Officials of the National Dialogue initiative at a venue in Juba in 2020 | Credit | Eye Radio

When will the Kiir administration implement the resolutions of the countrywide national dialogue process it conducted over the last four years in South Sudan? A civil society activist has asked.

In 2017, President Salva Kiir initiated the dialogue with the aim of collecting views that would unite and reconcile the country.

“Throughout the four years of the national dialogue, we were told that the peace agreement was imposed and the National Dialogue was a locally driven process – homegrown solutions to the crisis in the country, but that ended the day the National Dialogue concluded,” argues Rajab Muhandis, executive director of the Organization for Responsive Governance.

The initiative brought together delegates from Upper Nile, Equatoria and Bahr el Ghazal region.

They came up with resolutions on issues affecting their regions.

A national conference was organized in Juba where the final resolutions were adopted.

Among the issues raised in the dialogue is the need for President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar to step aside and allow the country to eventually heal and prosper.

The delegates also adopted a federal structure of governance consisting of autonomous administrative and political levels.

They further recommended that the country shall have a presidential system with two vice presidents, with the President ruling for two terms only.

The conference further resolved that the national capital shall be relocated to Ramciel in Lakes State.

In May 2021, the National Dialogue Steering Committee presented the final findings and respective recommendations to President Salva Kiir in Juba.

“Since then nobody talks about the national dialogue being the only way for peace in South Sudan or a homegrown solution to the crisis in the country,” Muhandis continues.

Kiir promised to implement the resolutions and communique of the national dialogue conference.

But activist Rajab Muhandis says not a single resolution of the dialogue process has been implemented.

He stated the process and its resolutions have been sidelined by the leaders.

“You can see how we try to provide solutions once these solutions come; we try to jump away from them completely,” he adds.

In response, Ateny Wek, press secretary in the Office of the President claims the priority for the country now is the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement:

“The revitalized agreement is the only document that had the mandate to be implemented and has the mandate to reconcile the people of South Sudan if it is implemented in latter and spirit,” he asserts.

Ateny states that the resolutions of both documents cannot be fulfilled at the same time.

The general content of the final resolution and communique of the initiative are yet to be made public.

The President had promised to keep the resolutions and all accompanying documents of the national dialogue process in the Ministry of Heritage and other relevant institutions.