South Sudan at Risk of Genocide

Genocide in the world is very much alive and continues to happen; it is estimated that since the year 1900, more than 170 million lives have been lost. If you were to think of that in size, it would be equal to the entire population of Nigeria, gone, wiped out of existence. After the holocaust of World War II, additional steps were taken to ensure history didn’t repeat itself. The Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was held in 1948, conducted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) it concluded that, “genocide is a crime under international law, contrary to the spirit and aims of the United Nations (UN) and condemned by the civilian world” (Schabas, n.d.). The Genocide Convention was the first human rights treaty adopted by the UNGA that defined genocide as “a crime of intentional destruction of a national, ethical, racial and religious group, in whole or in part” (Schabas, n.d.). We have taken action and even fought wars over it, but why does it continue to happen and why is it still present in our world today? In South Sudan, an ongoing political conflict between the current President, Salva Kiir, and the former Vice President, Riek Macha, has left the country divided and almost in a state of civil war. This has led to mass killings and violence, which have forced people to flee and left others in starvation. Everyone is watching this once promising new country implode, yet very little is being done to prevent it. At just three years old, Africa’s newest nation, South Sudan, is already facing turmoil due to ethnic and political rifts; if help and aid efforts do not increase, this country may be facing genocide.

South Sudan has a population of nearly 10 million people and 14 di...

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Schabas, W. A. (n.d.). Convention of the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime Genocide. Retrieved May 24, 2014, from Audiovisual Library of International Law: http://untreaty.un.org/cod/avl/ha/cppcg/cppcg.html