The politicization of the military and militarization of politics: A critical review of South Sudan’s fragile state

This study offers a critical lens for understanding how intertwined processes of military politicization and political militarization entrench state fragility. Despite achieving statehood, South Sudan has consistently ranked among the world’s most fragile countries. Through content analysis of more than 120 primary and secondary sources, this study argues that the country’s recurrent crises stem less from ethnic or resource-based rivalries than from the deliberate instrumentalization of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) by political elites. Originally a liberation movement, the SPLA evolved into a politicized institution used to secure elite dominance, distribute patronage, mobilize ethnic constituencies, and control oil revenues. These dynamics contributed directly to the outbreak of the 2013 civil war between President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar, which rapidly escalated into a militarized ethnic conflict causing nearly 400,000 deaths and displacing over four million people. Despite peace agreements in 2015 and 2018, military factionalism persists, security-sector reform remains stalled, and humanitarian conditions continue to deteriorate. The paper concludes that meaningful stabilization requires depoliticizing the armed forces, demilitarizing political competition, strengthening democratic institutions, enforcing civilian oversight, combating corruption, and improving regional cooperation. These reforms are essential for addressing South Sudan’s deep-rooted fragility and supporting sustainable peace in post-conflict contexts. Keywords: Politicization of the Military, Militarization of Politics, State Fragility, Civil-Military Relations, South Sudan, Security Sector Reform, Elite Capture, Institutional Weakness.