Understanding State Dysfunctionality: The Role of Political Elites in South Sudanese State-crafting and Failure

State crafting, dysfunctionality and failure is an interesting and an emerging area in political studies as well as international affairs. This area has been remotely examined by both African and Western scholars. The paper comprehensively examined state dysfunctionality in the context of state failure of South Sudan. The paper conceptualized state dysfunctionality as inability of the state to perform its functions of service delivery of public goods and particularly, security to its own citizens. While the paper surveyed the role of political elites in understanding state-crafting and failure of South Sudan, empirically, its argues that South Sudanese political elites, particularly, from Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement (SPLM) and Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) known today as South Sudanese People Defense Forces (SSPDF) have contributed to South Sudanese state failure than crafting. This is demonstrated through elites struggle over power, secretive ethnic politics and rewarding rebellions, corruption and resources usurp and protracted conflicts. The paper deployed primary and secondary sources in tapping the understanding of South Sudanese political elites in state-crafting and failure. It combines case study and process tracing methods to contextualize and validate causal chains and empirical casual processes. The study used a sample size of 200 respondents with persuasive and cluster sampling in understanding state dysfunctionality, the role political elites in South Sudanese state-crafting and failure. The findings indicated that political elites from Government of South Sudan and particularly, the party with majority seats in the government, SPLM and military wing, SPLA aka SSPDF have led to South Sudanese state failure. The tribal outfits such as the Jieng Council of Elders (JCE) have had a big hand in South Sudanese state failure. Finally, the paper draws conclusions that reversing South Sudanese state failure requires the political elites, the SPLM to eschew zero-sum power struggle, rent seeking rebellions, secretive ethnic politics, conflicts and corruption. This demands adherence to institutionalism and visionary leadership. The paper recommends further research to SPLM and SPLA elites to reverse state failure and rescue South Sudan from collapse.