The people of South Sudan is suffering under a terrible man-made catastrophe where millions have fled from their homes and many face starvation. Ending the three-year-old civil war is the first step to solve the crisis, but negotiations, led by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), have faltered.
Over the last year the violence has escalated and spread to new parts of the country. In January 2017, the African Union, IGAD and the United Nations issued a joint statement, giving the AU a renewed role in South Sudan's conflict. What should this role be? How should its efforts be co-ordinated with other facilitating partners such as the regional organisations (IGAD), the UN and with collective efforts from Western countries (the Troika)? This seminar is part of the two-year policy research project "Enhancing South-South Cooperation: Promoting African responses to peacebuilding in Africa" which is jointly funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
These questions will be at the centre of the discussion at this PRIO seminar:
- PRIO Senior Research Øystein H. Rolandsenchairs the seminar and will give a short introduction to the situation in South Sudan.
- Amanda Lucey and Liezelle Kamalo from the Institute for Security Studiesin South Africa will present their recent policy paper: "Democratise or disintegrate: How the AU can help South Sudan"
- Jim Della-Giacoma, Deputy Director, the Center on International Cooperationat New York University will comment on the role of the UN in regional peace-making
- Zach Vertin, Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center and former US State Department Policy Director will comment on the role of the US and the Troika in peace negotiations
A light lunch will be served after the seminar. All welcome
This seminar is organised by the Non-state Conflict Actors and the Peacebuilding Research Groups.
