The Panel of the Wise—an AU conflict prevention body made up of senior African statesmen—will engage key stakeholders in South Sudan to ease tensions and steer the nation back on the path of stability.

By Emmanuel Mandella

The African Union (AU) has dispatched a team of leading African statespersons to South Sudan to engage leaders in dialogue to diffuse and de-escalate tension in the country.

The elite team, dubbed Panel of the Wise, will be in Juba this afternoon to mediate between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar, and also meet various peace and security institutions in the country.

The move comes amid pockets of tension and violence in some regions of the country, including the recent clashes between the national army, SSPDF and armed youth in Upper Nile, a situation that escalated to the political echelons in Juba, threatening the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement.

The AU Commission Chairperson, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, announced on Monday that the mediation team would arrive in Juba immediately to commence talks with the country’s presidency.

In a statement from Addis Ababa, Mr. Youssouf reaffirmed the AU’s commitment to preventing further escalation.

“The AU stands in full solidarity with the people of South Sudan. We call on all parties to uphold the provisions of the Revitalized Agreement and commit to a peaceful resolution through dialogue and reconciliation,” he said.

According to Amb. Prof. Joram Mukama Biswaro, AU Special Representative for South Sudan and Head of the African Union Liaison Office in South Sudan (AULOSS), the Panel of the Wise—an AU conflict prevention body made up of senior African statesmen—will engage key stakeholders in South Sudan in an effort to de-escalate tensions.

“The Panel of the Wise is expected to arrive here tomorrow (today) afternoon, led by former Burundian President Domitien Ndayizeye, Hon. Lady Justice (rtd.) Effie Owuor and Dr. Alhagi Sarjo Bah, who is the Director for Conflict Management at the African Union Commission,” he said, adding:

“The Panel of the Wise is an important pillar for the African Union peace architecture responsible for mediation and peace settlement. In so far as South Sudan is concerned, it is the right time for coming in the country. All along the body has been instrumental in following the implementation of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement being implemented by the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity,” he added.

Amb. Biswaro says the delegation’s current solidarity mission is to lend its voice to the concerned stakeholders including RTGONU, UN, and the peace bodies, on the current crisis, and to help de-escalate the present crisis and uphold dialogue while also delivering a special message from the current chair of the AUC, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf to the President Salva Kiir.

“They are expected to meet President Salva Kiir, the First Vice President Riek Machar and the other Vice Presidents and also other bodies involved in the peace process,” he added.

The AU’s intervention has been reinforced by mounting international and regional pressure, with IGAD, the East African Community (EAC), and the United Nations all calling for urgent de-escalation.

AU’s mission embraced

Meanwhile, civil society leader Edmund Yakani welcomed the AU’s intervention, calling it a necessary step toward breaking the cycle of violence.

“We appreciate the AU, IGAD, and UN for their coordinated approach in pressuring our leaders to resolve their differences through dialogue,” Yakani said.

“We are aware that other high-level leaders will also arrive to support this process. Violence never pays; it only makes us vulnerable and inflicts unbearable suffering on common citizens. We hope this delegation will influence our leaders to choose dialogue over destruction,” he emphasized.

The latest AU initiative signals an urgent attempt to salvage South Sudan’s peace process, and prevent a return to conflict as renewed violence could reignite the civil war that devastated the country for years.

The AU’s involvement might push for political consensus before upcoming elections and restore regional confidence as South Sudan’s instability affects neighboring countries, making its peace a regional priority.

Thousands of civilians are at risk as tensions escalate, making immediate de-escalation crucial.