In April 2017, I was part of a delegation of South Sudanese experts, activists and a religious leader that travelled to Addis Ababa to meet with policymakers at the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), African Union (AU), United Nations (UN), Ethiopian government and other African and Western governmental organizations. While in Addis, the delegation delivered an urgent message: The situation in South Sudan has reached a tipping point; if the international community does not act now, South Sudan will enter an age of anarchy. To address the crisis and restore stability, the AU, IGAD and UN must work together to bring the Government of South Sudan, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) and other armed opposition groups together in a political process that focuses exclusively on two priority issues: establishing security and reaching consensus on a transitional leadership, as the current government’s mandate expires in 2018 and free and fair elections are not possible in the current environment.
