Compound fractures: political formations, armed groups and regional mediation in South Sudan

For the new agreement to succeed, leaders must prove they are committed to transforming the way politics is done.

In September 2018 the warring parties in South Sudan signed the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS). The R-ARCSS will be implemented in a daunting environment – over the course of the five-year conflict, political and security arenas have grown increasingly fractured. For the agreement to succeed, political and military leaders must convince the population of South Sudan and the broader international community that they are committed to transforming the way politics is done.

About the author

David Deng is a South Sudanese/US human rights lawyer who spent much of the last decade engaged in research and advocacy in South Sudan. Deng’s research has touched on a broad array of issues, including the challenges and opportunities of large-scale land investment, customary law and local dispute resolution mechanisms, citizen views on peace processes, and people’s experiences with and perceptions of transitional justice.

Picture: UNMISS/Flickr