Why Political Deals Cannot Deliver Real Peace in South Sudan

(OPINION/Agrey Cyrus Kanyikwa) – I am glad that the Kakuwa Community made it clear that “Peace Belongs to the People of South Sudan.”

On 20 September 2025, the Kakuwa Community inauguration ceremony became more than just a celebration. It went beyond traditional communal practices in South Sudan by recognising cultural diversity while placing peace and unity at the centre.

It was a strong reminder that the call for peace in South Sudan is becoming louder. Across the country, communities are crying out for peace. They see no gain in endless conflict. Instead, they live in fear: fear of wasted generations, fear of a ruined future and fear of a nation stripped of dignity.

South Sudan was not liberated so that its people could suffer and die under hunger, disease and war. Yet today, death spreads across the nation through armed clashes, famine and preventable illness.

The country’s political and economic strength has been weakened to the point that both the Central Bank and Commercial Banks are running short of liquidity to release or supply cash.

Power is concentrated in the hands of a few within the central government, suffocating the President with competing interests and manipulated under the RARCSS. This arrangement has not served the people but has instead protected the ambitions of elites while serving foreign interests.

The RARCSS was flawed from the beginning. It solved nothing because it ignored the truth: real power, political, social and economic belongs to the people, not to parties or individuals.

Unlike the CPA, which once gave hope, the RARCSS has been a gamble built on ignorance. It has promoted political quarrels while sidelining the very people whose sacrifices brought freedom to South Sudan.

Let us be clear. South Sudan’s liberation was achieved through the will of God and the sacrifices of its people. Peace will not come from political parties or armed groups. It lies in the hands of the people themselves. No matter how much they are silenced, denied justice or made victims of war, it is their voice that will shape the peace we want. In the end, their will shall prevail.

Aggrey Cyrus Kanyikwa is a former Commissioner of Yei River County and an experienced public civil servant in South Sudan.

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