Conflict & Resilience Monitor – 30 September 2024

If governments and member states are to avoid the cost of responding too late, developing resilient networks and adaptive institutional capacities at local, national and regional levels is key. Action must start now and be based on a strong understanding of the risks that climate change poses to social cohesion and stability, as well as entry points for addressing climate change in ways that promote peaceful coexistence, collaboration and trust.

It has become a widely accepted consensus that women should take part in conflict resolution processes. The United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 (2000) provided advocates for female political participation and leadership with an international declaration that reaffirmed the call for more women at the table. That table includes national governments, regional and continental organisations, high-level representatives and envoys, mediation teams and conflict prevention units. While many will argue that the fight for gender equality has still a very long way to go, there have been some meaningful steps, declarations, initiatives and projects promoting the representation of women in decision-making and conflict management. One of those initiatives is the African Union (AU) Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation (FemWise-Africa).

South Sudan has once again postponed its scheduled elections, originally planned for December 2024, by another 24 months, pushing the election to 2026. This delay is not just a logistical issue but rather a reflection of the deeper structural crises within the country’s governance and peace processes. The postponement follows a history of failed attempts to hold elections, beginning with the first planned election in 2015, which was derailed by the outbreak of conflict in 2013 and 2016. This, in turn, led to the collapse of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (ARCSS). A revitalized version of the agreement (R-ARCSS) was signed in 2018 in an effort to revive the peace process, which was also extended in 2024 to the Roadmap. The Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU), established in February 2020, was tasked with overseeing the transitional period and ensuring free and inclusive elections by the end of the transition.

International Democracy Day was commemorated on 15 September 2024, at a time when the African continent, and the world at large, is experiencing democratic decline and key deficits in the quality of electoral integrity. This context presents challenges and opportunities for the crucial role of citizen election observers in safeguarding democracy against the rise of authoritarianism in Africa. The African Election Observers Network (AfEONet) Electoral Integrity Africa Summit took place from 10-12 September 2024, in Kampala, Uganda, under the theme “Strengthening Electoral Transparency, Public Oversight and Collaborative Reforms”. The Summit provided a platform for expert participants to share insights regarding the contributions of citizen election observers and civil society organisations in rebuilding electoral integrity on the continent. This piece provides some key outcomes from discussions held during the Summit’s proceedings.