The Chairman of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has called for the evaluation of the United States policy towards South Sudan.

Senator Bob Corker was making his opening remarks at a hearing which included South Sudanese academicians, Dr Jok Madut Jok and Dr Luka Biong in Washington DC.

The hearing, entitled: “South Sudan: Options in Crisis” required the well-educated researchers to explain what they think should be done to bring forth political reforms in South Sudan.

Senator Bob Corker believes that the recent replacement of Dr Riek Machar invalidates the Transitional Government of National Unity.

He questioned whether the deployment of an additional foreign peacekeeping force would resolve issues of security in South Sudan.

“UNMISS is tested and already stretched limits of peacekeeping missions, and with the addition of Protection of Civilian sites, and proposed regional protection force, one must ask; is this a recipe for failure?” Mt Corker asked.

The Testimonies

On her testimony to the Senate Committee, the Director of the Africa Center for Strategic Studies at the US Department of Defense, Kate Almquist Knopf, said the next US policy for South Sudan should include empowering the citizens and sidelining leaders who are against peace.

Ms Knopf recommended that the idea for an African Union-UN trusteeship should be reexamined by the US.

She stated: “A fundamentally different approach is needed; one that protects South Sudan sovereignty and territorial integrity, while empowering the citizens of South Sudan to take ownership of their future, absent the predations of morally bankrupt elite.”

However, Dr Luka Biong Deng, who is a Global Fellow at the Peace Research Institute in Oslo, said diverting from the current peace agreement would result in more instability.

Dr Biong said the international community needs to consider tough actions for those who are derailing the implementation of the agreement.

“It is these anti-peace elements that are actually not respecting the President of the republic, by producing contrary statements about the President’s reconciliatory positions,” Dr Biong argued.

For his part, Dr Jok Madut of the Sudd Institute told the hearing that he did not believe the continuous provision of aid to South Sudanese keeps their leaders concerned about their welfare.

‘Rethink humanitarian aid’

Dr Jok said the leaders in South Sudanese must be made accountable to the suffering of their citizens.

“The international community has always bailed out the leaders of South Sudan from their responsibilities to take welfare of their people, and the international community assistance – especially the humanitarian assistance,” Dr Jok said.

“[It] may be keeping some people alive, but [it] has really become an alibi for failure of the leadership in South Sudan. I’m willing to suggest that we rethink this.”

The ranking member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Ben Cardin, cautioned that the situation in South Sudan could be similar to that of Darfur, if the world does not act fast.

Senator Cardin said South Sudan’s government must accept the assistance of a regional force in order to stabilize the country.

“I think it is critically important for South Sudan to have the presence of the international body, and yet the government is restricting what equipment they can take, which countries they come from and preventing them from doing their mission,” Mr Cardin stressed.

“So how can they operate? How can they do their work without the government’s help and support?”

The Senate hearing also focused on implementation of the peace agreement, whether it is withholding and what the international community should do to support the efforts.