INTERNATIONALIZATION OF AFRICAN CONFLICTS CASE STUDY OF CHINA IN SOUTH SUDAN
Abstract
Internationalization of African conflicts is a phenomenon that has dominated political systems for sometimes now. With the rise in need for trade and energy resources world over, states are jostling for every opportunity including raking into loopholes in the name of helping restore democracy, peace and world order. The study investigated the dynamics of the Chinese involvement in the South Sudan conflicts, giving breakdowns of the series of their actions in various stages of conflicts and development initiatives. The study identified policy guidelines of the Chinese relations with African states in terms of trade and armed conflict resolutions as well as a shift in part of the policy that laid a foundation in the demonstration of their interests in South Sudan. Interests and third-party involvement in African conflicts have had a ripple effect of prolonged conflicts and devastating effects such as deaths, human rights violation and economic degradation. This third-party intervention targeting most resourced nations in Africa greatly internationalized not only the conflict situation but the whole system of interaction and partnerships between these African countries and China. The study justified the relevance of this research to individuals, Academia and policy players such as the NGOs, Civil society and political institutions in analyzing politics of interventions. The literature reviewed in retrospect had mixed views on the effects vis-a-vis the interest-based intervention. The study was purely hinged on the theoretical framework of Realism that highlights the dichotomy of interest and intervention. This study was largely built on the premise of qualitative design with a defined population of non-randomized sample consisting of scholars, south Sudanese immigrants as well as Chinese officials. The study recommended that there is need for genuine sustained efforts to restore peace in the newest nation for the benefit of the common people and not only interests of the actors. That for a long-lasting peace, the international community needs to consolidate its influence and mainstream the process of achieving it through dialogue and also other mechanisms should that fail. These include imposition of trade embargoes and economic sanctions that would not be injurious to the common people but the leadership as well as strengthening of the international judicial system that would bring to book perpetrators of conflict in the newest great lakes region. The regional bodies such as IGAD and the entire great lakes region need to do more and seek regional solution workable for the nation including local mechanism such as power sharing.
Publisher
UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI
Collections
- Final [891]