26 Institute for Justice and Reconciliation
The Greater Horn Region South Sudan Uganda The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed between North and South Sudan in 2005 brought to an end a debilitating 22-year civil war. The CPA provisions addressed border demarcation, power-sharing, wealth-sharing and democratic governance. In April 2010, the first democratic elections were held in South Sudan. In January 2011, the CPA-stipulated referendum paved the way for the independence of South Sudan in July 2011. A number of CPA provisions have not yet been implemented, including resource governance and border demarcation in the Abyei region. This has generated further tension and conflict, which escalated in early 2012 over the contested Heglig oilfield.
SOUTH SUDAN After more than 50 years of conflict between North and South Sudan, South Sudan gained independence on the 9th of July 2011 through a referendum in which the people of South Sudan voted overwhelmingly to separate from Sudan. At the time, it seemed the conflict had finally ended and South Sudanese hoped that they could now begin to leave in peace.However, this hope has turned out to be short-lived as the situation along the borders of the two countries becomes increasingly fragile, with Northern Sudan taking the lead as an aggressor, especially after the closure of the oil pipelines by South Sudan, as well as the debate about border demarcation. In South Sudan itself, there are widespread conflicts among communities, mostly as a result of livestock theft but also due to ethnic revenge killings and internal border contestations. It is now time for the government and other peace actors to focus on reconciling these communities, as well as on continuing negotiations with Sudan on post-conflict issues. Tobias Okori Atari, Director, Peace Building, South Sudan Peace and Reconciliation Commission, Juba, March 2012
The IJR has maintained its partnerships with a number of CSOs in South Sudan and recognises that capacity building is required at the governmental and community levels to ensure consultation, policy analysis and research, as well as dialogue on justice and reconciliation options for the country. Since 2008, the IJR has worked with local partners in Juba, Malakal, Yei and Damazin, and has most recently produced an in-depth study on gender and the role of women in peace-building in South Sudan. Partners have consistently emphasised the importance of IJR interventions in these areas, as well as the potential for further collaboration with the relevant state agencies listed above.
Publications and data influencing change The Institute’s work in South Sudan during 2011 focused on gender-related issues. To contribute to the process of transition and the construction of the youngest country in the world – South Sudan – the IJR, from a gender perspective, compiled and published Hope, Pain & Patience: The Lives of Women in South Sudan, which was edited by Friederike Bubenzer and Orly Stern. This book – which was launched in the new capital, Juba, six weeks after Independence Day – is the successful outcome of a one-year policy-driven research project that raised awareness about the circumstances that have affected women during the prolonged conflict in the region. It is hoped that the publication will help women to assume their rightful place in all spheres of public life in post-conflict South Sudan. The analyses in this book are likely to become an indispensable resource to policy-makers concerned with crafting inclusive and gender-sensitive policies. It provides in-depth assessment and documentation of the lives of diverse women from across South Sudan and acknowledges the extraordinary and very diverse contributions they have made to their country’s path towards peace and development. The IJR’s work in the field of history and documentation has continually underscored the importance of creating inclusive historical narratives in post-conflict contexts, to restore memories and to allow communities to move forward on a shared footing. It is hoped that the book will also stimulate dialogue on gender