South Sudanese pre-transitional period (2018–2020)

The pre-transitional period in South Sudan began with the signing of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) on 12 September 2018 and ended with the formation of the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU) on 22 February 2020, when four of the five vice presidents were sworn into office.^[a] The R-ARCSS, which ended the South Sudanese Civil War, specified that the pre-transitional period would have a duration of eight months; however, the period was extended twice—a six-month extension followed by a 100-day extension—due to a lack of implementation of the specified preparations.

The major focus of the period was on the R-ARCSS-required creation of the Necessary Unified Forces (NUF), a national army formed by the integration of the warring parties, principally the South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF)^[b] and the Sudan People's Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO). Several violent incidents occurred during the period—the most notable being an insurgency by Thomas Cirillo's National Salvation Front (NAS), which was not party to the peace agreement.

On 15 February 2020, shorty before the scheduled formation of the RTGoNU, President Salva Kiir announced that the country would return to 10 states with the creation of two administrative areas—the Greater Pibor Administrative Area and the Ruweng Administrative Area—resolving a major point of contention between the government and the opposition movements.^[3][4]

On 12 September 2018, the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) was signed by the major participants of the South Sudanese Civil War. The agreement was mediated by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and was seen as a continuation of the failed Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (ARCSS) signed in 2015.^[5] The five parties to the agreement were:

• the government of South Sudan, represented by the South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF),
• the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army-in-Opposition (SPLM/A-IO), whose formation in 2013 led to the civil war,
• the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), a coalition of nine rebel groups—although not all groups were party to the agreement,
• Former Detainees (FD), representing 11 SPLM politicians who were arrested at the outbreak of the civil war in 2013,^[6][7]
• Other Political Parties (OPP), a coalition of six minor political parties not represented by the government.^[8][9]

A key component of the pre-transitional period was the integration of participating armed groups into a national army. The R-ARCSS specified that cantonment of all forces would take place within 45 days of the signing of the agreement, and that the training and redeployment of the integrated, 83,000-strong Necessary Unified Forces (NUF) would occur within eight months. However, this timeline was delayed for several reasons, including the unwillingness of the government to canton its forces and the efforts of all parties to recruit more troops. Parties inflated their troop numbers to try to gain a greater share of the NUF, as well as DDR packages for excess troops. The SSPDF claimed to have 120,000 troops, the SPLA-IO claimed to have 227,000 troops, and the SSOA claimed to have 126,000 troops, while ceasefire monitors estimated the numbers at 90,000, 30,000, and 1,000 to 5,000, respectively.^[10] This led to widespread recruitment and conscription drives, including the forced recruitment of child soldiers.^[11][12]

Machar ordered SPLA-IO to begin the cantonment process in December 2018.^[13] The SPLA-IO repeatedly complained about the lack of food, water, shelter, and medical supplies in the camps.^[14][15][16] The training of the NUF was not completed during the pre-transitional period; by April 2020, only half of the 83,000 specified troops were at training centers.^[17] The first batch of 20,000 members of the NUF did not graduate from training until 30 August 2022.^[18]

After the signing of the R-ARCSS, scattered clashes continued in Wau State between the SSPDF and Fertit militias aligned with the SPLA-IO, with the SSPDF capturing areas around Baggari (southwest of Wau) from the SPLA-IO.^[19] On 29 January 2019, SSPDF commander Joshua Konyi stated that the forces had agreed to implement the peace agreement.^[20]

Several groups broke from the SSOA over the signing of the R-ARCSS and continued to oppose the government, the principal among them being the National Salvation Front (NAS) led by Thomas Cirillo. These groups formed the South Sudan National Democratic Alliance (SSNDA). The SSNDA merged with two other groups that were not party to the R-ARCSS—the SS-UF/A and the Real-SPLA—to form the South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA) on 30 August 2019.^[21]

The majority of fighting occurred between NAS and government forces in the Equatoria region (specifically focused on Central Equatoria), as NAS was the only member of the SSOMA to "exhibit any clear military capacity on the ground".^[22] On 12 January 2020, the SSOMA signed a ceasefire with the government negotiated by the Community of Sant'Egidio.^[23] NAS clashes with the SSPDF and SPLA-IO resumed in April 2020.^[22]

During the civil war, Maiwut, a strategic town near the border with Ethiopia, was contested between the SPLA-IO and a pro-government faction of the SPLA-IO led by Taban Deng Gai. In 2017, the deployment of an SPLA-IO force commanded by James Ochan Puot led to the capture of Maiwut from the government. A native of the area, Ochan was able to gain significant local support and resources, leading to tensions with the commander of SPLA-IO Division 5, James Khor Chol. Tensions escalated, and on 31 July 2019, Chol launched an attack on Maiwut with forces from Turow, Jekou, and Lolnyang, which succeeded in taking the town the following day. With SSPDF support and supplies, Ochan retook Maiwut on 6 August 2019. Ochan's forces then proceeded to burn the SPLA-IO cantonment site at Turow. On 22 September 2019, Ochan formally defected to the SSPDF.^[26][27]

The South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) split over the signing of the R-ARCSS, with the National Salvation Front led by Thomas Cirillo and several breakaway movements claiming that the agreement was a "power sharing agreement between elites and for the elites".^[28] The remaining members of the SSOA split into two factions after contested elections on 30 November 2018, but the dispute was resolved in May 2019 with Denay Jock Chagor becoming chair.^[29]

The following is a list of political or military groups in South Sudan during the pre-transitional period, including major positions awarded upon the formation of the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU):