What peace and Whose? - Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre

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20 International Alert‘Let me say thisagain: we cannotprosper as a nationwithout the unityand harmony of ourpeople. We mustaccept our diversityand use our difficultpast experiencesto grow.’President Salva Kiir, speech to thefirst joint sitting of the South SudanNational Legislature, August 2011recent experience of peace in South Sudan and Sudan – and the shortcomingsof peace today – some principles for building future peace in the two countriesare surely crucial. Firstly, peace in each country should be for all, not just aminority or a majority. To achieve this, the needs and voices for a peace whichbelongs to more people within the two countries must be better heard. Secondly,peace and peacebuilding are important not only within each country, but alsobetween the two. South Sudan and Sudan have much in common, as well asdivisions; longer-term peace within each will depend in part on maintainingpeaceful relations between the two. In this respect, international organisationsand donors need to be aware of the risk that uneven engagement with the twocountries may unwittingly reinforce divisions between them.Lastly, peacebuilding should encourage change. This may be the most difficultprinciple or idea for parties in South Sudan and Sudan to accept, and still moredifficult to put into practice. However, to build a more comprehensive andmore stable peace entails changes: changes in goals, changes in how the issueswhich cause conflict and prevent a more complete peace are addressed, andchanges in behaviour and action. Encouraging change and making it happen require bypassingor overcoming resistance to change, including doubts about the possibility of change. As the pasthas shown, change can happen in South Sudan and Sudan incrementally or suddenly. The spaceand the freedom to advocate for change may be limited, but they can be enlarged by buildingconfidence, alliances and receptivity, and by stimulating discussion about future peace goals orvision. Sustained dialogue among appropriate groups of participants, with influence over policyand decision makers, is just one way in which Sudanese can develop momentum to address thefactors of longer-term peace without destabilising the present situation.The end of the CPA and the division of Sudan into two countries have of course been majorchanges in themselves. However, viewed from another angle they have not brought as large achange as many may have expected or hoped. For most Sudanese and South Sudanese – fromnorth and south, east and west – life remains much as it did before with little change: the securityand insecurity of daily life, the experience of peace and conflict, of government and economicopportunity. The present, therefore, is as much as ever an opportunity for Sudanese to discussfuture stability and the ways in which they can try to build a more stable and lasting peace thanthey have known in the past.
What peace and whose?21Box 5: Different approaches for different challengesWhat is best done in peacebuilding, and what can be done, depends especially on the nature ofthe context, the capacities of actors involved in peacebuilding, and what is being aimed for. As apeacebuilding organisation which has worked in more than 20 countries over 25 years, InternationalAlert has used many different approaches to support peacebuilding.In Uganda, for example, Alert has supported a set of initiatives aimed at harnessing economicdevelopment to support peace. One initiative has been to conduct research and advocacy on theconflict and peace dimensions of economic development, including oil exploration and anticipatedproduction. In parallel, Alert has supported the development of a civil society coalition on oil inUganda, which has provided a forum for the government, oil companies and local communities tomeet, build trust and confidence, and develop mutually beneficial plans concerning oil and how tomake it into a force for peace, rather than a cause of division and conflict.In Guinea, Alert has, with other partners, facilitated a process of sustained dialogue aimed atbuilding stronger support for peace. Over two years, a series of dialogues was convened in differentlocations around Guinea and with Guineans abroad, bringing together people from government,politics, business and civil society. Using the banner “The Guinea we want”, the dialogue has allowedparticipants to build mutual understanding about sensitive issues which need to be addressed if theirlonger-term aspirations for Guinea are to be achieved.In Nepal, Alert leads a group of national and international partners in an initiative to improve justiceand security, bringing voices from the village level to the district and national level. The initiative alsosupports the broadcasting of radio programmes to raise awareness across the country about securityand justice reform debates happening in Kathmandu. In Lebanon, Alert has been working with youthleaders from political parties to build trust and broader perspectives on peace and conflict in theircountry, and to strengthen engagement across sectarian divides.
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