Women's participation in peacebuilding and post-conflict governance in South Sudan

Women's Participation in Peacebuilding and Post-Conflict Governance in South Sudan Despite formal commitments to gender inclusion in South Sudan, a persistent gap remains between policy rhetoric and the substantive participation of women in peacebuilding and post-conflict governance. Drawing on a qualitative research design grounded in feminist critical discourse analysis, this study interrogates the power structures, discursive practices, and institutional norms that shape women's agency within this context. The analysis draws on official policy documents—including the 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) and the National Action Plan on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325—alongside semi-structured interviews with twenty-five women involved in civil society, local peace committees, and transitional governance bodies. Findings reveal that, although a 35 per cent quota for women is constitutionally enshrined, implementation remains uneven, with women frequently relegated to symbolic roles rather than decision-making authority. This disparity is particularly acute at local levels, where cultural norms and security concerns constrain meaningful engagement. Women's grassroots peace initiatives are systematically undervalued and excluded from formal negotiation tables, while their participation is often instrumentalised—framed as a means to achieve peace rather than as a matter of rights or justice (Lile, 2026). Such conditional inclusion reinforces structural inequalities, limiting women's agency to traditionally feminine domains and marginalising their voices on security and governance issues. The study concludes that addressing these entrenched barriers requires moving beyond numerical representation towards transformative approaches that challenge patriarchal norms and ensure women's substantive influence in peace processes. References Ceesay, O., & Asmorowati, S. (2025). [Title not provided in excerpt]. [Publisher not provided]. Lamle, N. E., & Ahgu, A. J. (2026). Women's participation in grassroots post-conflict peacebuilding in Nasarawa State: Beyond United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325. [Journal not provided]. Lile, [Initial]. (2026). [Title not provided in excerpt]. [Publisher not provided]. Madut, M. A., & Nyuon, A. K. (2026). Impact of non-state actors' participation in preventive diplomacy on peacebuilding and conflict resolution dynamics in post-independence South Sudan. [Journal not provided].