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Delaying peace may have serious consequences for South Sudanese civilians who are enduring their twentieth month of a brutal civil war, aid agencies Oxfam, CARE and IRC warn today. 

The signing of the peace agreement by President Salva Kiir Mayardit is a positive step toward ending the brutal 20 month civil war but aid agencies CARE, IRC, Oxfam and World Vision say it is only the beginning of a long, hard journey towards peace and reconciliation.

For generations, communities across South Sudan have relied on seasonal weather patterns to guide planting, grazing, fishing, and daily life. Today, however, many people say those patterns are becoming increasingly difficult to predict. Rain may arrive late, end earlier than expected, or come in intense bursts that trigger flooding and damage crops.

The Covid-19 pandemic and resulting closure of South Sudan’s schools in March 2020 exacerbated many of the challenges female learners face in pursuing an education. Research conducted for this paper found that increased poverty, domestic care work, early and forced marriage, and teenage pregnancy would make it difficult for female learners to return to schools when they reopened in May 2021.

One month since famine was declared in two areas of South Sudan, it is a race against the forthcoming rains to save lives Oxfam warned today. 

In reaction to the formation of a new South Sudanese unity government today, Elysia Buchanan, Oxfam South Sudan’s Campaign Manager said: “We welcome this decision as an important first step in South Sudan’s journey towards sustainable peace, but it cannot be the last. The country’s leaders must now work together to urgently end the suffering of 7.5 million South Sudanese facing a dire humanitarian crisis.

The influx of over half a million people fleeing Sudan’s conflict meant that transit centers in Renk – a border town in neighboring South Sudan- are swelling with people three times their capacity, with more than 300 people sharing one water tap. The lack of clean water and sanitation is increasing the risk of cholera, warned Oxfam today.  

Reacting to the outcome of the International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan and its neighbours, held in Paris today, at which countries pledged a total of $2 billion – Oxfam in Africa Director Fati N’Zi Hassane said: “It is morally incomprehensible that Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, and South Sudan – among the world's most fragile states –bear the brunt of Sudan’s conflict while the richest nations slack.   

Massive displacement and cross-border fighting are spilling over neighbouring countries, worsening the already catastrophic crisis.

South Sudanese women have played critical roles in efforts to achieve peace in South Sudan, yet their contributions have been under-recognized and under-documented.This paper contributes to remedying this by sharing women’s stories of their roles in peacemaking.