A group of women mediators in South Sudan has held talks with a key signatory to the country’s fragile 2018 peace agreement, in a new effort to break the political deadlock threatening the deal.
The meeting with the Other Political Parties (OPP) alliance in the capital, Juba, on Thursday aimed to revive the pact, whose implementation has repeatedly stalled.
The initiative, supported by UN Women and organised by civil society group Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), comes at a critical juncture for the world’s youngest nation, with key aspects of the agreement—including unifying security forces and preparing for elections—seeing little progress.
Wilson Lodiong Sebit, representing the OPP, described the session as productive and emphasised a commitment to continued dialogue among the parties to the Revitalised Peace Agreement.
“We must talk frankly, openly, and with the truth,” Sebit told reporters after the meeting. “We have deliberated on the issues that can bring stability in this country.”
He stated that the talks had involved a detailed analysis of the peace agreement itself, identifying a “lack of political will, lack of funding, and a lack of cohesiveness of the political parties” as primary obstacles.
“We must not let it collapse,” Sebit asserted, stressing that all signatories and stakeholders needed to pinpoint the root causes of instability.
“We are going to work for the peace for our people. It is continuous dialogue and this process should continue until we find a solution.”
Lodiong, who also chairs the Specialized Committee for Wildlife Conservation and Tourism in the National Legislative Assembly, highlighted that building trust was a crucial factor for progress.
“We need to iron it out and put it in order so that we build trust among ourselves,” he said.
Dr. Siham Osman, a representative of the women mediation team, confirmed the talks with the OPP were successful.
“In light of the ongoing political instability, we met with the OPP to dialogue and to see what are the root causes… and the way forward,” Dr Osman said. “We discussed many issues, and we came out with different solutions. This is not the end of the dialogue, but the dialogue is going to continue till we reach real peace for the country.”
The women mediators, who include figures from diverse professional backgrounds, have recently met separately with the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the main opposition group, the SPLM-In Opposition (SPLM-IO), led by First Vice-President Riek Machar.