The R-ARCSS and Institutionalizing Peace and Stability in South Sudan

In September 2024, parties in South Sudan extended the timeline for implementing the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS). This is the fourth extension since the parties signed the R-ARCSS in 2018. How the parties utilize the new two-year extension to prepare the country for the election and implement remaining commitments in the revitalized agreement remains unclear. This article provides an overview of the implementation of the 2018 revitalized agreement based on the Peace Accords Matrix (PAM) methodology. By discussing the potential push and pull of the peace implementation process, this article outlines why the implementation of R-ARCSS should be front and center in the ongoing Tumaini Peace Initiative as a pathway for peace and stability. By reinforcing the significance of elections in attaining post-war peace and stability, when such elections are held after significant milestones in the peace implementation process, this article discusses the significance of ongoing ethnic rivalry, lack of resources, and the need for robust international involvement in implementing the peace. For institutionalizing peace and stability in South Sudan, this article makes two observations. First, peace implementation success is the only pathway to keep the rebel signatories of the 2018 agreement involved in the peace process, manage interethnic rivalry, and pull holdout groups into the successful process. Second, and relatedly, meaningful international accompaniment and resource commitment are necessary for the successful implementation process.