South Sudan national dialogue may struggle for headway

Subject

South Sudan's national dialogue and its prospects.

Significance

President Salva Kiir proposed a ‘National Dialogue’ in December 2016 in inauspicious circumstances, six months after the collapse of a peace agreement signed in August 2015. The signing of a new peace agreement in September 2018 (the ‘Revitalised Agreement’) raises new questions about the role the dialogue could play in fostering peace.

Impacts

• Resource and logistical constraints will hold the dialogue back.
• The dialogue’s inclusivity and independence will continue to be contested.
• The government may yet try to take control of the dialogue if it finds itself under new pressure.