A group of women mediators met Friday with a faction of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), a key signatory to the country’s fragile 2018 peace agreement, in an effort to break the political deadlock threatening the pact.
The initiative, supported by UN Women and organized by the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), comes at a critical time. Key provisions of the agreement, including unifying the nation’s security forces and preparing for elections, have seen minimal progress.
The meeting in the capital, Juba, aimed to build consensus on reviving the stalled peace process. The meeting was attended by several SSOA officials, including Secretary-General Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin.
Moro Isaac, a spokesperson for the SSOA faction led by Vice President Josephine Lagu, told reporters the talks focused on identifying issues stalling the peace implementation and setting an agenda for a future high-level dialogue.
“We all agreed that there are issues that have impeded the implementation of the agreement,” Isaac said. “We discussed these issues, provided solutions, and then went ahead to set the agenda.”
He also addressed rumors of a split within the SSOA, stating the alliance remains united under Lagu’s leadership.
The SSOA is a coalition of parties, but has been reported to have factions aligned with Lagu and another with Agriculture Minister Hussein Abdelbagi.
“SSOA is not divided into two groups,” Isaac said, describing internal changes as matters of “internal organisation.”
Elizabeth Adut, a member of the women mediators, said the meeting was “fruitful” and that the SSOA members committed to implementing the peace agreement.
The 2018 agreement ended a five-year civil war that killed nearly 400,000 people. Its repeated stalls have cast doubt on the planned transition to democratic governance in the world’s youngest nation.
Friday’s meeting is part of a broader plan to push for an inclusive dialogue by the women mediators, who have recently held separate talks with the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, the main opposition SPLM-In-Opposition, and other signatory parties.