquarters near Juba University was then attacked with fighting continuing throughout the night. The next day heavy gunfire occurred as the rival factions clashed and heavily-armed soldiers were reportedly on the streets. The UNMISS also reported the sound of mortar and heavy machine-gun fire, while it claimed hundreds of civilians sought refuge inside its facilities Military spokesman Colonel Philip Aguer said that some military installations had been attacked by armed soldiers but that "the army is in full control of Juba." He added that an investigation was under way and that though the situation was tense, it was also unlikely to deteriorate. Several people were also injured during the fighting. Juba International Airport was closed indefinitely, according to unnamed civil aviation and airline sources; Kenyan airlines Fly540 and Kenya Airways indefinitely suspended flights to Juba after the airport closed. A curfew was imposed that would occur every night from 18:00 to 6:00 until further notice. State-owned SSTV went off-air for several hours. When it returned to broadcasting, it aired a message by President Salva Kiir. The dissident group was said to include Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) founder John Garang's widow, Rebecca Garang.

Foreign Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin said that soldiers at the army base attempted to raid a weapons store but were repulsed. He added that unnamed politicians had also been arrested, but could not confirm if Machar was one of them. He also said that those that were a part of the coup were "disgruntled" soldiers and politicians led by Machar. At least ten people were confirmed to have been detained, including former Finance Minister Kosti Manibe. Five others were sought for questioning, including Machar and Pagan Amum. Information Minister Micheal Makuei Leuth claimed that Machar had left Juba with some soldiers and stolen cattle. Of those arrested, seven were confirmed as former ministers. Other arrests included those of Kiir's critics. Amum then said on 15 December that "I am fine, that's all I can say," while Machar's spokesman, James Gatdet Dak, said Machar "has not been arrested. He's in Juba. He's fine, very fine." However, it was later reported that Amum was being held by the state security apparatus.

Renewed fighting

Despite government claims of having quashed the coup, fighting renewed on 17 December with the Sudan Tribune reporting it had spread to Bor, in Jonglei, where three people had died; this was confirmed by the UN who reported that over 1,000 people sought refuge in its compound there. Fighting started again at 9:00 from a military headquarters and another military barrack, according to Hussein Maar, deputy governor of Jonglei. Fighting also occurred near the presidential palace and other areas of Juba. Ajak Bullen, a doctor at a military hospital, said that "so far, we have lost seven soldiers who died while they were waiting for medical attention and a further 59 who were killed outside. They are there at the mortuary and we are arranging for a mass burial." The Juba Teaching Hospital had previously confirmed 26 deaths – the same number as the government – but there was no confirmation of overlap or which side the dead soldiers were fighting for, according to Makur Matur Kariom, a doctor and Health Ministry official, and Under-Secretary for Health Makur Korion. Hospital Director Ajak Bullen said that 400 people were being treated. The International Crisis Group (ICG) reported that fighting occurred between the Dinka and Nuer in Pibor in Jonglei amid reports of ethnically targeted killings. It also reported that Machar's house had been bombarded and "surrounded, including with tanks", while "parts of Juba have been reduced to rubble" and that fighting between Nuer and Dinka had taken place at military barracks in Jonglei. Communication links were either down or poor. The local Radio Tamazuj suggested UNMISS were absent from the streets in Juba during the early fighting and that December 2013's president of the UN Security Council, France's Gérard Araud, had announced that the UN's peacekeepers would not intervene in the fighting.

Fighting between military factions later spread beyond Juba to Jonglei, amid fears of a wider conflict. Military spokesman Colonel Philip Aguer said that there was overnight fighting among troops in Jonglei on 17-18 December and that he was verifying reports of desertions from the military. This followed reports from the ICG that Nuer in the area were defecting from the armed forces and that the Dinka people feared a re-enactment of the 1991 massacre by the Nuers. Meanwhile, in Juba, a semblance of calm had returned by 18 December with a trickle of traffic. The UN reported that 13,000 people were taking refuge from the fighting in its two compounds in Juba.

