What’s new? In February 2020, South Sudan’s two main belligerents began forming a unity government pursuant to a peace deal inked a year and a half earlier. But the pact is fragile, smaller conflicts are still ablaze and the threat of return to full-blown civil war remains.
Why does it matter? Forthcoming elections could test the peace deal severely. Looking further ahead, conflict will continue to plague South Sudan until its leaders forge a political system that distributes power more widely. The cost of cyclical fighting since 2013 has been steep: hundreds of thousands dead and millions uprooted from their homes.
IMF’s Woes in Latin America Set to Grow After Ecuador Vote
Bloomberg 2/9/2021 Eric Martin
(Bloomberg) The International Monetary Fund risks having to renegotiate its second multi-billion dollar loan in Latin America in as many years following Ecuador’s presidential election.
The candidates who likely advanced to a runoff vote in the Andean country, Andres Arauz and Yaku Perez, have both criticized the tax increases and spending cuts required as part of a $6.5 billion loan signed with the lender last year. Their comments are reminiscent of remarks made by Argentine President Alberto Fernandez, who began talks to restructure IMF loans after sweeping to power in 2019.