IGAD and Regional Actors in the South Sudan Crisis: A Tale of Interests and Influence

The South Sudan crisis began in December 2013 after a political disagreement between the ruling elites within the SPLM (Sudan People’s Liberation Movement). The SPLM later split into the SPLM-FDS, SPLM-IO, and REAL–SPLM. A few days after the outbreak of the hostilities, some Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) members, such as Uganda, intervened militarily in the conflict, while other IGAD states used diplomatic intervention with the support of the African Union and Troika countries. Effort toward resolving the South Sudan conflict has mainly been centered on regional and international diplomacy. The high-level revitalization talks were initiated by IGAD to bring the warring parties in the country to the negotiation table. Despite the diplomatic negotiations, the agreements signed so far, including the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), have not lasted long because of structural and systemic challenges in their implementation. This article examines the role of IGAD peace diplomacy and conflict mediation in South Sudan by providing a comprehensive narration of the events before, during, and after the signing of the 2018 peace deal, highlighting key challenges that need to be addressed by the stakeholders and opportunities for the effective implementation of the agreement.