On 19 December, a Nuer militia headed by Peter Gadet, the defected former 8th Division Commander, claimed control of Bor, while Aguer said: "Our soldiers have lost control of Bor to the force of Riek Machar late on Wednesday. There was shooting last night. We don't have information on casualties or the displaced in the town, as operations are ongoing." It came a day after Kiir said he was willing to have talks with Machar but that "I do not know what the results of the talks will be." Ethnically targetted violence was also reported. UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said that Nuer fighters then stormed one of its compounds in Akobo, Jonglei in pursuit of civilians who had sought refuge there. He suggested there may have been casualties but he could not confirm if there were any victims. He also added that though Juba appears to have become calm there were unconfirmed reports of several students killed by security personal at Juba University on 18 December. He further highlighted the thousands of people who had sought refuge within the UN's compounds and had called for UN protection. The Indian Ambassador to South Sudan Asoke Mukerji had originally said that three Indian peacekeepers were killed but UNMISS later said that one of them was only injured and then evacuated to a UN medical facility in Malakal. The attack had also resulted in loss of contact with the base while Haq said the fate of over 30 ethnic Dinka civilians at the base was not known. In response to the incident UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement that read he was "appalled" to learn of the incident and that "there are indications that civilians may have been killed and wounded in the attack, but this remains to be verified. Should these reports prove true, those responsible must be held accountable for their crimes."

At the same time, about 200 employees of the regional petroleum operators, of which the three largest were China National Petroleum Corp, ONGC Videsh and Petronas, sought refuge at an UN compound in Bentiu, Unity. UNMISS spokesman Joe Contreras said: "We expect their presence to be temporary because we understand that the company they are working for will be arranging for transport to get out of Unity State." Leuth said that the petroleum producing areas have not been affected by the conflict. This followed the deaths of 16 such workers, five workers at a field in Unity on 18 December and another 11 at the Thar Jath field the next day. Government soldiers then took control of the fields and said that production continued normally. Unity Governor Mabek Lang De Mading said on 18 December: "We have sent reinforcements to Unity yesterday night and they contained the situation. This morning fighting broke out in Thar Jath. We have sent reinforcements and they have now contained the situation. It is stable now." The rebels had reportedly taken over at least some of the country's oil fields amidst fears of Sudan intervening in the country.

Following calls from the government of South Sudan, Ugandan soldiers were deployed in Juba, according to state-owned New Vision. The first soldiers in the country assisted in securing the airport and evacuating Ugandan citizens On 21 December, four United States troops were injured when gunfire hit two U.S. aircraft that were on their way to Bor to evacuate U.S. citizens, one of which was heavily damaged and of the wounded was reportedly in critical condition. South Sudan blamed the rebels for the incident. The aircraft then headed back towards Kampala, Uganda, from where the wounded personnel were flown on to Nairobi, Kenya for medical treatment. Machar asserted that a military government was put in place in Unity. On 22 December, Machar told Al Jazeera that "his" troops were in control of Bentiu.

Response

President Salva Kiir spoke on national television on 16 December, having abandoned his traditional suit and cowboy hat for military fatigues, and said, while surrounded by government officials, that the coup had been foiled and that it was orchestrated by

a group of soldiers allied with the former vice president. The attackers went and (the) armed forces are pursuing them. I promise you today that justice will prevail.

Your government led by the SPLM has articulated the ideals of democracy in the party as well as in the government, and I will never deviate from them at any cost. The SPLM is fully committed to the peaceful and democratic transfer of power, and will never allow political power to be transferred through violence.

He further noted that the government was then "in full control of the military situation" and that he had ordered a dawn-to-dusk curfew in Juba. He finally added that "I will not allow or tolerate such incidents once again in our new nation. I strongly condemn these criminal actions in the strongest terms possible. before the appropriate law institution." On 21 December, the government wrote on Twitter that "we are ready to dialogue with any rebel group including Dr. Riek Machar without any conditions."

Machar spoke for the first time since the crisis began on 18 December in which he said he was not aware of any coup attempt, but instead blamed Kiir for fabricating such allegations of a coup in order to settle political scores and target political opponents. He also said the violence was started by the presidential guard, which was founded by Kiir and told to report directly to him instead of the military. He added: "My bodyguards at the vice presidential residence were summarily executed. They attacked it with tank shells and then burned. It is rubble now. They fired on my residence and I fled. My life was in danger; my colleagues were being arrested for no reason. They are not plotters, it was not a coup. Nobody wants that," instead he said he was "used as a scapegoat" by Kiir to purge the SPLM of his rivals to avoid reforming it and that "the violence is turning tribal and they are killing people in Juba," while people in Jonglei were rising up and taking on the majority Dinka. "Some really heart-wrenching acts have already occurred where Nuer soldiers have been attacked and killed, Nuer government officials, even those serving in the offices of Nuer ministers, and ordinary citizens suspected of having participated in the fight against the government. door-to-door executions of Nuer. inciting ethnic killings and tribal divisions, legitimate leader. is covering for his inefficiency in running the government and the army." He refused to deny or acknowledge support for Gadet but that "the rebels are acting in the right direction." On 22 December, Machar said he wanted to be the leader of the country and that "his" forces would maintain control of the country's oil fields. At the same time, U.S. and Nigerian envoys were on their way to Juba to try and negotiate a solution.

