Reconciliation and Identity In South Sudan (18-18)

A theoretical analysis of the church’s role in reconciliation processesand the challenges reconciliation efforts face in South Sudan.ConclusionsWhen I began this thesis I presented a main research question, as well as three subresearch questions. Following is a short presentation of these questions as well as a concluding summary of what I have discovered through the thesis.To what degree can the church be involved in reconciliation, and what is its current and future potential role?The church has played a key-role in South Sudan’s history. It was through church coordinated efforts that the scope of Sudan’s bombing raids of South Sudanese civilians was finally uncovered and documented, and it was through the actions of some of the church leaders that the international community began to take note of the situation. It was not a political leader, but Bishop Paride Taban who spoke in front of the UN about South Sudanese suffering, and virtually demanded help from the international community.The church was also one of the few humanitarian actors that were present for the local population throughout the wars and conflicts. As the various state-institutions failed, and NGOs kept out due to security concerns, it was the church that provided healthcare, education and basic needs for the population. This caused the church, or rather the various churches, to gain an immense amount of trust among the South Sudanese population. Throughout the analysis of the church’s role we find that the church has the potential to play an important part in reconciliation efforts between peoples of South Sudan. The empirical data suggests that the church is able to influence society at all levels, in various degrees. When we divide society into levels based on Lederach’s pyramid of actors we find that the church has a major influence on the grassroots level, while at the same time having a presence at the top and middle level. Their trust on the grassroots level would make the church the ideal partner for implementation of grassroots projects within the country.We find that in cases such as Wunlit and Lokichoggio, the church has shown an ability to adapt to traditional concepts and peace-making processes and implementing them in their own work. The various churches in South Sudan are divided a long ethnic lines, mostly due to missionary strategies from the past, while this makes co-operation a little difficult, it also means that the church as a whole have intimate knowledge and understanding of various peoples traditions and customs. This knowledge could in many ways be considered essential in mediating conflicts between peoples and help ground solutions and peace-processes in various local traditions.

What is it in terms of the interaction between the South Sudanese tribes that cause the animosity, and what is it that has made reconciliation efforts so difficult?What the analysis of the situation suggests is that the various tribes in South Sudan are suffering from a negative-identity spiral. While the various tribes in South Sudan have had rivalries for centuries, we find an increase in tensions between the tribes in the wake of the civil war. During the war with Khartoum many saw themselves as different from the Arabs, in many ways this is perhaps what blinded them together. When independence was gained, the negative-identity reliance on Khartoum as an enemy disappeared. After having defined themselves in that way for so long, people began to look inward the country for defining identities. Experiences from the civil war, with all its chaos, shifting alliances and ethnical killings, made the various tribes suspicious to other peoples. It is in this milieu that we see indications of the negative-identity shifting from Khartoum and to other tribes for a great deal of people. Salva and Riek seek their allies among their own, and further emphasise the negative-identity element within the country. When it explodes their personal rivalry is perhaps perceived as an extension of the rivalry between Dinka and Nuer, causing people to join their side and launch the country into war. The empirical data suggests that there hasn’t been a process to help establish national-unity, and people are unable to point to a common-identity that makes the peoples of South Sudan a single people.It is this lack of a common-identity, or a lack of real common ground, that can perhaps be argued to have made reconciliation so difficult. In looking at the South African example, we find that the concept of Ubuntu provided a common understanding among people that they were one - that Ubuntu joined them all together. The African concept was arguably reconstructed by South Africans such as Desmond Tutu to provide a suitable vernacular to define what binds the white and the black population of South Africa together as one people, creating a common understanding to use as a foundation for reconciliation.Without a common-understanding reconciliation becomes a very difficult task, not helped by the fact that the government and the state are ill-equipped to deal with reconciliatory efforts.By looking at the empirical data through the theoretical spectacles we have created we can discern reconciliation and restorative justice approaches as being concerned with renegotiating identities. It is with this in mind that we consider re-employing the theoretical models in an effort to help create the foundations for evolving a national identity.With the state so absent from the grassroots level in terms of legal and political influence, it could be difficult to successfully implement measures for reconciliation and protect these processes. Reconciliation is in many ways an emotionally charged process, and without sufficient judicial safety and security it can be very difficult to avoid harming relationships even more. It is with this in mind that I propose that evolving a national identity would be a more fruitful endeavor than attempting reconciliation at this moment in time. Having people from various tribes and communities in South Sudan come together and discuss their common challenges as well as their common and separate history could provide the groundwork for improved relations between people - a national identity evolved through interaction, which in turn could provide a more stable foundation to build reconciliation on. In this process the involvement of women, possibly through women to women meetings in various churches and villages could play an important role in bringing various communities and ethnicities together. As I mentioned in the previous chapter;Women are generally perceived as more oriented towards the future, as well as being more willing to put aside their differences for the future of their children and families. On this basis ensuring that women from various tribes and peoples can come together and discuss the past, the future and the present with other women could provide a unique stepping-stone for reconciliatory efforts.

