Southern Sudan Peace Commission
Encyclopedia
The Southern Sudan Peace Commission (SSPC) was established in 2006.
The purpose of the Peace Commission is promote peace among the people of South Sudan
and to help consolidate the results of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement
(CPA) signed in January 2005 between the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the Government of Sudan
.
Challenges included avoiding conflict during the national elections in July of 2009 and the self-determination referendum of early 2011.
The SSPC has facilitated broad based peace conferences in Greater Equatoria, Greater Upper Nile and Greater Bahr El Ghazel.
In March 2009 the SSPC was attempting to defuse tension after clashes had taken place between Murle and Lou Nuer tribes in the Lokwangole area of Jonglei State. More than 460 people had died and over 3,000 had been displaced. This followed an outbreak of inter-ethnic violence in the state where hundreds of people died and over 5,000 people were displaced in and around Pibor county.
In October 2009, responding to the recent wave of ethnic violence, SSPC Chairman Louis Lobong Lojore called for the government to take harsh measures to deter others from causing problems.
The problem is complex.
In 2010 researchers from the London School of Economics
, the SSPC and the Centre for Peace and Development Studies of Juba University undertook a study of approaches to reducing violence in South Sudan. It found that the different goals of state building, modernization, conflict management and traditionalism had led to incoherent approaches that actively promoted conflict.
Decentralization and division of administrations along ethnic lines could be aggravating tensions, and tribal leaders could inadvertently be amplifying the divisions.
, President of the Government of Southern Sudan, appointed Simon Kun Puoch Chairperson and Reverend William Chan Achuil Deputy Chairperson of the SSPC.
As of 2011 the SSPC chairman was Brigadier General (retired) Louis Lobong Lojore.
He had previously been Commissioner for greater Kapoeta
and Deputy Governor for the greater Equatoria during the war. Lojore is also the SPLM State Chairman for Eastern Equatoria, Torit
.
The purpose of the Peace Commission is promote peace among the people of South Sudan
South Sudan
South Sudan , officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country located in the Sahel region of northeastern Africa. It is also part of the North Africa UN sub-region. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to the more...
and to help consolidate the results of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement
Comprehensive Peace Agreement
The Comprehensive Peace Agreement , also known as the Naivasha Agreement, was a set of agreements culminating in January 2005 that were signed between the Sudan People's Liberation Movement and the Government of Sudan...
(CPA) signed in January 2005 between the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the Government of Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
.
Goals and activities
The SSPC is involved in building the capacity of local communities to reduce conflict and prevent escalation.Challenges included avoiding conflict during the national elections in July of 2009 and the self-determination referendum of early 2011.
The SSPC has facilitated broad based peace conferences in Greater Equatoria, Greater Upper Nile and Greater Bahr El Ghazel.
In March 2009 the SSPC was attempting to defuse tension after clashes had taken place between Murle and Lou Nuer tribes in the Lokwangole area of Jonglei State. More than 460 people had died and over 3,000 had been displaced. This followed an outbreak of inter-ethnic violence in the state where hundreds of people died and over 5,000 people were displaced in and around Pibor county.
In October 2009, responding to the recent wave of ethnic violence, SSPC Chairman Louis Lobong Lojore called for the government to take harsh measures to deter others from causing problems.
The problem is complex.
In 2010 researchers from the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, the SSPC and the Centre for Peace and Development Studies of Juba University undertook a study of approaches to reducing violence in South Sudan. It found that the different goals of state building, modernization, conflict management and traditionalism had led to incoherent approaches that actively promoted conflict.
Decentralization and division of administrations along ethnic lines could be aggravating tensions, and tribal leaders could inadvertently be amplifying the divisions.
Leadership
In June 2006, General Salva Kiir MayarditSalva Kiir Mayardit
Salva Kiir Mayardit is the first President of the Republic of South Sudan.-Sudanese civil wars:In the late 1960s, Kiir joined the Anyanya in the First Sudanese Civil War. By the time of the 1972 Addis Ababa Agreement, he was a low-ranking officer...
, President of the Government of Southern Sudan, appointed Simon Kun Puoch Chairperson and Reverend William Chan Achuil Deputy Chairperson of the SSPC.
As of 2011 the SSPC chairman was Brigadier General (retired) Louis Lobong Lojore.
He had previously been Commissioner for greater Kapoeta
Greater Kapoeta
Greater Kapoeta is the name given to the eastern half of Eastern Equatoria State in South Sudan, at one time an administrative region with headquarters in the town of Kapoeta....
and Deputy Governor for the greater Equatoria during the war. Lojore is also the SPLM State Chairman for Eastern Equatoria, Torit
Torit
-Location:The town is located in Torit County, Eastern Equatoria State, in the southeastern part of South Sudan, close to the International border with the Republic of Uganda. Its location lies approximately , by road, east of Juba, the capital and largest city in that country...
.