This week’s edition of the Monitor continues the commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of the independence of South Sudan with two feature articles from Dr. Dhieu Mathok Diing Wol, the Minister of Investment in the Revitalized Government of National Unity, Republic of South Sudan and Nicholas Haysom, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. Dr Dhieu discusses the historical trajectory of conflict in South Sudan while also emphasizing the role of South Sudan as a key actor for peace and security in the region through its mediation efforts in Sudan, while SRSG Haysom outlines the priorities of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), emphasizing the importance of strategic partnerships with IGAD, the AU and local peace actors.
We then turn to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with a piece from Dr. Yvan Yenda Illunga who explains the limitations of securitized narratives of the politics of the conflict in eastern DRC.