{"id":41910,"date":"2026-01-01T17:59:43","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T15:59:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/?p=41910"},"modified":"2026-01-01T17:59:43","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T15:59:43","slug":"women-lose-ground-across-south-sudans-government-as-peace-deal-commitments-falter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/01\/women-lose-ground-across-south-sudans-government-as-peace-deal-commitments-falter\/","title":{"rendered":"Women Lose Ground Across South Sudan\u2019s Government as Peace Deal Commitments Falter"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Alan Clement<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Women\u2019s representation in South Sudan\u2019s government is declining, with delays in the 2018 peace agreement straining the fragile transition and reducing female presence in key national and state institutions.<\/p>\n

The findings, published by the advocacy organization Center for Inclusive Governance, Peace and Justice, come as the transitional government has extended implementation of the peace deal to February 2027.<\/p>\n

National elections have also been postponed to December 2026, heightening scrutiny of governance reforms intended to stabilize the world\u2019s youngest nation after years of conflict.<\/p>\n

\u201cWomen\u2019s participation is often treated as a favour or token rather than a right, despite commitments under domestic legislation and international legal instruments,\u201d the analysis stated.<\/p>\n

According to the fact-sheet on women\u2019s participation in the Reconstituted Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU), despite repeated commitments under the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), the 35 percent quota for women remains unmet, with representation in several institutions even backsliding<\/p>\n

At the presidency level, women\u2019s representation has improved from 16 percent to 33 percent following the appointment of two female vice presidents in Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior and Josephine Lagu Yanga who chair influential government clusters.<\/p>\n

According to the fact-sheet, this marks the only major institution approaching the quota set out in the peace agreement.<\/p>\n

Beyond the presidency, however, the data points to steady decline revealing that women currently hold six of the country\u2019s 35 ministerial posts, or 17 percent, down from 25 percent previously.<\/p>\n

Representation among deputy ministers remains unchanged at 20 percent, with just two women serving in those roles.<\/p>\n

The report attributed the decline to weak enforcement of quota provisions, limited political will among parties, and the absence of accountability mechanisms governing appointments.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese figures highlight a continued decline in women\u2019s representation,\u201d the analysis noted, warning that commitments to gender inclusion have not translated into sustained institutional practice.<\/p>\n

The erosion of women\u2019s participation is also evident in the Reconstituted Transitional National Legislative Assembly (RTNLA) where according to the fact-sheet, female representation dropped from 31 percent to 30 percent, with 167 women currently serving out of 550 members.<\/p>\n

According to the data, at least three appointed female MPs were replaced by men, while additional vacancies affecting women remain unfilled.<\/p>\n

The position of the fourth speaker continues to remain vacant, and the removal of a female chief whip has further weakened women\u2019s leadership presence in parliament. \u201cThese replacements by males have exacerbated the gender imbalance in the legislature,\u201d the report stated.<\/p>\n

Women currently chair 21 percent of specialized parliamentary committees and serve as deputy chairpersons in 37 percent of them. While these figures indicate some progress in committee leadership, the overall decline in female MPs has reduced women\u2019s influence in legislative decision-making.<\/p>\n

Gender disparities are most pronounced at sub-national levels, where decisions on security, land governance, and service delivery are made. South Sudan currently has no female governors following the removal of the last woman governor from Western Bahr el Ghazal State.<\/p>\n

The number of female deputy governors has also fallen sharply, from 30 percent to just 10 percent, with only one woman holding the post nationwide.<\/p>\n

The data highlighted that across state governments, women account for only 22 percent of state ministers, while representation in special administrative areas ranges between 14 and 28 percent.<\/p>\n

At the county level, women\u2019s participation is minimal, with only two female commissioners out of 79 positions; just 2 percent. In total, the analysis reviewed 364 leadership positions nationwide, including governors, deputy governors, ministers, and advisers.<\/p>\n

Women held only 11 of 50 adviser positions, and none serve as chairpersons of independent commissions. \u201cThese trends demonstrate a persistent implementation gap in meeting the 35 percent women\u2019s quota,\u201d the report states, citing weak enforcement mechanisms and limited accountability within political parties.<\/p>\n

The data also highlighted delays in passing legislation viewed as critical to women\u2019s rights and political participation, even as the country prepares for delayed elections.<\/p>\n

Draft bills on Anti-Gender-Based Violence, Family Law, Women\u2019s Empowerment, and Women\u2019s Enterprise have not been tabled in parliament, despite consultations involving the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare and women\u2019s groups.<\/p>\n

If enacted, the laws would strengthen protections against violence, safeguard rights within households, and expand women\u2019s access to education, leadership, and economic opportunities.<\/p>\n

Their continued delay, civil society organizations warn, undermines both gender equality and the credibility of the transition.<\/p>\n

Gender gaps are also evident in election administration. Women make up 22 percent of the National Elections Commission and 33 percent of the National Constitutional Review Commission, but all 10 returning officers nationwide are men, reinforcing male dominance in electoral processes.<\/p>\n

The findings come as the transitional government has established a High-Level Standing Committee to monitor progress on constitution-making, security arrangements, the population census, and elections.<\/p>\n

However, women\u2019s advocates argue that monitoring without enforcement risks entrenching exclusion. \u201cFull implementation of the quota, alongside structural reforms, is key to advancing inclusive governance, democratic consolidation, and a peaceful political transition,\u201d the analysis concludes.<\/p>\n

South Sudan\u2019s transition remains closely watched by regional guarantors and international partners, who regard women\u2019s inclusion as a cornerstone of sustainable peace. Women played visible roles in mobilizing communities, advocating for civic space, and contributing to peace negotiations during the conflict.<\/p>\n

Yet as political deadlines continue to slip, the data suggests that women\u2019s participation is being eroded rather than strengthened, raising questions about the legitimacy of institutions tasked with leading the country into long-delayed elections.<\/p>\n

With less than a year to the planned polls and the transition extended once again, the report warns that continued failure to meet the 35 percent quota risks undermining public confidence in the peace agreement and weakening the foundations of South Sudan\u2019s political transition.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Alan Clement Women\u2019s representation in South Sudan\u2019s government is declining, with delays in the 2018 peace agreement straining the fragile transition and reducing female presence in key national and state institutions. The findings, published by the advocacy organization Center for Inclusive Governance, Peace and Justice, come as the transitional[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":41911,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[80,79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Picture4.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41910","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41910"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41910\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41912,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41910\/revisions\/41912"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}