Nov 2, 2020(Nyamilepedia) — South Sudan is set to hold a National Dialogue Conference that will see more than five hundred participants from different communities and political parties.
The National Dialogue conference will start tomorrow and will continue for two weeks. It is expected to be presided over by President Salvar Kiir; however, a number of political allies may not attend it.
Dignitaries expected to grace the opening session include the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa although virtually, African Union Commission chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat, the IGAD special envoy to South Sudan Ismail Wais, and representatives from Uganda and Kenya.
According to the head of communications and information of the South Sudan National Dialogue Secretariat, Vincent Mark Wanga, the conference will bring together delegates from across the country
“We have invited almost 500 participants from all over South Sudan who are expected to arrive and join this conference. So, as of this week, Juba will be full of delegates from the states.”
He noted that The National Dialogue began with grassroots consultations, and from each county, nine participants were selected to come to the regional conference and from the nine, three participants were selected to attend the national dialogue.
The head of communications and information added that there will be three representatives from each county across all the 79 counties in the country.
Mark also said that the delegates represent farmers, church leaders, teachers, politicians, traders, civil society, the South Sudan Council of Churches, representatives of political parties, doctors, and judges.
The conference will address governance systems, economy, national security, land issues, and social cohesion among South Sudanese.
Mark said that the government has established an office which will ensure that the discussed issues are implemented adding that the office will work with the government, NGOs, and all other communities across the country.
The national dialogue initiative was announced by president Salva Kiir back in December 2016 with ten points on top of which was ’ending all forms of violence in the country’.
The National Dialogue consultation process started in early November 2017 at the local and regional level and was envisioned to end in mid-2018 with the National Dialogue Conference in late 2018 but kept on being postponed until this year.
