The birth of South Sudan was welcomed with a great deal of optimism a year ago. On July 9, to be precise. Then, the conditions were ripe for rejoice.

The independence of the country came after 20 years of bitter struggle and the decision of South Sudanese people to secede, which they announced through a referendum, was hailed as one which would bring peace to the war-torn country and also a new era of economic growth.

The world leaders were profuse in their praise of the new country. Diplomats and African heads of state took turns congratulating the new government from a podium overlooking tens of thousands of South Sudanese gathered to celebrate the birth of their nation.

But a year on, the optimism and enthusiasm have vanished, though haven’t died. There is a consensus among experts that South Sudan is a failed state so far and the blame for the same should primarily rest with President Salva Kiir and his Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), though both will point their fingers at other forces which are working to destabilise their infant nation. With determination and foresight, Kirr and his party could have arrested the decline of their nation, if not lead it the path of progress.

They didn’t lack support in their mission, especially international support. America had pinned their hopes on the birth of the nation and offered every help a year ago, and now stands disappointed at the decline of the nation.

A bitter dispute with the North over sharing oil wealth was one of the biggest problems the country faced, which resulted in Juba shutting down its oil production until the dispute with the North was solved, which effectively cut off the economic lifeline of the country. But there are other problems too. Corruption is a major one.

In May, South Sudan’s government acknowledged that South Sudanese officials had stolen $ 4bn of missing funds that were supposed to go to developing the war-torn state.

Corruption of this scale in a country like South Sudan is an unforgivable crime for which Kirr must be held accountable. South Sudan is already the target of a sanctions threat by the United Nations for military aggression along its border with Sudan; its internal fighting has already resulted in thousands of civilian casualties.

There is plenty of time to repair the damage done to the country and the initiative has to come from inside and outside the country.What South Sudan desperately needs is a new leadership, a visionary leadership.

The international community and African nations need to put pressure on Kirr to step down or take action to save his country from collapse.