Who to dialogue with in the South Sudan National Dialogue Initiative

[Elisabeth Janaina]

Who to dialogue with in the South Sudan National Dialogue Initiative
Posted: September 10, 2017 by PaanLuel Wël in Junub Sudan
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By Thon Madol Mathok, Kampala, Uganda

National Dialouge Steering Committee

September 10, 2017 (SSB) — National dialogue has become a song that
can be sung by everyone but at the end of the day, no one takes the
message contained in the song very seriously. National dialogue in
essence is a platform where each and every one of us who are affected
by the National crisis sit down with creators of the crisis to resolve
the crisis because everyone is serious and wants war to end in the
country such that people tend to others issues like how country should
be developed, educating youth who are going to be the future of South
Sudan.

It is a good initiative President deserves that because it is one of
the steps toward bringing peace in the country; on the contrary, the
president excludes others from the national dialogue. For instance,
the President gave national dialogue committee a green light with
exception of Riek Machar. As a matter of fact, it is like co wives
fought and involved the whole family when other family members call
for a discussion to resolve the issue.

One co wife said I do not want another co wife to sit down with me, we
do not go down well at all excluded her and let’s continue with
discussion and the other co wife in response telling family members
only if the other co wife ceases treating herself big ahead of me then
I shall join discussion.

This is making dialogue lacking some recipes to make it a full
Dialogue and raise a question to who dialogue with who? Since Kiir has
alienated Riek Machar, Pagan Amum in US nagging UN so that South Sudan
should be put under UN TRUSTEESHIP, some other SPLM former detainees
are oscillating within East Africa praying at least God should just
change things and other rebels groups are not stopping the fight and
join national dialogue, on the other hand, national dialogue
committee, SPLM IG, SPLM IO of Taban, some few SPLM FD, political
parties, and citizens are chanting DIALOGUE! DIALOGUE!

Here one can pause and enquire again, whose problem are we resolving?
Oh yes to put things into perspective the Dialogue we try to discuss
in the National dialogue is the problem that has its origin in the
SPLM camp and engulfed the whole country. Now SPLM Camp is fragmented
and scattered there is SPLM in government in Juba, SPLM in opposition
which is literally divided into SPLM IO Taban followers in Juba and
SPLM IO Riek followers in some part of the country and diaspora, SPLM
former detainees Pagan Amum in the US and rest in East Africa.

All these groups of SPLM party have different views on national
dialogue and are seemingly reluctant to form a consensus on national
dialogue agenda nor have the appetite of discussing peace and national
dialogue is aging.

Well even if citizens, other political parties, SPLM IG and SPLM IO
under Taban go ahead with national dialogue, I don’t think the problem
is resolved yet. As long as Riek is excluded with his followers will
still wage war against the government, Thomas Cirilo, if excluded with
his group, will still fight government and economy as well taking a
toll on people’s lives and still no work was done.

For national dialogue to be fruitful and achieve the aim it was
devised, it must require inclusiveness where everyone must participate
with emphasis on the attendance of creators of the problem (SPLM)
because the other participants are not creators of the problem but
problem resolution seekers. So if we are discussing on how to bring
peace then they who are the creators of the problem must be part and
parcel of peace resolution talk.

National dialogue committee together with IGAD and international
community as a first priority should find a way to persuade SPLM party
fragments, political parties, rebels groups to attend national
dialogue such that it is inclusive so as dialogue will kick off
without anyone feeling left out in addressing the problem be it caused
the problem, be it, victims of the problem, be it rebels groups, each
and every one.

It is a discussion of how we can achieve peace without fighting such
that country moves forward peacefully, It is in the National dialogue
we civilians and other concerns people ask the creators of the problem
we want peace, let’s find the ways to peace. It is in National
dialogue where we ask them enough is enough to their infinite
disagreement and let’s look for common ground where we shall all agree
and forge a better path to peace and the suffering in the country.

Otherwise, the National dialogue is reaching its mature stage without
addressing the problem at hand in which it was devised and dialogue is
becoming fruitless and the problem continues. Therefore it is good to
define and trace and exhaust once and for all the root cause of the
problem in order to find a lasting solution.

The writer is a Tax assistant inspector, western lakes state. I can be
reached via Thonp...@gmail.com