Amanda Lucey and Liezelle Kumalo

Liberia and South Sudan represent important case studies for what sustaining peace means in practice. They provide an opportunity to interrogate how the United Nations (UN) can ensure greater inclusivity in activities carried out across the sustaining peace spectrum, including mediation, security sector reform and institution building. With the current UN focus on sustaining peace, this report provides practical recommendations for more inclusive processes.

Key findings

Liberia’s mediation process made provision for power sharing among warring factions, political parties and civil society. Appointees in the National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL) could not contest the following elections.

South Sudan’s mediation process was predominantly focused on the two main parties involved in the conflict and failed to address the incentives of these actors.

Liberia’s Armed Forces were completely disbanded as part of the DDR process and communities were engaged in the design. SSR focused on reintegration.

South Sudan’s DDR and SSR processes failed to address politics or inclusivity and reintegration was ineffective.

Liberia has made efforts to establish inclusive national frameworks that involve a wide range of actors. It still faces challenges of constitutional reform and state-building.

South Sudan’s frameworks have been driven by the government and efforts at decentralisation and constitutional reform have failed.

Despite initial disagreement ECOWAS provided a unified response to Liberia’s conflict. It has moved beyond individual member state interests to develop protocols and frameworks that allow for efficient responses to protocol and framework contraventions.