South Sudan and its unending bloody conflict: No power-sharing without political reform

There are two great examples of self-determination in post-colonial Africa: Eritrea and South Sudan.

Eritrean independence came after a struggle lasting nearly four decades, one that ended in military victory over the Mengistu regime, the Derg. The larger context was also important: With the end of the Cold War, the US shed its fear of local independence turning into a Trojan Horse for a rival superpower.