Peace & Reconciliation

The Sudan People's Liberation Movement was born out of a struggle for a united, just South Sudan, and peace remains the foundation everything else is built on. Schools, clinics, markets and investment all flourish where communities live in peace with one another. The SPLM Manifesto names peace, freedom and security as “categorical imperatives” on which the very existence of the nation depends.

Our history gives this commitment weight. The SPLM led the people of South Sudan to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and to independence, and today it leads the implementation of the Revitalised Peace Agreement that is carrying the country to elections. The SPLM's peace policy reaches beyond agreements between leaders: it builds trust between neighbours, communities and the state.

Unity is our strength

The Movement has always emerged stronger from its tests. In 1991, the SPLM's leadership met in Torit and adopted the Torit Declaration, whose central message was that the people of South Sudan have one common cause, the right to self-determination, around which they must all unite. The reunification of the Movement in January 2002 opened the way to the Machakos Protocol that same year and to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005. That history teaches a simple lesson: when South Sudanese unite, they achieve what no one else can deliver for them.

Our priorities

• Implement the peace agreementFull implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan, including the security arrangements and the transition to elections.
• Reconciliation from the ground upCommunity reconciliation forums with traditional leaders, faith communities, women's and youth groups, bringing peace home to every payam, cattle camp and church hall.
• One national armyA professional, educated and representative national army that reflects our diversity, defends our sovereignty and is the people's army under the rule of law.
• Security in the hands of the stateDisarmament and the unification of forces so that security rests with accountable national institutions rather than armed groups.
• Reject tribalismThe SPLM rejects the use of tribe for dividing our people or for personal, political or economic gain. Our identity is South Sudanese.
• Care for those who sacrificedSupport for veterans, the wounded, war widows and widowers and orphans, who carry the cost of the struggle and deserve the nation's lasting respect.

Unity in diversity

South Sudan is home to more than sixty ethnic communities, each with its own language, culture and traditions. The Manifesto describes the nation as a “salad bowl” of cultures pursuing a common national project, and commits the Party to preserving and promoting every positive element of our cultures while building a shared South Sudanese identity. That diversity is one of our nation's greatest strengths.

Women and youth as peacemakers

The SPLM Women League and Youth League play a front-line role in local dialogues, carrying the message of reconciliation and unity into every community. Women's leadership in local reconciliation and governance has consistently strengthened outcomes, and the Party is committed to protecting and expanding that role.

Respect for traditional authority

The Manifesto recognises the role chiefs and traditional authorities played throughout the liberation struggle, providing material and human support and using customary law to keep peace and order among communities. Today they remain essential partners in resolving disputes over cattle, land and water and keeping the peace in their communities.

Real peace lives in communities that trust one another and build together. That is the peace the SPLM won, and the peace it is building.