Commentary: Cyclical Youth-Led Conflict as an Early Warning Indicator

Nicholas Coghlan, Canada’s former ambassador to South Sudan, discusses the historical context of Michelle Legassicke’s article and the centrality of impunity for crimes committed by those in power to the ongoing conflict and atrocities in South Sudan.

The SPLA turned in on itself so dramatically in December 2013 because it had failed to transform itself from a motley assembly of warlords and militias – many of whose aims were quite evidently criminal rather than political – into a modern, fit-for-purpose and integrated army”