In November 2016, I arrived in Juba, South Sudan, contracted to serve at the Communications and Media Relations desk of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC). It was my first time setting foot in the country.
Yet South Sudan did not feel entirely unfamiliar. As a journalist with this publication in Nairobi, I had followed its story closely, its hard-won independence, fragile peace agreements, and recurring cycles of conflict. From newsrooms hundreds of kilometres away, I reported on unfolding events, often piecing together narratives from crackling phone lines and fragmented accounts.
But this time was different. I was no longer covering South Sudan from a distance. I was stepping directly into its reality.For me, the opportunity to work in service of such continental and global statesman of his stature was both an immense privilege and a profound responsibility.
Often, equipped with a tape recorder, camera, a penand a notebook, I would position myself quietly at the edge of high-stakes meetings and press briefings, acutely aware that every word spoken carried weight.
JMEC had been established under Chapter VII of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (ARCSS). Its mandate was to monitor and oversee implementation of the Agreement, including the work of the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU).
At the helm of this critical body was an African statesman, former President of the Republic of Botswana, H.E. Festus Gontebanye Mogae, appointed Chairperson by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in October 2015.The choice for the role was no accident. He brought with him immense clout and a formidable reputation, earned through years of principled leadership in Botswana and across the continent.
Surrounded by an accomplished team of staff and thematic experts, President Mogae was, above all, a keen listener. He listened patiently and deliberately. In meetings frequently charged with tension and competing interests, he ensured every voice was heard. He absorbed details, weighed perspectives carefully, and only then offered his measured guidance. His interventions were never impulsive, they were thoughtful, precise, and firmly anchored in principle.
In Botswana, a country often cited as an exception in a continent too frequently burdened by corruption, fragile governance, and the corrosive pursuit of power, President Mogae distinguished himself as a model of integrity and principled leadership.
His stewardship reflected a deep and consistent commitment to accountability, prudent governance, and long-term national stability, qualities that would later define his approach to mediation, diplomacy, and peacebuilding beyond Botswana’s borders.
In the world’s youngest nation, at a time when the slightest misstep could reverse months of painstaking progress, his steady hand and measured counsel helped anchor the process. He understood that peace in such circumstances is never linear. It is fragile, often reversibleand demands patience, credibilityand unwavering commitment.
At JMEC, he brought these same attributes to bear with quiet assurance. He exercised calm authority, sharp intellect and embodying a rare blend of firmness and humility. In a context as delicate, complex, and politically charged as South Sudan’s peace process, these qualities were not merely desirable, they were indispensable. His presence lent credibility to the process, steadied difficult conversations, and reinforced the principle that sustainable peace is built not through haste or force, but through patience, disciplineand integrity.
In July 2016, following renewed fighting atin the capital, Juba that triggered awave of violence, President Mogae demonstrated remarkable diplomatic resolve. Drawing on his moral authority and tireless advocacy, he recommended the revitalisation of the ARCSS, recognising that the original agreement required renewed political will and structured recommitment to survive.
His efforts helped steer the parties back toward dialogue and compromise, laying the groundwork for the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), signed in September 2018 in Addis Ababa.
To date, the R-ARCSS remains the most viable framework for advancing lasting peace, national unity and reconciliationin South Sudan, a testament, in part, to the steady and principled leadership that helped rescue the process from collapse.
President Mogae stepped down as Chairperson of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (R-JMEC) in October 2018, bringing to a close a chapter defined by uncertainty, resilience, and painstaking diplomacy.The Commission had been reconstituted following the revitalisation of the Agreement, an acknowledgment that the peace process required renewal, recalibrationand steadfast stewardship.
His exit was itself a moral lesson, a quiet reminder that leadership is not about permanence, but about purpose, and that there comes a time when one must step aside to allow countries and institutions, not individuals, to endure.
By the time he left, he had helped stabilise a process many feared would collapse entirely, leaving behind both an institutional framework and a moral example that continued to guide South Sudan’s fragile journey.
In his farewell message, he left the leadership and people of South Sudan with words that were both simple and profound:
“Instead of buying guns, buy textbooks and turn swords into ploughshares.”
It was a statement that captured the essence of his philosophy: peace not merely as the absence of war, but as the deliberate investment in education, development, and human dignity. Even in departure, he reminded a fragile nation that its future would not be secured by the instruments of conflict, but by the tools of knowledge, productivity, and reconciliation.
To those of uswho served under his leadership, he was more than a chairperson. He was a steady hand in turbulent times, a statesman who understood that peace is not declared. It is painstakingly built, monitored, defendedand, when necessary, rescued from the brink.
The Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership laureate, President Mogae, aged 86, passed away on May 8, 2026, in the Botswanan capital, Gaborone, leaving behind a legacy of principled leadership, humilityand service that resonate far beyond his homeland.
In memory, he stands as a reminder that statesmanship is not measured by the authority one holds, but by the restraint, wisdomand dignity one brings to it.
He may be gone, but the values he embodied continue to speak, quietly,wherever the work of peace is still unfinished.
