Why south Sudan peace deal is good for all of us

South Sudan and the rest of the world are keeping their fingers crossed following the latest attempt to bring lasting peace to a nation wracked by war.

Whether the guns will finally fall silent after rebel leader Riek Machar was sworn in as first vice president on Saturday remains to be seen because this is not the first time that President Salva Kiir and his hitherto bitter foe are attempting to rule together.

The South Sudanese were full of optimism when their country won independence from Sudan in 2011, but images of jubilant flag-waving crowds on the streets of Juba now seem like a distant memory.

The euphoria that greeted independence was short-lived, and South Sudan has known no peace since a civil war fought along ethnic lines broke out two years later after Kiir sacked Machar, accusing his deputy of plotting a coup against him.

Two previous attempts to end the war that has so far killed an estimated 400,000 people failed miserably, largely because of the two men’s intransigence. That is why this latest attempt at peace is likely to have been greeted with a healthy dose of scepticism in South Sudan itself, Africa and beyond.

It should be remembered that South Sudan is one of six member states of the East African Community (EAC). Peace in South Sudan, which joined the regional bloc in April 20l6, is therefore also in the best interests of the other EAC member states, which have had to endure almost four years of having in their midst a nation that has constantly been at war with itself.

Under the latest peace deal, Kiir and Machar will lead a transition government that will serve for 36 months, after which the country will go to the polls.

We can only hope that the government will hold, and the elections that will follow will be free, fair and credible. This is the only way the South Sudanese can put their troubles behind them once and for all and have a new beginning.