South Sudan: Civil Society Situation Analysis On the Socio-Political Turmoil in South Sudan

analysis

Global attention to the crisis that broke out in South Sudan nearly a year ago has almost entirely disappeared. But difficult negotiations are ongoing, despite periodic outbreaks of fighting. To find lasting solutions, the stakeholders need to appreciate the complex realities leading up to the crisis Civil society situation analysis on the socio-political turmoil in South Sudan

INTRODUCTION

Following the latest eruption of violence in the South Sudanese capital of Juba on 15 December 2013, civil society activists there held a series of consultations in an effort to identify the causes and triggers of the current conflict. This was done with an intention to generate an objective analysis of the situation and develop a roadmap for restoring peace and stability in the country. On 4 January, South Sudanese civil society actors in Nairobi, Kampala and Juba held a meeting in three different locations to analyze the current socio-political turmoil spreading across the nation. The meetings analyzed the context in which the conflict is taking place, the possible underlying root causes and the role and influence of various stakeholders in the process. This document is a summary of the analysis. It discusses the following:

1. The historical context of the situation in South Sudan, including unresolved issues that were not addressed during the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) negotiations and the militarization of the polity during the CPA period and immediately thereafter

2. The security architecture that was adopted in South Sudan right after the 2005 CPA which developed over time until December 2013

3. The 2010 Sudan General Elections and the emergence of armed political rebellion

4. The immediate pre-independency period and the development of legal frameworks in the immediate post-independency period

5. Resource management in the young nation

6. The buildup to the conflict

1. HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND UNRESOLVED ISSUES OF 2005 CPA NEGOTIATIONS

The 2005 CPA brought to an end the more than two-decade civil war in Greater Sudan. However, it is instructive to note that while the issues were broader and included several areas internal to the South, the negotiations that led to the CPA put great emphasis on ending the protracted conflict between North and South Sudan. It therefore focused primarily on securing agreements between the then major warring parties--Sudan's People Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) and the National Congress Party (NCP) of Sudan.

Fault line ONE

The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), while lauded for its achievement in ending the conflict between the North and South, was principally an arrangement designed to bring the civil war in Sudan to an end. It fell short of defining concrete reform processes and clear implementation modalities for many of the principles agreed upon, most of which were internal to South Sudanese society. As such, issues relating to peace building and state building were not adequately addressed, nor was a clear timetable drawn for these issues to be resolved.

The CPA primarily achieved the following:

1. Permanent cessation of hostilities between the SPLM/A and NCP