Local Peace Agreements in South Sudan: Exploring Processes at the Margins

Authors: Jan Pospisil, Robert Wilson, Kido Joseph and Ibrahim Sakawa Magara

This report synthesises findings from five sites – Yei, Wau, Yambio, Aweil and Malakal – to assess the nature, function and influence of local peace agreements in South Sudan. These settings reflect a range of conflict drivers, governance configurations and peacebuilding efforts. Across these diverse contexts, seven cross-cutting insights emerge:

  1. Local peace agreements are contextually specific but structurally patterned
  2. Intermediary actors are essential to success
  3. Local-to-national linkages exist, but remain weakly supported
  4. Political will and follow-up determine agreement durability
  5. Civil-military tensions are a recurring conflict driver
  6. Spatial dynamics matter – borderlands and return zones are hotspots
  7. Process is as important as outcome

 

Explore all PeaceRep South Sudan research