Chief Whip and MP from Eastern Equatoria Tulio Odongi Ayahu called for dialogue and warned that the Equatoria region would not be a participant in the conflict after holding talks with Vice President James Wani Igga. "We Equatorians will promote dialogue. We will not accept undemocratic methods to come into power. At present there is a leader in place. And this leader will have to complete his term of office. Those who may be thinking to take over power by means of violence will not be accepted by the Equatorians. premature challenges towards the elected president" and should have used the SPLM party convention and congresses in 2014 instead of "circumvent the procedure."

Jok Madut Jok wrote: "If the SPLA engages Gadet and possibly Riek and Taban, then we have an all-out civil war in South Sudan, a mere two years after independence, and making good all the predictions by outsiders that South Sudanese will have limited capacity to build a peaceful nation" and "sounds of gunfight, traversed with heart-shaking mortar and tank blasts, and which have continued sporadically well into today Wednesday morning, have all spread fear in the population, leaving them hostage to the madness of a few power-hungry men... the fate of political stability in the whole country."

The SPLM-affiliated youth group condemned the attempted overthrow of Kiir and a statement read: "We the SPLM-concerned youth group rejects in totality the notion and culture of using violence as a means to attain, retain or transfer power. The conflict is not between the Dinka and Nuer, but between government and those who lost power in the July reshuffle. We urge security forces to act with restrain in order to avoid the conflict from taking an ethnic dimension".

Reactions

Supranational

An African Union mediation team arrived in Juba on 19 December with representatives from Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. South Sudan government spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny said: "The African Union is till now meeting with the president. Their message is that they are trying to broker peace between the two forces," while he added "Bor has surrendered actually because the forces that were in Bor were mainly loyal to Machar. They control the town but government forces are trying to retake the town."

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation's General Sectariat and office of Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu condemned the coup saying: "Within the framework of ensuring security and stability in the region and stressing the promotion of good-neighborliness among states of the region, especially between the Republics of the Sudan and Southern Sudan, the OIC General Secretariat condemned the attempted coup which took place yesterday morning in the Republic of Southern Sudan".

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative for South Sudan Hilde Johnson issued a statement that read UNMISS was "deeply concerned" about the fighting and that "as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General I urge all parties in the fighting to cease hostilities immediately and exercise restraint. I have been in touch regularly with the key leaders, including at the highest levels to call for calm." On 17 December, Ban spoke to Kiir calling for the government to provide an "offer of dialogue to its opponents and to resolve their respective differences peacefully." Later, the United Nations Security Council was also told of as many as 500 deaths, 800 people injured and 20,000 seeking refuge at UN centres. French Ambassador and UNSC President for December Gérard Araud said: "Fighting is on ethnic lines, which could result in a very dangerous situation" and the UNMIS has the authority to use force if necessary. On 22 December, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan Toby Lanzer wrote on Twitter from the UN base in Bor that over 15,000 people were sheltering there and that "things are changing by the hour. We are under intense pressure here, as are other locations in Jonglei. Massive setback for South Sudan."

Africa

After the fighting spread, South African government spokesman, Clayson Monyela, condemned the coup attempt stating "South Africa firmly believes that respect for democracy and human rights are essential to the governance of all African countries and that all violent means to overthrow legitimate governments must be rejected...It is therefore highly unfortunate that an attempt was allegedly made to undermine the stability of the country."

Nigeria also condemned the coup and said that its "information further reveals that government forces were able to beat back the rebels...Destruction of property on a level yet to be determined has also been reported”.

