Efforts have been made in reconciling South Sudan’s warring parties, but much remains to be done.

It is early days in the ongoing efforts to end the conflict in South Sudan between President Salva Kiir Mayardit and former Vice President, Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon. Troops loyal to both men have been fighting since December 15, 2013 when the government announced it foiled a coup. However, several initiatives have been made to quickly end the bloodletting in the world’s newest nation.

Cease Fire, IGAD Mediation                                                                                

Perhaps, the most significant development in seeking a negotiated peaceful solution to the brutal conflict was the signing of a cease fire deal by the two sides in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on Thursday, January 23, 2014. The preliminary agreement is aimed at ending fighting while negotiations on substantive issues continue under the mediation of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, IGAD – the East African regional trading bloc.

An IGAD summit scheduled for the South Sudanese capital, Juba, on Thursday, January 23, 2014, to discuss the conflict, was cancelled. The bloc that has been active seeking an end to the fighting, held a similar summit in Juba in December 2013.

Appeals For Peace   

Worried by the ferocity and ethnic-dimension of the fighting that has tended to pit the Nuer people of Riek Machar against the majority Dinka tribesmen of President Salva Kiir, the international community has been appealing to the two sides to stop the mayhem. The United States, the European Union, the African Union and IGAD, have been at the forefront of efforts to end the conflict.

China is also facilitating communication between warring parties. Zhong Jianhua, China's Special Representative for African Affairs, recently returned from a trip to South Sudan, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda, as well as the headquarters of the African Union in Ethiopia, as part of efforts to ensure the quick return of peace.

IGAD, AU Threats

IGAD had earlier issued an ultimatum to the rebels to cease fighting by December 31, 2013, failing which the bloc threatened targeted sanctions and military intervention. Rising from an IGAD summit in the South Sudanese capital, Juba, Uganda’s President, Yoweri Museveni, said Riek Machar was given four days to comply or the body “shall have to go for him.”

The Peace and Security Council of the African Union, followed suit, vowing to “take appropriate measures, including targeted sanctions, against all those who incite violence, including along ethnic lines, continue hostilities and undermine the envisaged inclusive dialogue."

Ugandan Intervention

The Ugandan Parliament on January 14, 2014, retroactively authorised the country’s military intervention in South Sudan. “A stable and prosperous South Sudan is vital for regional peace, security and stability… There was and still is need to prevent potential genocidal and other atrocities against humanity,” read part of the motion passed almost a month after President Yoweri Museveni deployed troops to evacuate Ugandan nationals and help protect Juba Airport, State House and other key locations in the capital. “The government had to look at the interests of over 200,000 Ugandans caught up in South Sudan,” Defence Minister, Chrispus Kiyonga, who drafted the motion, told Parliament.

Sudan, South Sudan Cooperation                       

As a means of mounting pressure on the rebels to give up fighting, Sudan and South Sudan on January 6, 2014, agreed to consider setting up a joint force to protect vital oilfields in South Sudan under threat of rebel occupation. The decision followed a visit to Juba by Sudanese President, Omar al-Bashir. Sudan fears that the conflict in its southern neighbour could disrupt oil flows through pipelines in its territory and damage its own struggling economy.