A Rebuilt Economy Gives South Sudan Peace the Strongest Chance

Aug 6, 2018 | The National
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The scenes of South Sudanese celebrating in the streets of Juba, matched by jubilation across the border in Khartoum, were both uplifting and inspiring as two men whose rivalry ignited a civil war promised to uphold the peace, this time for good. It is hard to exaggerate the significance of the pact for the world’s youngest country, where daily atrocities have seen tens of thousands killed and four million displaced in just five years.

Although a similar pact collapsed in 2015, there are reasons for optimism this time. Small rebel factions that stormed out of previous negotiations committed their support this time round. Multiple regional governments, including Sudan, Uganda and Ethiopia, got involved.

On signing the deal with Riek Machar, his former deputy-turned-nemesis, South Sudan's President Salva Kiir said peace would hold because it was not “forced on us”.