The Delicate Heightened Conflicts, Instability, and Human Right Violation: Understanding SALW, Porous Borders, and Weak Governance
Keywords:
Conflict, Instability, Human Rights, SALW, GovernanceAbstract
The study sought to examine arms proliferation and the shaping of statecraft in South Sudan as a state in Sub-Saharan Africa. The objectives of the study were to examine the delicate heightened conflicts, instability, and human right violation. The study used the case study design which is one of the qualitative designs where the researcher employed varied but interconnected interpretive methods. Expert sampling was used to select those experts on the themes of study. Purposive sampling was used to select the officials from the different institutions. The study used qualitative methods in the collection of data. this study found that SALW proliferation is a big problem not only in sub-Saharan region but also in South Sudan and the factors facilitating include porous borders, corruption, failure to have transparency in the procurement of arms culture of violence and the ongoing conflict in South Sudan imply that there is a problem with statecraft in South Sudan. This study also found the institutions in South Sudan are impacted by SALW proliferation. The institutions like the ministry of internal affairs and the agencies below have not been given the capacity to do its oversight role. The study further found out that the proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) in South Sudan has severe implications for human security, exacerbating conflict, violence, and hindering development. There was a finding that South Sudan currently has no surplus management policy. The study found that South Sudan's legal framework on small arms is primarily governed by the Firearms Act, 2016, which addresses the licensing, possession, and control of firearms. The study also found out that implementing small arms control mechanisms in South Sudan is challenging due to a confluence of factors including a legacy of armed conflict, the proliferation of weapons among various groups, and weak state capacity. The study recommends that addressing the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons (SALW) is crucial for statecraft, the government should involve civil society organizations and local communities in the design and implementation of SALW control programs, government should invest in research to better understand the dynamics of SALW proliferation and its impact on South Sudan, government should implement robust measures to prevent the illegal flow of weapons across borders, including enhanced surveillance and cooperation with neighboring countries, government of South Sudan should collaborate with neighboring countries and international organizations to address the cross-border dimensions of SALW proliferation and share best practices and government should support initiatives that encourage voluntary disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of individuals and groups, particularly those involved in conflict.
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