The Illusion of Finality: A Critical Analysis of Elite Bargaining and the Implementation Gap in South Sudan's Revitalised Peace Agreement

This working paper interrogates the persistent implementation gap in South Sudan's 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS). It argues that the agreement, while a significant elite bargain, functions as a 'negotiated state of impasse' rather than a roadmap to sustainable peace. Through a qualitative analysis of primary documentation, elite interviews, and local media reports from 2019-2021, the paper demonstrates how the logic of elite accommodation has systematically undermined critical provisions on security sector reform, transitional justice, and constitution-making. The findings reveal a pattern of deliberate delay and renegotiation by signatory parties, perpetuating a cycle of instability and eroding public trust. The discussion situates these findings within broader debates on hybrid peacemaking and the political marketplace in post-colonial African states.