The Republic of South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, has long relied heavily on foreign aid to support critical sectors, including healthcare, education, and humanitarian relief. This reliance persists because the nation has never achieved agricultural, economic, or political stability. Instead, we are defined by high levels of risk, particularly in security, creating a continuous climate of danger.

In the changeable currents of the nation’s politics, few designations command as much historical weight and silent respect as the veterans of the liberation struggle. These experienced figures witnessed and designed the nation’s tempestuous political journey, from the early years of the SPLM’s struggle beginning in 1983 to the anxious dawn of independence on July 9, 2011.

Yet, this history is being betrayed. The practice of appointing junior or inexperienced individuals to high positions—roles that should rightfully go to veteran members of the movement—is creating widespread neglect and abuse. This systematic marginalization is the root cause of fragmentation, directly leading to defections by top officials who leave to form new parties. If this political culture persists, our country will remain perpetually unstable.

Defection has become a daily business. Individuals appointed to top government positions enjoy power only until they are sidelined, at which point they immediately announce a new movement or rebellion, thus perpetuating conflict. The devastating war that broke out between 2013 and 2016 was, at its heart, a struggle for lucrative political positions among party leaders. Now, when denied a preferred role, politicians defect and join another group in a cynical protest against party decisions. This is done not for principle, but purely in a search for power.

We saw this mercenary politics in action when the Kitgwang group defected in August 2021, declaring a coup against the SPLM-IO under Dr. Riek Machar. While they eventually joined the government following the signing of the Khartoum peace talks in January 2022, the pattern is clear: defection becomes an accepted path to acquire positions. It is now routine for politicians and army generals to jump from one leader to another, explicitly seeking “greener pastures.” The resulting power struggle, where some acquire positions and others do not, has caused chronic instability, displacement, and a series of violent incidents in recent weeks that have left thousands desperate across the states and in neighboring countries.

Defecting from party to party or forming a new movement is not a solution for acquiring a big position. Instead, our leaders must fight for democracy, peace, and accountability to build a functional system that can save this country. South Sudanese politicians must ask themselves what their legacy will be—a generation remembered only for influencing youth to engage in violence?

I appeal to the leaders of this country to work together and build the nation. Defections will only increase violence and cannot be a strategy for career advancement. Appointments must follow ranking and depend on the party’s structure, not on political extortion.

God Protect South Sudan.

Be the change.