Policy Framework for Sustainable Peacebuilding in South Sudan : A Critical Discourse Analysis of South Sudanese Peace Policy Documents

The aim of this study was to critically analyse the South Sudanese peace policy framework which has been expressed in its post-independence peace and development policies. The study also aimed at analyzing the nexus between peacebuilding and broader development agenda and at identifying types of discourses, beliefs and ideologies that have been adopted or relinquished in the South Sudanese peacebuilding framework. Any ideological impact of external factors in influencing peace policies was also critically analysed. Four policy documents namely the Comprehensive Peace Agreement 2005, the South Sudan Development Plan 2011-2013, the South Sudan Peace and Reconciliation Strategy 2013-2015 and the Comprehensive Strategic Dimensions for Healing, Peace and Reconciliation 2013 were selected and critically analysed using Norman Fairclough’s three-dimensional model for Critical Discourse Analysis: (1) linguistic features and texts, (2) interdiscursivity, and (3) explanation of wider social, political, historical and cultural contexts. Key theoretical concepts surrounding peacebuilding have been discussed starting from the Kantian notion of perpetual peace and continuing to modern ideas of democratic peace theory, negative-positive peace, international engagement and liberal peacebuilding. More recent concepts of new wars and transitional justice systems have been discussed as well. The study identifies altogether six discourses that are maintained through the policy documents. The identified discourses are the capitalist corporate discourse, the curative peace discourse, the development aid/dependency discourse, the good-governance discourse, the religious discourse and the reconciliation discourse. The findings of this study suggest that the South Sudanese peacebuilding framework is based on building peace primarily through security measures and institutional strengthening while paying less attention to bottom-up approaches and people’s subjective wellbeing. In addition, the policy documents studied do not envision any form of transitional justice mechanism and lack a comprehensive national reconciliation program. This is likely to deepen pervasive impunity and result in further divisions, more belligerencies and bloodshed in the country. The study also finds that the South Sudanese peace policy framework is heavily influenced by the so called Western idea of liberal peacebuilding that aim to promote liberal economy, Western-style democracy, marketization and globalization. Though the policy documents emphasize on democracy, good governance and human rights, their implementation modality is not clear. In addition, the policy documents lack coherency, one document prioritising one theme while another adopting a completely different approach, and the nexus between peacebuilding and broader development is poorly established