How do South Sudan's elite profit from both peace and war?

South Sudan’s elite are like the kids who get extra candy whether the class has a party or everyone fights over toys.

Imagine your school has two big events: one is when all the classes play nice together, that's peace. The other is when there's a huge fight for the best playground spot, that's war.

Now, think of the elite as the kids who are in charge of planning these events. When there’s peace, they get money from the school to make everything fun and fair. But when there’s war, they get even more money because people are fighting so hard, and they need someone to help them stop the chaos, that someone is often the elite.

So whether there's peace or war, the elite win. During peace, they have steady money from the school. During war, they can charge extra for their help, it’s like being both the boss of a quiet lunch and the leader of a playground battle!

That’s why South Sudan’s elite are happy whether everyone is friends or fighting, they get extra treats either way!