Why Peacekeeping in South Sudan Failed

Abstract

The paper focuses on UN peacekeeping in Very High Alert Failed States; states showing the highest degree of state failure. After applying four conditions the referential group chose South Sudan. The single case study identifies five major reasons why the UN failed to accomplish the priorities it stipulated in Resolution 1996 (2011). The theoretical part of the paper briefly discusses issues concerning the taxonomy, definition and quantification of failed states and then analyses theoretical concepts and typologies from extreme cases of failed statehood. The empirical part examines the situation in South Sudan at the onset of the mandate and again five years later, looking at the social, economic and political dimensions. With the use of the Fragile States Index the paper attempts to empirically compare the progress achieved in South Sudan. The last part concludes that the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan failed due to various operational errors, such as delays in staffing, insufficient equipment for the military component, ill-conceived planning and a mishandling of the political crisis in 2013. The paper also focuses attention on the lack of theoretical concepts with which to exclusively analyse extreme cases of failed statehood.