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This report by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the precarious security situation in southern Sudan following the May 2004 IGAD framework agreement. It argues that widespread breaches of existing security agreements, a profound lack of trust between the Government of Sudan (GoS) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), and the failure of monitoring mechanisms threaten the long-term viability of the peace process.

This report analyses the South Sudan Defence Force (SSDF), a conglomerate of government-supported militias, and argues that its exclusion from the IGAD-sponsored peace process between the Government of Sudan (GoS) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) threatens the stability of southern Sudan.

This policy brief argues that the internal reform of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) is a fundamental prerequisite for sustainable peace and nation-building in South Sudan. The author contends that the 2013 conflict was triggered by a breakdown of political order and the party's failure to transition from a militarised liberation movement to a democratic ruling party. The document recommends formally linking SPLM internal restructuring—including demilitarisation, the establishment of leadership succession processes, and the empowerment of grassroots structures—to the broader peace negotiations facilitated by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD).