---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: John Ashworth <[email protected]> Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2013 09:49:07 -0500 Subject: [sudan-john-ashworth] SCC Communique on National Reconciliation To: Group <[email protected]>
According to this communique from the Sudan Council of Churches, the churches welcome the government's initiative for national reconciliation but express some caution. This echoes discussions which I have had and heard between church leaders and experts in Juba over the last couple of weeks. Some of the issues which have given rise to "caution" include: - The faith communities have been brought into this process very late. Rather than being co-opted at the last minute, they need to have a major role in driving and designing the process. - Is this a top-down process? To what extent have faith communities, civil society, traditional leaders and grassroots citizens been involved in discussing the necessity, timing and process for national reconciliation? - This needs to be a home-grown process, and any foreign NGO called in to help with it (regardless of how many retired international politicians it has on its books) must fit in with what the people of South Sudan want. South Sudan has shown that it has its own indigenous capacity for reconciliation, eg in the People to People Peace Process from the 1990s. - Is there a danger of the process being politicised? The SCC cautions the government "not to hijack such important national issue". - What is reconciliation? At what levels is it to be pursued? Does it include senior political figures reconciling with each other? Political parties? Ethnic groups? The SPLA and other armed groups and security organs reconciling with people they have harmed? Are all of these groups ready to reconcile? Or is there the danger that some are just looking for a quick and cheap amnesty? - Is national reconciliation tied in with building a national identity, and if so what is the process for building that national identity? - Are the constitution and the law consistent with some of the potential outcomes of a national reconciliation process, including amnesty and reparations? National reconciliation will need a very long time-frame of several years if it is to be done properly. While there is a degree of urgency, it would be premature (and possibly even counter-productive) to rush into it without putting in place a process to deal with these and other questions, and without ensuring full participation of the faith communities, civil society, traditional leaders and grassroots citizens right from the start. John BEGIN 1. Report on a Consultative Forum Meeting with the Vice President Dr. Riek Machar of the Republic of South Sudan. Sudan Council of Churches, February 05, 2012 [also attached] On Monday February 04, 2013 the Sudan Council Churches (SCC) and other faith based organizations took part in a consultative forum with the Government of the Republic of South Sudan. The consultation meeting which was sanction by the Vice President Dr. Riek Machar was attended by several religious leaders affiliated to SCC and the South Sudan Islamic Council; among those present were SCC Chairman Bishop Michael Taban and the Acting General Secretary Revd Mark Akec Cien. The consultative forum whose theme was: A journey of Healing for National Reconciliation in South Sudan is an initiative by the Government aimed at trying to reduce the rampant violence in South Sudan and the insecurity in Juba itself. H.E. Dr. Machar emphasised that, although it’s a program which was passed by Council of Ministers, the Government in conjunction with an organization known as Initiative of Change International would like to partner with the Church, faith based organization, civil society and political parties so as to disseminate the message of peace and reconciliation in South Sudan. The program is expected to begin by the training of some 200 Peace Mobilizes who will carry sensitization in all the Ten States of South Sudan followed by a national conference on Peace and Reconciliation to be held from 18 – 21 April, 2013 and will be attended by world leaders among them South Africa Prelate and Noble Peace Laureate Desmond Tutu, Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd among others who will come to share with South Sudanese their experiences on Peace and Reconciliation, Good Governance and how to combat Human Security. The Church leaders and South Sudan Islamic Council leaders present welcomed the initiative but caution the Government not to hijack such important national issue with SCC Chairman Bishop Taban who spoke last, saying what the Church leaders had emphasised was very crucial. Bishop Taban reminded the Government of earlier initiatives on peace like the Kajiko One and Two which were successful because the Church and the Government had worked together. The Vice President welcomed all the views and encouraged the Church to take part in the review of the constitution which is ongoing and promised to send a full document on the Reconciliation and Peace program for everyone to read, requesting that any feedback by the Council or the faith based organizations present are welcome. The Revd Mark Akec Cien Acting General Secretary Sudan Council of Churches Juba, South Sudan END1 2. South Sudan initiates consultations on national reconciliation February 3, 2013 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s government has kicked off a series of consultative meetings ahead of an upcoming campaign for a process of healing on national reconciliation in the country. The consultations aim to share ideas and mobilise support for the planned national reconciliation campaign in order to put to rest past differences among South Sudan’s tribes and clans and focus on the future. The first consultative meeting took place on Saturday between the government and the international organisations operating in South Sudan. The meeting, chaired by the country’s vice president, Riek Machar Teny, brought together the organising committee for the reconciliation process and international non-governmental organisations. Machar told representatives of the international NGOs that national reconciliation has become a priority of the government after independence, adding that without forgiveness and reconciliation among the people, the badly needed development of the country would be affected by the lingering past and present inter-communal conflicts. The meeting was cordial with members of the international NGOs expressing their willingness to support the initiative technically and financially. The presidential advisor on decentralisation and intergovernmental linkages, Tor Deng Mawien, also told the press that more consultative meetings will take place over the next few days with different stakeholders. The next consultative meetings will include faith-based groups, local NGOs and civil society organisations, as well as political parties, he said. Mawien who also chairs the organising committee for national reconciliation further added that 200 people will be selected as “peace mobilisers” and trained with the assistance of the Initiative of Change International before the scheduled April conference on reconciliation. A number of former presidents and prime ministers, as well as prominent religious leaders from Europe, Australia, America and Africa have been invited to the conference to deliver speeches on the importance of national reconciliation and good governance. The conference is scheduled to convene in April and will be followed by peace and reconciliation campaigns in South Sudan’s 10 states in a process which is expected to go on for many years to come. (ST) http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article45394 END2 ______________________ John Ashworth Sudan, South Sudan Advisor [email protected] +254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile) +211 919 695 362 (South Sudan mobile) +27 82 050 1235 (South Africa mobile) +44 750 304 1790 (UK/international) +88 216 4334 0735 (Thuraya satphone) PO Box 52002 - 00200, Nairobi, Kenya This is a personal e-mail address and the contents do not necessarily reflect the views of any organisation -- -- The content of this message does not necessarily reflect John Ashworth's views. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, John Ashworth is not the author of the content and the source is always cited. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "sudan-john-ashworth" group. 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SCC_Communique_NatRec_Feb2013.doc
Description: MS-Word document
