The signing of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 12th September 2018 marked the beginning of an enormous task of implementation. Thus, it is crucial that all stakeholders engage with and support the implementation process of the Revitalized Agreement. To this end, the African Centre for the Constructive Resolutions of Disputes (ACCORD), Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa (FECCLAHA) and Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) and in partnership with the South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC) organized Solidarity and Advocacy Mission to South Sudan. Subsequent missions were also undertaken in Ethiopia and Kenya.
This Mission comprised of Regional Faith Women Mediators from the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa and led by Hon. Betty Bigombe, an experienced mediator. Some of the members of the mission are members of the African Network of Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation (FemWise-Africa), thus these efforts are geared towards supporting women’s peacemaking efforts in the continent.
The mission to Juba, South Sudan took place on 05-08 November 2018 and to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Nairobi, Kenya took place on 07-08 December 2018.
The mission by representative members of the Regional Faith Women Mediation Network to South Sudan allowed the faith women to listen to the views of diverse stakeholders which further informs their entry points to support the people of South Sudan in the implementation process.
The faith women met with different stakeholders in the three countries. From these meetings, stakeholders expressed signs of hope which were reflected in various efforts by the leaders and people of South Sudan like the coming of the government and the opposition leaders to the peace celebration on 31 October 2018 which marked their commitment to the R-ARCSS. Further, the huge turnout of the people of South Sudan to the peace celebration is a sign that South Sudanese are fatigued with the conflict and are in dire need of peace. It was noted that, the levels of armed conflict have significantly reduced in some parts of the country, which is positive step. The international community expressed support to the Revitalized Agreement and its subsequent implementation.
The outcomes of the missions will be shared with different stakeholders aimed at further informing their efforts to the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement.
ACCORD remains committed to supporting conflict prevention and mediation efforts in the continent towards realising sustainable peace.
