THE REVITALISED AGREEMENT ON THE RESOLUTION OF THE CONFLICT IN SOUTH SUDAN (R-ARCSS): THE WAR OF WORDS, THE DISSOLUTION OF THE TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT AND THE CRISIS OF PEACE IMPLEMENTATION
Abstract
The Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), signed in 2018, established a power-sharing framework intended to guide the country’s transition from civil war to peace and democratic governance. Its implementation was weakened by political mistrust, reciprocal accusations and inflammatory public discourse. On 22 September 2026, President Salva Kiir dissolved the Transitional Government of National Unity, removed the vice-presidents and dissolved national and state legislative and executive institutions, installing a caretaker administration ahead of elections scheduled for 22 December 2026. The government presented the move as part of the electoral process, while opposition groups and other observers questioned its compatibility with the power-sharing framework and described the agreement as having collapsed as a mechanism for managing the transition. This article examines the relationship between hostile political language, declining trust and the institutional crisis surrounding the R-ARCSS. It draws on the concepts of the “war of words” and “linguistic ceasefire”, comparative experiences from Kenya, Colombia, Northern Ireland and Rwanda, and African philosophies and customary approaches to reconciliation. Using qualitative conceptual and documentary analysis, the article argues that responsible political communication is necessary but insufficient to resolve a crisis involving disputed institutional authority and the future of a negotiated agreement. A linguistic ceasefire should therefore be linked to inclusive political dialogue, clarification of the agreement’s continuing status, protection of civic and political freedoms, credible election arrangements and accountability. The article recommends urgent regional and national engagement to prevent political disagreement from escalating into renewed violence.
Keywords: R-ARCSS, linguistic ceasefire, political discourse, peace implementation, transitional government, South Sudan
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