THE HURDLES OF MEDIATING WITH HUMANITARIAN LENS: AN EXPLORATION OF THE INTER-GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY AND DEVELOPMENT’S FAILED SOUTH SUDAN 2015 PEACE AGREEMENT

Abstract

This thesis examines IGAD humanitarian focused mediation in the South Sudanese conflict that blames the warring parties entirely for failing to end the war. It particularly looks at mediation strategies deployed by IGAD and its partners as they push to address the humanitarian situation in South Sudan, and how this approach created hurdles during the negotiations process and even at the implementation phase after the parties were compelled to sign the agreement. My investigation of IGAD mediation departs from the story of unwilling warring parties who do not want to sign a peace agreement and save lives presented by IGAD by taking a holistic look at the effect of IGAD mediation timing on parties’ military expectations as well as the effect of the IGAD member states strategic consideration on their ability to enforce disputants’ compliance during the negotiations, and even at the implementation phase of the agreement. I concluded that the timing of the intervention and the agreement the disputants were compelled to sign were at odds with military expectation of the warring parties, specifically those of the government.