December 15, 2017, marked 4 years of a political turmoil in an independent South
Sudan. This has culminated in the country’s widespread insecurity, an unmatched
humanitarian tragedy, and a heightening economic distress. This misery deepens
as a host of efforts to stamp the instability continue to falter, one after another. Since 2014,
several political settlements have been reached and nearly all of them have failed wholesale.
The latest Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoH), signed on December 21, 2017, as
part of another attempt to rescue and put life into a previous agreement, raised hopes for
peace in South Sudan once again. In this review, we highlight potential causes of failure for the South Sudanese cessation of hostilities settlements. We raised some of these points in a recent publication on the revitalization process and the prospects for peace in the country. Lastly, we offer advice on
how to make the ongoing peace initiatives, particularly the security aspects of the ARCSS,
more effective. In this review, we highlight matters respecting incentives, preparedness for
the implementation, military command, trust, and ripeness of the conflict.
