The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union conducted its seventh field mission to South Sudan from 22nd to 25th February 2023 as part of its mandate to promote peace, security and stability in Africa.
The field mission was undertaken as a follow-up to the Council’s decisions and those of the African Union (AU) Assembly on the situation in South Sudan, particularly the transition process involving the commencement of the 24-month extension of the Transition period for the implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) .
To determine the progress made in the implementation of the Revitalised Peace Agreement , the AU PSC on February met with various stakeholders including representatives from government, civil society, faith based organisations, think tanks and the media to discuss the socio-political, economic and security situation in the country.
Prior to this meeting, the Peace Centre on February 22, supported 15 women leaders to identify key issues of concern to women and develop a submission to the delegation.
The women’s submission highlighted several unaddressed issues and emphasized the role of women in the implementation of the newly announced Roadmap to a Peaceful and Democratic end of the Transitional Period for peace. They called for:
- Fast-tracking of the establishment of transitional justice mechanisms such as the Commission for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing (CTRH) and the Compensation and Reparation Authority (CRA
- Strict adherence to the 35% quota for women’s participation by all parties at all levels of the peace process, including in the permanent constitution-making process
- Popularisation of the National Action Plan II for Women, Peace, and Security which will contribute significantly to the overall success of the Roadmap for Peace
- Fast-tracking of the disarmament process since the ownership of guns by civilians poses a great threat to the safety and wellbeing of women and children who are most affected by armed violence
- The establishment of mobile GBV courts outside of Juba to ensure that perpetrators of gender-based violence are held accountable for their actions
Several issues were adopted in the AU communique of the Ministerial Special Session on Sudan which the government of South Sudan is mandated to implement as part of its commitment.
