South Sudan’s Women Peace Mediation Team said it has held meetings with diplomatic missions and local stakeholders as part of efforts to ease the country’s political crisis and help revive the stalled peace process.
The women-led mediation group, supported by UN Women and organized by the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), held its second peace meeting Friday evening at the South Sudan Council of Churches headquarters in the capital, Juba.
The meeting brought together representatives of people with disabilities, as well as Christian and Muslim religious leaders, in what organizers described as an effort to promote inclusive dialogue.
Flora Lukudu Justin, a member of the mediation team, said the discussions focused on the need for sustained engagement with political parties that are signatories to the 2018 peace agreement.
“We are urging all political parties to come to dialogue because we believe that, as South Sudanese, a homegrown solution is the best option for all of us,” Lukudu told reporters. She called on signatories to implement the agreement “in letter and in spirit.”
The mediators also appealed for a halt to fighting in parts of the country, saying ongoing violence has displaced civilians and deepened suffering.
“Our people are running from one place to another, and it is enough,” Lukudu said, urging political leaders to prioritize dialogue over conflict and to address disputes internally rather than relying on external intervention.
She said the team plans to meet ambassadors accredited to South Sudan to brief them on the role of women mediators and to seek regional and international support for inclusive peace efforts.
The Women Peace Mediation Team includes members from diverse professional backgrounds and positions itself as a platform to identify gaps hindering implementation of the peace deal through consultations with political parties.
The initiative comes at a critical moment. Implementation of the 2018 revitalized peace agreement has stalled amid disagreements over preparations for elections scheduled for December 2026 and renewed clashes between the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO) in parts of the country.
Dr. Riek Machar, a key signatory to the agreement and leader of the SPLA-IO, remains in detention in Juba, where he faces treason charges.