Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The South Sudan Civil Society Forum is calling on the African Union, IGAD, the governments of South Sudan and Kenya, religious leaders, international partners and all relevant stakeholders to translate the shared call for inclusive political dialogue into concrete and coordinated action.
It called for the necessary political will, technical expertise, and financial resources to establish a revitalized and expanded dialogue framework.
In a statement seen by Eye Radio this morning, the forum called on them to leverage their good offices to accompany, facilitate, and mediate the dialogue process, ensuring close coordination among the AU, IGAD, the United Nations, regional actors, and bilateral partners to foster coherence and effectiveness.
The forum also appealed for conducive environment for dialogue by removing all barriers to political engagement, including lifting restrictions on political leaders, such as their release from detention, and fully guaranteeing fundamental freedoms of expression, assembly, and association.
The activists said the unity government, region, partners and the international community should ensure that the dialogue process is genuinely inclusive and incorporates the voices of a broad cross-section of the South Sudanese citizenry, including representatives from academia, faith-based and religious institutions, youth and women’s groups, as well as the wider civil society.
“Ensure that the dialogue process is genuinely inclusive and incorporates the voices of a broad
cross-section of the South Sudanese citizenry, including representatives from academia, faith-
based and religious institutions, youth and women’s groups, as well as the wider civil society,” it said.
According to the group, the recent press release of the African Union Peace and Security Council after their visit to Juba does not contain any concrete commitments from the body that would help translate this recommendation into a structured and sustained process.
The civil society forum also recalled that the Tumaini Initiative, launched in Nairobi in May 2024 under the auspices of the Kenyan Government, IGAD, and the Community of Sant’Egidio, provided a crucial platform for engaging non-signatory holdout groups to the revitalized peace agreement.
“By enhancing its inclusivity, expanding its scope, and updating its agenda to reflect current realities such as heightened insecurity, political fragmentation, diminishing civic space, and notable uncertainty, the
Tumaini Initiative can be effectively revitalized to foster the urgently needed dialogue,” it added.
The forum further affirmed its readiness to work closely with all stakeholders, national, regional, and international, to explore and support available options and mechanisms to make this crucial dialogue a reality.
Only through such a collective and inclusive approach can South Sudan overcome its current challenges and advance toward a peaceful, democratic, and successful transition.
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