Ahead of South Sudan’s Independence Day, its fifth, the government announced that it would not be spending any money on celebrations. “We decided not to celebrate the July 9 Independence Day, because we don’t want to spend that much. We need to spend the little that we have on other issues,” said a minister.

But even though there was nothing to celebrate, South Sudan got its fireworks.

Juba’s eruption into violence this weekend was as predictable as it was tragic. By Sunday evening, there were at least 272 people killed in pitched battles between government soldiers and former rebels, according to Reuters, citing a health ministry source. At least 32 civilians were among the dead. These figures are likely to rise.

The immediate cause of the fighting is still unclear. No one is quite sure who fired the first shot, or why. Was it a clumsy effort to neuter Vice-President Riek Machar’s…