Finding Peace in Uncertain Times: South Sudan and the Revitalised Peace Process

The document analyzes the 2018 Revitalised Agreement for the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), which established a power-sharing arrangement between President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar. While the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) was formed on 22 February 2020, the process has been hindered by delays, disputes over state boundaries, and unresolved security arrangements. The paper highlights the 'payroll peace' logic, where bloated leadership structures are used to buy loyalty, and examines the influence of external actors including Uganda, Sudan, and the Troika (US, UK, and Norway).

• The R-ARCSS creates a bloated government structure with a high ratio of officials to the population, which the author argues fails to stop the practice of 'payroll peace'—exchanging political loyalty for payment.
• Implementation of the R-ARCSS has been slow; by the time of writing, half of the provisions expected to be completed in the first six months had not been initiated.
• Two primary unresolved issues threatened the stability of the peace process leading up to February 2020: the number of states and their boundaries, and security arrangements.
• Security sector reform is hindered by ethnic polarization, the inclusion of opposition groups claiming inflated force numbers to gain integration rights, and a lack of funding from President Kiir.
• External actors have had mixed impacts: Uganda has used the process to protect business interests and counter Sudan's influence; Sudan's involvement was driven by oil interests and regional power; and the Troika's influence has waned due to the US withdrawing its special envoy.

APA

MAPHASA, T. (2020). Finding Peace in Uncertain Times: South Sudan and the Revitalised Peace Process. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Occasional-Paper-312-Maphasa.pdf

Chicago

MAPHASA, THULANI. Finding Peace in Uncertain Times: South Sudan and the Revitalised Peace Process. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2020. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Occasional-Paper-312-Maphasa.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=MAPHASA |first1=THULANI |title=Finding Peace in Uncertain Times: South Sudan and the Revitalised Peace Process |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=September 2020 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Occasional-Paper-312-Maphasa.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{maphasa2020finding, author = {MAPHASA, THULANI}, title = {{Finding Peace in Uncertain Times: South Sudan and the Revitalised Peace Process}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2020}, month = sep, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Occasional-Paper-312-Maphasa.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }