JUBA, March 6 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing airstrike campaign on Iran by the United States and Israel could upend peace and stability in the volatile East and Horn of Africa region, experts said on Friday.
Abraham Kuol Nyuon, dean of the School for Social and Economic Studies at the University of Juba, said the joint U.S.-Israel attacks on Tehran since Feb. 28 represent complex and multifaceted challenges with significant implications for regional security and global stability.
"South Sudan is a fragile state, conflict-affected and heavily reliant on regional stability and international aid. This ongoing war is going to impact South Sudan in many ways, because fluctuations in oil prices driven by Middle East instability can affect South Sudan's economy, which is heavily dependent on oil exports," Nyuon told Xinhua.
He noted that the Horn of Africa region could experience proxy conflicts amid regional militarization as a result of spillover effects from the aggression on Iran.
Nyuon also said that the aggression on Iran raises serious questions about the effectiveness of the international rules-based order, adding that the so-called pre-emptive strikes on Iran violate Article 51 of the UN Charter.
He stressed that the escalation of military action in the Middle East is destabilizing the global security architecture and encouraging nuclear proliferation.
Atem Simon, a Juba-based security analyst, noted that the use of military force without broader international consensus raises serious concerns about the stability of the international legal order.
"If such actions become normalized, they risk weakening the rules-based system that governs relations between states," Simon said.
Edmund Yakani, executive director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, said the United States has declared war on multilateralism and the international rules-based order by attacking Iran.
"The attack on Iran truly demonstrates the selective application of international law by powerful countries," he said.
Yakani noted that by waging a "war of choice" against Iran, the United States has demonstrated an arrogant attitude of bullying countries it perceives to be weaker into submission on the global stage.
"Yes, it is far from South Sudan, but the war could have serious ramifications for the global political alliances and economies of countries in the region," he said. ■
