JUBA, South Sudan, Nov 2- Kenya’s special envoy to South Sudan Kalonzo Musyoka on Monday arrived in Juba, South Sudan for the National Dialogue Conference that will run from 3rd to 15th November.
Kalonzo is scheduled to address the meeting on Tuesday after the official opening by South Sudan President Salva Kiir.
The conference themed ‘COME LETS DIALOGUE, COME LET’S HEAL OUR NATION’, is a culmination of regional meetings that have been held in Greater Bar EL Ghazal in Wau, in February 2019, the second one in Greater Upper Nile in May of 2019 and the third one at the Greater Equatoria, in August 2019 paving way for the national Conference in Juba starting Tuesday.
On arrival, Musyoka was received at the Juba International Airport by the current head of Kenyan mission, Embassy of South Sudan Ali Mambo.
Kalonzo has been part of the South Sudan peace process as a mediator. His and other regional and international leaders efforts culminated to the birth of the newest Nation state of the world.
Other speakers expected to address the conference include South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa, Chairperson of African Union Commission (AU) Moussa Faki, Chairperson, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Amb. Ismail Wais among other dignitaries.
Kalonzo is also expected to deliver President Uhuru Kenyatta’s good will message to the South Sudan President as well as address South Sudanese on the need for peaceful coexistence.
The National dialogue was launched by President Salva Kiir on 22nd May 2017 after the 25th April 2017 presidential decree.
The process is aimed at addressing the complexities of South Sudan’s conflict through discourse that links the national, regional and grassroots levels in efforts to deal with the civil war.
The objective of the conference is aimed at serving as a forum/process where South Sudanese would redefine their nationhood, citizenship, state structure, renegotiate social contract and revitalization of development.
“The National Dialogue is both a forum and process through which the people of South Sudan shall gather to redefine the basis of their unity as it relates to nationhood, redefine citizenship and belonging, restructuring the state and renegotiate social contract and revitalize their aspirations for development and membership in the community of nations” reads the brief on the conference.
“For this to be realized the process of National Dialogue must be seen as credible, genuine, and open to all South Sudanese and it should have reliable guarantees for its outcomes to be accepted and implemented” the brief concludes.
After the July 2016 conflict, the National Dialogues was conceived as a process to generate consensus among a broad range of national stakeholders, on how to move forward the faltering peace process.
The National Dialogues seeks to broaden participation and bring together all relevant national stakeholders and actors (state and non-state) on key conflict issues, such as state reform and state building.
The National Dialogue will also serve as a platform for a national conversation, not just between the belligerents, on the reform called for by the peace agreement.
The National Dialogue will also broaden the scope of issues for reflections that are not covered in the peace agreement. e.g. issues relating to communal violence.
The South Sudanese have a rich history of mediating and talking to and amongst themselves. However, the National dialogue is the first truly national conversations, since independence, amongst all South Sudanese about the future conversation of the country.
The Kenya’s Special Envoy is accompanied by Kitui women representative Irene Kasalu and Kilome MP Thuddeus Nzambia.
Want to send us a story? Contact Shahidi News Tel: +254115512797 (Mobile & WhatsApp)
