A couple of months ago, I wrote in these same pages about the wisdom of rushing  South Sudan into becoming a member of the East African Community (EAC).
It is impolite to say ‘I told you so’, but one cannot be blamed for feeling a little triumphant.
The situation in South Sudan is not good and apparently the EAC is powerless to resolve the issues causing the suffering in that country.
I will not mention the frustration felt by Ugandan business people who have seen their every effort to get paid being thwarted.
Many say the central issue in South Sudan is ethnicity, but I disagree. It is more to do with the economy.
When the oil was flowing out and earning reasonable foreign exchange, the powers-that-be could grumble over sharing the cake, but not tip the boat over.
However when the oil price plunged and the forex was sharply reduced, squabbles broke out which tended to fall along ethnic lines. I doubt we would habe this much chaos if there was enough to go around!
This however is always the problem with mono economies.
President Salva Kiir must compromise for the sake of the millions of displaced people. That is what leadership is all about and Machar should stop running away from his responsibilities or all the dreams and aspirations South Sudanese cherished at independence will slowly disappear for good.
Eng. Kitaka
Kampala, Uganda
Source: Business Week

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