ABSTRACT
The various opposition groups lack a coordinated strategy to change the government in Juba and undertake the enormous economic and political challenges in the country. The armed and non-armed opposition groups have not yet presented convincingly an alternative political program and strategy to ensure the transition of South Sudan to a state and nation. Besieged by worsening economic conditions, unabated civil war, and mounting international pressure and isolation, President Salva Kiir called upon South Sudanese political, civic, and religious entities to participate in a national dialogue to restore peace and reconciliation among warring communities on 14 December 2016. Instead of leading the implementation of the peace agreement, the United States delegated this responsibility to intergovernmental authority on development (IGAD) the joint monitoring and evaluation commission, headed by Festus Mogae. The regional IGAD, the United States, and other guarantors of the peace agreement accepted the new political arrangement in Juba.
