South Sudan | AfSol Journal

Tag: South Sudan

Navigating the Complexities of Democratisation in South Sudan

Posted by admin | Jul 29, 2026 |

South Sudan’s pursuit of democracy has proven challenging, with the country descending into civil war just two years after gaining independence. Despite mediation efforts by various regional and international actors, the situation remains highly unstable. This article critically examines the trajectory and prospects for democratisation in South Sudan. Specifically, it analyses the role of the primary mediator, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), in promoting democratic transition. The article develops a conceptual and theoretical framework centred on the notion of the democraticness of international organisations and applies it to assess IGAD’s role in post-conflict South Sudan. The empirical analysis highlights IGAD’s limited democratic credentials and shows how these constraints have contributed to the weak implementation of democracy promoting provisions within South Sudan’s peace agreements. As democracy promotion remains a central concern for international actors such as IGAD, their commitment to democratic principles can play a crucial signalling role to domestic political elites and complement the efforts of pro-democracy civil society groups.

A Case for African-promoted Peacebuilding Strategies with Specific Reference to AMISOM, the Juba Peace Process and IGAD’s interventions in South Sudan

Posted by admin | Apr 2, 2019 |

This paper reports the findings of a study that scrutinized the setting, facilitation, actors, content, successes and failures of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the Juba Peace Process and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD)’s interventions in the ongoing crisis in South Sudan to: 1) reach value judgments on the potential of African solutions to resolve the ongoing conflicts on the African continent; and 2) disaggregate the role of both African and non-African actors in promoting the effectiveness of these solutions. Using evidences from relevant reports and related literature, the study contends that, in concurrence with past authors on the subject, African-promoted peacebuilding efforts have potential for capitalizing on the values those parties in conflict situations share, thereby promoting ownership of and commitment to peaceful resolution. Notwithstanding, the study also reports that these efforts have been associated with constraining limitations, adding that interventions by multi-national organisations are supposedly undertaken to address these limitations. Therefore, the paper argues that interventions into peacebuilding efforts by non-African organisations are to be seen as having pros and cons. Contending that, despite their known shortfalls, African-promoted peacebuilding efforts give better promise of more sustainable peace; the paper propounds—for relevant organisations and policy persons—actionable recommendations towards enhancing the prioritisation and effectiveness of African-promoted peacebuilding strategies.