A public opinion survey released by a leading civil society group in South Sudan revealed that the majority of its respondents urged the IGAD revitalization forum to first secure the warring parties’ commitment to respect a permanent ceasefire that can allow unhindered humanitarian access and create a conducive environment for the political process.
The Community Empowerment for Progress (CEPO) had organized focus group discussions and interviews. The sample size of the respondents was 2,434 individuals from diverse backgrounds.
The survey found that 76% of the respondents requested the IGAD forum to give chances for South Sudanese to find homegrown solutions to their political differences in an inclusive manner.
The poll also shows that 86% of the respondents said the IGAD process should redirect its solutions from political power sharing focus to concrete resolutions on public governance matters.
“63% if the respondents urge the conflicting parties in South Sudan to renew their pledges for non-violent establishment of the on-going political crisis,” according to the survey.
The poll recommended the establishment of proper humanitarian mechanisms for a neutral humanitarian response to humanitarian demands across South Sudan.
It also emphasized the need for confidence-building among South Sudanese as a strategy of creating a conducive environment for peace-building in the country.
The exercise was conducted three weeks after the 31st extraordinary IGAD summit to revive the 2015 peace agreement in South Sudan.