North America

In the first days of the conflict, the U.S. embassy in the country reported that while it was aware of "security incidents and sporadic gunfire in multiple locations" it could not confirm "that gunfire and insecurity have fully ceased. The embassy recommends that all U.S. citizens exercise extra caution at all times. The U.S. Embassy will continue to closely monitor the security environment in South Sudan, with particular attention to Juba city and its immediate surroundings, and will advise US citizens further if the security situation changes." The embassy's Twitter account reported that it denied rumours Machar had taken refuge at the base and also reiterated warnings for its citizens to "remain calm." On 18 December, the U.S. embassy asked all its citizens to "depart immediately." President Barack Obama then called for an end to the fighting amid warning of being at the "precipice" of civil war. This followed his 18 December statement that he had deployed 45 troops to the country to protect U.S. personnel and interests while warning that "recent fighting threatens to plunge South Sudan back into the dark days of its past. Fighting to settle political scores or to destabilise the government must stop immediately. Inflammatory rhetoric and targeted violence must cease. All sides must listen to the wise counsel of their neighbours, commit to dialogue and take immediate steps to urge calm and support reconciliation. South Sudan's leaders must recognise that compromise with one's political enemy is difficult; but recovering from unchecked violence and unleashed hatred will prove much harder."

Europe

The Government of the United Kingdom announced it was sending an aircraft to evacuate its citizens from Juba on 19 December. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office had also warned against all travel to South Sudan and temporarily withdrew some staff and dependants from the British embassy.

Analysis

Radio Tamazuj suggested resolution of the conflict as:

At minimum a process of political reconciliation must begin between Salva Kiir, Riek Machar, Pag’an Amum and their supporters. Reinstating the opposition leaders with some of their powers either within the government or party may be an option on the table. The worst option would be seeking a military solution in the style of the Khartoum regime which has tried for ten years to crush rebels in Darfur, the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile. War would lead to immense suffering of the population. Perhaps the most likely scenario is something in between, with fast spreading military clashes all over the country, mounting pressure from the international community and finally a painstaking national reconciliation process.
Ironically, the best bet for Salva Kiir to remain in power might indeed be to count on the support of President Omar Al Bashir, whom he fought over several decades. If the situation continues to run out of hand, the Nuer militia might take control over oilfields in their homelands, which would cut off the oil flow to Khartoum, endangering the stability of the economy and thereby putting the regime at risk of a popular uprising. Sudan’s main interest then is to protect the flow of oil to the north. In one scenario, Khartoum would move to help defend the oil wells and facilities by military means, while providing other forms of support to Salva Kiir such as air power. In another scenario, Khartoum would divide and again rule South Sudan by supporting its former Nuer allies like Riek Machar.

Kiir's swapping of his traditional suit and cowboy hat for military fatigues, was noted by commentators and analysts to be indicative of the gravity of the situation. Other noticeable and concerning events from the rebellion were the division within the presidential guards that had been internationally trained and noted for their unity despite ethnic diversity. This was read as showing strains after decades of conflict with "a rebel-movement turned government that is riven by infighting between former warlords vying for a piece of this oil-rich new nation." Kiir's televised statement also controversially made reference to Machar as determined to "persistently pursue his actions of the past," in reference to a 1991 split that led to a massacre between the Dinka and Nuer minority. It was also suggested that the spark behind the revolt were rumours of arrests after "a series of publci [sic] statements criticising Kiir's increasingly dictatorial style." South Sudanese politics has been criticised for the ethnic dominance of the Dinka tribes, being derogatively referred to as a "Dinkocracy." U.S. Ambassador to South Sudan Susan D. Page suggested that there was not as much support for Machar in an organised manner, but a general discontent over the economic and political spheres tied to crackdown on personal freedoms that resulted in a national disunity of an identity only forged by war.

The ICG's Casie Copeland said of the ethnic fighting that "even if there is a political deal, it will be very difficult to put the genie back in the bottle" and that it was concerning that UNMISS had "not begun patrolling in Juba and has not reached areas where civilians are concentrated." Copeland added that "it appears both sides are fighting for their political survival. The impact of this fighting is going to shape the future of South Sudan. Parts of Juba have been reduced to rubble. Ethnic tensions have been brought into the open with devastating impact, and the political dispensation of South Sudan is going to be shaped by what's happened in the last few days." The ICG later added: "The scenario many feared but dared not contemplate looks frighteningly possible: South Sudan, the world's newest state, is now arguably on the cusp of a civil war." Amongst NGOs, Emma Jane Drew, the acting director of Oxfam's South Sudan office, said that her team were unable to leave their compound in Juba because of "continued shooting."

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