The Mediation Pendulum and Diminishing Prospects for Peace in South Sudan
Date: 16 July 2015
Location: 2:30pm-5:30pm, Pan-African Hall, Juba Landmark Hotel
Organizer: The Sudd Institute & UNDP
Since the IGAD-mediated peace talks between the South Sudanese warring parties collapsed on March 6, 2015, the prospects for peace in this war-torn country seems to be greatly diminishing as violence seriously escalates. Owing to ever widening gaps between the government and armed rebellion on the negotiating front, the apparent deadlock has led to what others refer to as ‘forum shopping’ under different initiatives in Addis Ababa, Arusha, and most recently, Nairobi. Sadly, the mushrooming of mediation initiatives does not appear to have improved the chances of mergence of peace agreement.
To underscore how the uncoordinated vacillation of the mediation pendulum casts some serious doubts on IGAD’s ability to help end the crisis, the Sudd Institute in partnership with UNDP is sponsoring a public lecture. The lecture aims to provide updates on where both the Addis and Arusha processes stand and argues that the two could be strategically married to enhance the attainment of peace in South Sudan. Moreover, it highlights the significance of other informal initiatives such as the recent meeting of the Jieng and Nuer elders in Nairobi and efforts of the South Sudan Council of Churches, as these could help soften hardened parties’ positions.
Speaker
Abraham A. Awolich, Senior Policy Analyst, The Sudd Institute
Discussants
Dr. Lam Akol, Chairman, SPLM - DC
Hon. Deng Dau, Chairperson, War Disabled Commission
Zacharia Diing Akol, Senior Policy Analyst, The Sudd Institute
Moderator
Dr. Salwa Gabriel, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Cabinet Affairs