To combat instability, the AU sends a Panel of Wise to South Sudan

To address the persistent instability in South Sudan, the African Union (AU) Commission is sending a high-level delegation of the AU Panel of the Wise to the country’s capital, Juba. Five selected members, each with a three-year tenure, make up the Panel of the Wise (PoW), an advisory council of the African Union.

According to a statement released by the AU on Monday, the panel will work with all parties involved to strengthen mediation efforts and assist the full implementation of the Revitalized Agreement for the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).

The pan-African bloc is still actively working with regional and international partners, such as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the East African Community (EAC), and the United Nations, to support South Sudan’s transition to lasting peace and democracy, the statement said, adding that the AU calls on all parties to uphold all the provisions of the R-ARCSS.

It stated that AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf discussed the changing political landscape in South Sudan and the recent unrest in Nasir County in the nation’s Upper Nile State following friendly direct discussions with President Salva Kiir.

Conflicts between the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces and opposition militants began in January, resulting in dozens of fatalities and the detention of several high-ranking figures, including First Vice President Riek Machar.

After gaining independence in 2011, South Sudan signed a peace agreement in 2018 that put an end to a civil conflict between Machar and Kiir loyalists.

The civil war claimed the lives of around 400,000 individuals.

Kiir and Machar, who have controlled South Sudan’s politics for many years, still have tense relations. The world community as well as many residents are uneasy due to the recent political tensions and disputes between the two leaders.