Evaluating Gender-Inclusive Peace Operations: The Strategic Efficacy of Grassroots Women-Led Mediation Networks in South Sudan

Global Journal of Peace and Conflict Studies | Vol. 15, No. 3, March 2024 | pp. 19–27

DOI: 10.46882/2024/GJPCS/150301

Article Type: Original Research Paper

Title: Evaluating Gender-Inclusive Peace Operations: The Strategic Efficacy of Grassroots Women-Led Mediation Networks in South Sudan

Authors: John L. Deng¹, Claire M. Dubois²

Authors’ Affiliations: ¹Institute for Peace, Development and Security Studies, University of Juba, Juba, South Sudan; ²Department of War Studies, King's College London, London, United Kingdom

Abstract:
While international peacebuilding theories heavily emphasize the necessity of gender inclusivity, formal peace processes routinely relegate women's organizations to informal, track-two diplomacy platforms. This paper evaluates the long-term structural impacts of women-led civil coalitions on the stability and institutional resilience of the peace architecture in post-conflict South Sudan. Utilizing a mixed-methods research framework, we combine comprehensive archival qualitative analysis of political agreements with semi-structured interviews of 54 prominent community mediators. The empirical findings indicate that the early inclusion of grassroots women's networks was critical for integrating long-term human security indicators—such as integrated housing and victim support—into local governance frameworks. Quantitative metrics establish that localized peace monitoring councils featuring active women-led leadership configurations report a 38% lower incidence of recurring sectarian street violence. The study demonstrates that top-down, elite-centric negotiation models fail to heal deep-seated community polarization when they exclude grassroots civil networks. We conclude that sustainable political transitions require institutionalizing binding gender quotas within all national security sector reform (SSR) committees.

Keywords: Gender-Inclusive Peace; Women Mediation Networks; South Sudan; Human Security; Grassroots Networks; Security Sector Reform

Manuscript Timeline: Received: January 05, 2022; Revised: March 18, 2022; Accepted: May 02, 2022; Published: March 15, 2024

Citation: Deng, J. L., & Dubois, C. M. (2024). Evaluating Gender-Inclusive Peace Operations: The Strategic Efficacy of Grassroots Women-Led Mediation Networks in South Sudan. Global Journal of Peace and Conflict Studies, 15(3), 19–27. DOI: 10.46882/2024/GJPCS/150301

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