To what degree can reconciliation be implemented in South Sudan?As we have discovered, this is a difficult question to answer. There are perhaps too many issues in South Sudan at this current moment in time for a reconciliation effort to be fruitful. What we find in the empirical data is that the state appears to be absent in much of people’s lives, and because of that a number of good-practices for reconciliation and restorative justice simply cannot be implemented. The lack of any real system of governance on the local level makes it difficult to engage in fruitful reconciliation processes. Despite this, there is clearly a need for relationships between the various tribes and peoples to improve drastically. In my analysis I presented South Sudan as a country that lacks a common understanding of what it means to be South Sudanese; that they lack a positive national-identity. It is here I believe we can find a way forward.It might possibly be helpful to foster a national identity within the country. The various peoples of South Sudan are split into numerous tribes and their identity is often tied to their tribe rather than their nation. In providing South Sudanese with the chance to get to know each other and each other’s cultural and historical heritage, you enable its people to naturally come to an understanding of what it means to be South Sudanese. Having various peoples meet with the purpose of learning how the other tribes think, what they believe in and what they have in common with themselves could help manage the fear of the unknown.It is here that the South Sudanese church can be highly effective and helpful. No other organization in the country has such a large area of influence and trust among the various local communities.The church has both the will and the ability to adapt their approach to various cultural and traditional necessities, a skill that would be very valuable in keeping people comfortable when meeting the threatening other.Negative-identity is reliant on defining oneself in relation to a threatening other, when the threat dissipates it creates a void where people define a new threatening other to fill that void, and a negative-identity spiral is born. The necessity to redefine we and them into an us is quintessential in this discussion. That process must be maintained locally; a job the church is ideal for.Yet the creation of a national identity or common understanding does not remove the need for reconciliation, it is simply the first step. There needs to be a clear common ground between two sides for reconciliation to take place. In modern reconciliation this is achieved by utilizing clear systems to help guide the process. In a country where these processes aren’t present, it is necessary to both help develop them as NCA are doing, as well as provide people with the opportunity to interact. Positive interaction fosters understanding. It is easier to see how two groups are alike if you discuss what you have gone through together, rather than what pains you have inflicted upon each other.From the analysis we can say that the biggest issue South Sudan is facing is the deteriorating relationships between tribes. While the war between Riek and Salva is destructive the long term effects of hostile relationships between ethnic groups can be catastrophic. While the war must end, I suggest that we be aware of the relationships between groups as well. It could be argued to be beneficial to all parties involved if a concrete effort to improve relationships between people outside of a classic reconciliation process was undertaken. The natural evolution of a common ground, fostered between men and women of the various peoples in South Sudan could provide the necessary foundation to better handle reconciliation efforts in the future.

LimitationsThe discoveries of the analysis conducted in this thesis are limited by a number of factors. It is important to note that the findings in this thesis are not necessarily applicable to many conflicts around the world, due to the nature of qualitative research and the choice of respondents.The findings are limited to this particular conflict at this specific point in time. While some of the findings could be applicable in a more general sense, this would require significantly more research. Due to the lack of direct contact with South Sudanese as well as the difficulty in traveling to the region the thesis is based on perceptions of the situation as presented by respondents, and the various reports and documents used. While many of the documents were written by, or in collaboration with, South Sudanese sources it is important to note that these are written with a purpose to present the situation in a certain way. By utilizing a number of different documents and reports, as well as using interviews and books to gain a more in-depth picture, I believe I have presented the conflict and the situation in an as accurate light as possible - while being fully aware that a completely accurate representation is not possible.

Further ResearchWhen we presuppose that reconciliation is in essence the renegotiation of identities there is an array of possible avenues for further research. In this thesis I have shown that negative-identities seem to not simply disappear when the threatening other does. It appears that in the case of South Sudan the negative-identity that was tied to Khartoum found another threatening other when the larger threat disappeared. In the absence of a common-identity or a common national-identity, people returned to the negative-identity, causing a negative identity spiral. It seems plausible that unless a common-understanding or common-identity is found this negative-identity spiral will continue, dividing communities even more. With that in mind it would be useful for future research to look at how identities develop in a conflict, how are negative-identities created, and what fuels these negative-identities?In terms of South Sudan further research into the nature of the animosity between the tribes, and how culture and traditional concepts can be used for reconciliation could be potential avenues of continued research. Continued research into the role that religious institutions can play in reconciliation would also be valuable. For example; how churches can have on reconciliation processes, and their impact on processes that need to be implemented on the grassroots level.