Chapter three provides a detailed empirical analysis of IGAD’s mediation in South Sudan’s civil war, focusing on the complex interplay of regional interests, power dynamics, and proximity. It begins by tracing the historical and political trajectory of South Sudan, from its liberation struggle to the outbreak of civil war in 2013. This context frames IGAD’s (re)entry into the South Sudanese crisis and its eventual facilitation of the 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS). The chapter foregrounds the concept of regional proximity—the geographic, political, and historical closeness between IGAD member states and South Sudan—as a double-edged sword. While proximity facilitates access and leverage, it also introduces conflicts of interest. Member states such as Uganda, Kenya, Sudan, and Ethiopia are shown to be deeply entangled in the conflict, with competing agendas that complicate IGAD’s positionality. Uganda’s military intervention, Sudan’s regional ambitions, Ethiopia’s strategic calculations, and Kenya’s economic interests all shaped the contours of the mediation process. Drawing on rich fieldwork data, including elite interviews and thematic discourse analysis, the chapter introduces the idea of the “Ugandan perspective” as a recurring motif. Uganda’s framing of South Sudan’s peace as essential to its own national and regional security underscores the indivisibility of regional stability. It also highlights how peace-making becomes entangled with elite bargains and realpolitik. Despite these contradictions, the chapter contends that IGAD’s mediation process—though imperfect and contested—represents a significant achievement in regional diplomacy. Rather than focusing narrowly on the flaws of the R-ARCSS, the chapter situates IGAD’s intervention within a broader continuum of African-led peace processes that reflect both strategic interests and deeper commitments to Pan-African solidarity and stability.