ACCORD’s Knowledge Production Department recently hosted another internal staff seminar – this time with Dr William Tsuma and Dr Kwesi Sansculotte-Greenidge. In their presentation to staff from ACCORD’s Interventions and Knowledge Production Department, Dr Tsuma and Dr Sansculotte-Greenidge addressed the issue of integrating conflict prevention in South Sudan’s post-independence transition plan. This internal staff seminar was particularly relevant as post-conflict peacebuilding in South Sudan features high on the agenda of many international actors as well as conflict management organisations, such as ACCORD.
During this seminar held on 13 September, Dr Tsuma, the Programme Manager of Action Learning from the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) in The Hague, elaborated on the European Union’s engagement in South Sudan. Relevant in this regard is the key discussion currently taking place concerning a common approach in post-conflict societies rather than approaching every single country individually. Being an expert on Sudan and South Sudan, Dr Sansculotte-Greenidge, Senior Researcher at ACCORD, presented on the current socio-economic and political situation in South Sudan and discussed potential roles for local, national, regional and international actors in Africa’s newest nation.
Among the many inputs during the discussion, it was argued that while external actors can help in putting the infrastructure in place that is necessary for state-building and peacebuilding in South Sudan, local actors will have to be the ones that own the peacebuilding process.
ACCORD values the development and substantive engagement of its staff. The seminar provided participants with an in-depth analysis on the many challenges South Sudan currently faces, as well as the opportunities for peacebuilding.
