An elated South Sudanese lady told
a foreign television journalist in Juba (South Sudan’s capital) on 9th
July 2011, shortly after the event to mark the birth of an independent South
Sudan that “South Sudan is going to be
the Dubai of Africa”.
The lady must have expressed hope
for a new Nation set to shift gears from a long costly liberation struggle to a
peaceful prosperous country. A South Sudan that would have steadily climbed the
steps of development and compete with other nations in the region and beyond.
Such development would translate to better lives for South Sudanese and setting
them free from the shackles of violent conflict, poverty and uncertainty.
The South Sudanese lady must have
voiced the thoughts of many South Sudanese as well as what was in the
expectations of the many friends of South Sudan.
The green light for a peaceful,
independent and prosperous South Sudan, after decades of war, came in January
2005 following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in
Nairobi -Kenya. The CPA created a semi autonomous Southern Sudan, paving way
for a secession referendum and a path to the now independent South Sudan. As
anticipated, the then semi autonomous Southern Sudan successfully voted
overwhelmingly for separation, leading to her independence on 9th
July 2011.
During the long struggle for
autonomy and independence, the people of South Sudan were united by a common
goal to realize an independent South Sudan. Though this unity of purpose
resulted to the sweet fruit of independence, the many years of civil war and
neglect by the pre-separation regimes greatly affected cohesion among
communities in the country, promoted revenge and violent means to justice as
well as other unconventional traditional justice systems. People literally gave
up on modern justice administration systems.
This trend and despair appears to
have entrenched cultural, structural, and violent physical conflicts which
continue to slow down and in some areas halt the anticipated safe journey to a
peaceful, developing and prosperous country.
South Sudan is in a challenging
unstable post conflict transitional season. Three years after independence,
conflict remains a major barrier to peace and social development. In fact the
optimism held by the people of South Sudan on Independence is gradually
wilting. Some feel that the recurring incidents of internal conflict dent the
image of a country whose independence was supported by a 99% vote in 2011.
In mid December 2013 for example,
violent conflict broke out in Juba and spread to other parts of the country.
The violence cast a cloud of panic and uncertainty across South Sudan. The
violence is still going on in some parts of the country amid mediation efforts
initiated by IGAD and other friends of South Sudan. Thousands have lost life to
this conflict, many others have been injured, displaced and property destroyed.
Incidents of inter-communal
conflict are a common occurrence across the country’s 10 Administrative States.
This conflicts and the political instability at the National level continue to
inhibit prospects for a stable peaceful & Democratic South Sudan.
A cessation of hostilities
agreement signed by the warring parties in the conflict has been violated as
the blame game continues. It is hoped that the most recent commitment on paper
by the country’s President and Opposition Leader in February 2015 will lead to
a total cessation of hostilities, formation of an interim Government, a new
constitutional dispensation and national elections. All this can only happen in
a peaceful safe environment where the rule of law prevails.
Cases of intolerance, prejudice,
mistrust and use of traditional judicial mechanisms such as revenge and
physical violence to settle disputes are common. These traditional justice
systems have done very little to end conflict, they have instead continued to
promote a cycle of violence.
This context points to how lack of
public trust or confidence in contemporary justice administration systems as a
reliable means to dispute resolution, has a potential to trigger vengeful means
to securing justice and inter communal violent conflict and hold back peace
initiatives and long term economic and democratic development in South Sudan .
Having contributed to media
development initiatives in South Sudan for nearly three years, I understand and
appreciate more the media as an important feature of transition in post
conflict environments. The media potential in South Sudan is yet to be fully
exploited in the prevailing recovering post conflict mode.
South Sudan is doing her best to generate sets of law to guide the media industry but much needs to
be done to link the vision that inspired the need for such laws with the realities on the
ground. A fast gear towards a more vibrant and free press across the South Sudan is
very necessary, if the media is to truly add reasonable value to existing peace
efforts. The media has to be given a chance in the business of confidence building and promotion of non violent modern justice
systems.
A confidence building radio
campaign on the country’s rule of law structures and their ability to arbitrate
will also enhance the development of democracy and social development in the
world’s newest democracy.
The argument in this post is not
closed to the fact that previous and ongoing initiatives to foster peace in
South Sudan have continued to bear tangible fruits. It acknowledges that there
exists a move into the right direction towards a safer South Sudan but more
needs to be done to strengthen public confidence in modern justice
administration systems.A strengthened public confidence
in modern justice administration systems will create extra room for a more peaceful
environment conducive for development.
In addition to what they already know about a sustainable solution to conflict in South Sudan, all that the organizations, individuals, development
agencies investing in South Sudan and all those who stand in solidarity with
this country should do is to appreciate the urgency there is in helping South
Sudan not to be left behind in the POST-2015 development agenda.
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