Gat’Pany Wauy is a fellow of MATI 2024. He shared the state of conflict in his country, South Sudan and gained interest at localizing the lessons gained from the training to promote peace and social cohesion in his community. He also provided a description of what is happening in South Sudan. “Deliberate efforts to fight and end social injustices and structural violence can be the only hope to the contemporary challenges in my country. Currently the world is overwhelmed by unhealthy structural masculinity which is geared towards promotion of male chauvinism at the expense of women’s growth.” Gat’Pany Wuay.
In South Sudan, considering the effects of the post North – South of then Sudan conflict before the split in 2011, the nation has experienced the worse horrors of the longest civil war which lasted for nearly 50 years (1955-2005). When a peace agreement was signed to formally put into an end the sporadic conflict in Naivasha Kenya in 2005, the country went through the next six years of transitional period till 9th July, 2011 when it was declare independent.
South Sudan prepared to transition into peace from war and address social injustices by establishing institutions to build the capacity of the locals who have only known war and conflict all their lives. It was time for reconciliation and healing amongst the citizens and the liberators. There were also dreams of constructing a nation of prosperity and justice to help create a space for the South Sudanese people in the international arena and build a relationship with the international community. Unfortunately, on 15th December, 2015, the country went into civil war following a rift between the president and his deputy. For the last 11 years, the warring parties to the conflict have been trying to make amends through the implementation of the peace agreement signed in 2016 and the recently signed in 2018, but with minimal success. Now the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) is facing lots of obstacles since parties to the conflict and who are signatories to the agreement have uncompromising demands, retarding the implementation.
Wuay notes that the conflict has increased the prevalence of structural violence, gender-based violence, diminishing recognition of feminism, abject poverty, nepotism and segregation. Those in IDP camps face the worst of the economic situation, living on less than a dollar a day.
‘’With the current situation in South Sudan, the knowledge that I have acquired in the MATI fellowship will helped me improved my work in fighting the social ills like forced marriages, child marriages, Gender –Based Violence, tribalism, injustices, harassment, sexual exploitation and Abuse, violence, segregation.”
“All such factors contribute enormously to heightens structural-related violence , discrimination and in justice. In many communities, the root causes to conflict are rarely tabled for discussion to pave way for a strategic approach to address them. Women ,who find themselves at the receiving ends of the state imposed chauvinistic masculinity agendas are rarely listened to. This is because women traditionally have found themselves caught between customary laws with no decision-making rights.”
In conclusion, building communities which are conscious of Gender equality and peace, high priorities must be place on women rights through the implementation of Women Peace and Security Agenda, Youth, Peace and Security Agenda, involvement of both youth and women in decision making as well as keenly and focusing on human rights and root causes to structural violence in Society. Therefore, the training which I have attended in August in Nairobi organized by MenEngage Africa in to represent South Sudan has helped sharpen my knowledge on contentious issues relating to gender security and justice in Africa and around the world.
By Gat’Pany Wauy, a fellow of MATI 2024.