From Left to right seated: Irene Limo UNDP Peacebuilding analyst, Hon. Jamal Kakaya chair of South Sudan legislative assembly peacebuilding, Hon. Chuol Rambang chair of South Sudan CEWERU, Brigadier Joyce Sitienei Head of the International Peace Support Training Center, Stella Konga South Sudan CEWERU, Joseph Kido the director of peacebuilding at the South Sudan Ministry of Peacebuilding. Photo Credit: IPSTC Kenya.

Conflict is still rampant across South Sudan despite gains made from the signing of the Revitalized Agreement on Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCISS) in 2018. Conflicts at the subnational level have particularly impacted national stability and communities’ abilities to return to normal. Ethnic violence and gender-based violence are some of the major drivers of conflicts at the sub-national level.

South Sudan’s conflict at the sub-national levels is driven by large-scale communal wars over cattle, land, and child abduction. Patriarchal practices remain deeply embedded in communities and as a result, about 65 percent of women experience some form of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) such as child marriage and rape in their lifetime. Conflict continues to ravage parts of the country, and this is made worse by the floods and the Covid-19 pandemic that have compounded the challenges of returning to stability.

The two-day took place between 13 and 14 April 2022 at Dembesh Hotel in Juba. Photo SSPRC/Anthony Ochan

South Sudan Peace and Reconciliation Commission with support from UNDP carried out a two-day workshop on gender mainstreaming and inclusion facilitated by an experienced gender consultant and a lecturer at the university of Juba.

A workshop is a tool for the development of a gender mainstreaming and inclusion strategy for the Conflict Early Warning and Early Response Unit (CEWERU) of the commission. CEWERU works to mitigate and prevent conflict before they escalate into violence.  

Magwi County in Eastern Equatoria state experienced waves of insecurity due to weak rule of law that saw cattle herders from Jonglei state clash with local communities leading to loss of lives, displacements of communities, and destruction of properties and livelihoods. However, UNDP and South Sudan Peace and Reconciliation Commission (SSPRC) through the County Peace Response Mechanism (CPRM) have provided critical assistance to cover gaps in peacebuilding through the conflict early warning and early response system (CEWERS) that have been established helped to arrest conflicts before they escalate further.  Using the newly inaugurated mobile application for conflict early warning, an innovation developed by South Sudanese tech developers, farmers and local community members were able to alert local authorities of risks of conflicts when cattle herders were seen moving into local farmlands in large numbers. The magnitude of farmer-pastoralist conflicts was reduced as CPRM members in the local communities addressed some of the challenges within the contexts by positioning themselves in conflict prevention and mediation even after the conflict already started.

South Sudan Peace and Reconciliation Commission (SSPRC) has completed the training and reconstitution of the Nyirol County Peace Response Mechanism (CPRM) which took place between September 6 and 8 2022 at the Nyirol County headquarters in Lanken. A total of 15 members of the Nyirol County CPRM have been trained on effective ways of conflict early warning data collection, analysis, and sharing within the Conflict Early Warning and Early Response Unit (CEWERU) structure of the South Sudan Peace and Reconciliation Commission. The committee members were also trained on the use of the new mobile application for conflict early warning reporting. They are already using the application for sending early warning reports.

National Research Institute attended a Zoom meeting today hosted by CEWARN in Add Ababa and attended by the CEWERU steering Committee, NRI and the CEWARN Director and CEWARN Conflict Analyst.

May 9, 2012 (JUBA) - South Sudan has officially launched its National Conflict Early Warning and Response Unit (CEWERU); a system earmarked to deepen the government’s ability to pro-actively respond to risks of violent conflict in the country.