South Sudan Governance: A Call for Federalism to Address

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to explain why federalism could be a response to governance crises in fragile states such as South Sudan, and Sudan. it aims to discuss the history of the call for federalism in Sudan and South Sudan, It argues that If Khartoum leadership had adopted federalism as system of governance right after independence in Sudan, that could have prevented a half a century of civil war between the Arab-North and the Christian South, and consequently the current Darfur and Nuba Mountains ongoing civil wars. These civil wars could have saved lives and the countries’ economy. The paper makes the case that the centralized system was instrumental in plunging the newly independent state of South Sudan into the devastating three-years conflict that has displaced 2.4 million people, killed 50,000; and in Sudan it has displaced 6 million, and 2.6 million killed in South, and 300,000 killed in Darfur (De Waal, 2007, p.317) and drove South Sudan and Sudan into dire economic straits. The paper draws federalism benefits that will help move the country forward.