Why Negotiate? Why Mediate?
Why Negotiate? Why Mediate?
The Purpose of South Sudanese Peacemaking
When civil war swept South Sudan in December 2013, mediators and political elites embarked on an eighteen-month peace process. This produced seven agreements signed and broken as belligerents targeted civilians. The final accord crumbled as violence escalated within the year. This chapter asks: Why negotiate and why mediate when talks beget slaughter? When belligerents seem uncommitted to a negotiated settlement, under what conditions do conflict parties and mediators retain a mutual interest in turning up at the peace table? The chapter sets the dynamics of elite negotiation against realities on the ground, piecing together civilian experiences from fatality counts and human rights reports. It uses these data to evaluate three theories about why mediators and negotiators kept South Sudan’s talks afloat: peace processes offer access to money, power and status; peace processes sustain neo-patrimonial bargaining; and peace processes empower stakeholders to condition each other’s commitments – for better or for worse.
Keywords: civil war, civilian, fatalities, mediator, peace processes, South Sudan, violence
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