South Sudan Looks Forward to Peace

John Garang Mausoleum Square in Juba, pictured in 2011. Wikimedia Commons.

After two years in exile, rebel leader Riek Machar received a warm welcome upon his arrival in the South Sudanese capital of Juba. Both he and President Salva Kiir were in attendance at a ceremony held on October 31 at John Garang Mausoleum to celebrate South Sudan’s revitalized peace deal. The agreement, signed in September by Machar, Kiir, and other conflicting groups in Addis Ababa, signaled an end to a devastating, five-year civil war. The war began in 2013 after Kiir accused his then-deputy president, Machar, of plotting a coup. Since then, over 383,000 people have died while over a million people have been forcibly displaced. Machar addressed the crowd at the peace ceremony, stating, "I came only to confirm to people that I am for peace. The past is gone. We have opened a new chapter for peace and unity." Heard by thousands of hopeful attendees, Machar continued by promising to strengthen government institutions, promoting accountability so as to inhibit corruption and injustice.

The government, too, has exhibited a continued commitment to the peace deal. At the ceremony Kiir pardoned two prominent political prisoners, James Gatdet, a former Machar spokesman, and William Endley, former Machar security advisor. Kiir’s government imprisoned them on charges of treason and conspiracy, and both men were sentenced to death. Minister of the Interior Michael Chienjek affirmed the government's desire to work towards a peaceful future, stating, “their release comes as part of the peace implementation.” Notably, both Kiir and Machar assured the crowd—and the nation at large—that they would not fight against each other again, instead avowing to pursue peace. The celebrations follow unsuccessful peace talks between the two leaders in Ethiopia in late June, and the landmark Khartoum peace talks facilitated by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.