South Sudan has not escaped the world’s attention even after the signing of the infamous Revitalized Peace Agreement in September 2018 that, for the 12th time, brought the two antagonists –Kiir and Dr. Machar, to the negotiation table since the conflict began in 2013. Even with the aura of a shaky peace, the main question is whether the new Agreement will stand the test of time, going on the history of the failed implementation of peace agreements. This paper recognises the essential nature of the prevailing peace and questions whether consociational democracy can be propped up during this period of relative stability. Discussions are hinged on the consociationalism theory that contains a broad array of principles, including power-sharing, requisite for consociational democracy. It argues that although South Sudan’s context could favour consociational democracy, several barriers characterising Sudan’s social and political spheres should be alleviated. We elucidate on the obstacles and suggest in broad strokes the need for solid independent institutions and vibrant civil society, amongst others. We also recognise that overreliance on individuals in resolving the conflict is detrimental to the young nation. Hence, there is a need for a citizen-centred approach that entrenches consociational principles in South Sudan’s political sphere.
08 October 2026
The CSRF will go on hiatus as feedback on a funding proposal for continued operations is pending. Normal operations continue until 31 October 2026. Please continue to use the resources on the website, which will be maintained into 2027 regardless of the funding situation. We ask for your understanding as new outputs, trainings, and events go on pause, or if queries go unanswered, from October onwards.
