South Sudanese civil society visit to China: a plea for action

Following a recent visit of South Sudanese civil society to Beijing, Zhang Hui and Chloë Gotterson reflect on the principal message from the delegation to Chinese officials: that China can, and should, play a more proactive role in supporting peace in South Sudan.

The violence that erupted in South Sudan in December 2013 has had a devastating effect on the newly independent country which was struggling with the legacy of decades of civil war. The signing of a peace agreement between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar in August 2015 was welcomed by the international community but in reality, seven months later, the agreement has not been put into practice. It has not brought an end to the killings. Fighting is ongoing with recent reports from the UN estimating over 50,000 people have died in the conflict, and 2 million have been displaced in what they described as “one of the most horrendous human rights situations in the world”. There is significant uncertainty about whether the agreement will be implemented effectively across the country in the near future and the efforts of the international community, including China, seem to have had little impact on bringing about meaningful change in South Sudan.

Whilst Chinese investment in South Sudan is significant, many stakeholders in China lack knowledge of the conflict and how they can best support peace. This was one reason why Saferworld supported a delegation of the South Sudanese civil society actors to meet with influential Chinese think-tank directors, military generals and company executives in Beijing at the start of March. They provided some interesting insights.

The civil society delegation called on the support of the international community to continue helping South Sudan to address its security, governance and development challenges, and to build peace. It was suggested that China is in a position of relative influence, not least because of its significant investment in South Sudan’s oil industry. Beyond investing in, and giving aid to, South Sudan, China has also played a role in mediating the peace process. The delegation highlighted that these efforts are recognised by both the international community and South Sudanese elites.

Reach out beyond the government actors

However, their key message was that despite the efforts China has made to mediate the conflict, public knowledge in South Sudan of China’s work is limited. In some cases there has even been frustration at China’s ‘silence’ regarding the conflict. The delegation was clear that Chinese engagement with actors beyond government is critical to peace.  

Saferworld believes that China should consider expanding beyond its government to government approach and ensure its efforts to support peace are visible to the wider population. The assumptions currently being made by Chinese institutions that aid and assistance given to the government will necessarily benefit the people of South Sudan should be reassessed, and China must be clear that the South Sudanese Government should be held accountable for aid it receives. Although it may sound like a contradiction to China’s ‘non-conditional’ aid policy, which emphasises that Chinese aid should not be judgemental, prescriptive or tied to specific political agendas, it is in China’s interests to make sure its aid (which has included grants, food assistance, medical assistance and cash) reaches the people it was intended for. A more peaceful and developed South Sudan will benefit China and will lessen the risks faced by Chinese people and businesses operating under the current conditions of violence and instability.

The delegation described to their Chinese hosts the value of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in bringing people together in the divided nation. They explained that local South Sudanese NGOs, often with the support of international NGOs, provide a range of essential services aimed at protecting vulnerable groups and building peace and security which should be supported. Such NGOs also have access to communities that government and international actors lack. The delegation called for more support from China to help local civil society build the conditions for peace in South Sudan and ensure that international development aid is directed at the needs of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in society.

Business can and should support peace

Another key message from the discussions was the importance of external businesses and investors being sensitive to the conflict. The group advocated for them to do all they could to support peace. They suggested that in order to be sensitive to the conflict, sufficient attention should be paid to the potential impact of investment on the conflict, both at the national level and the community level. And their work should be done in a transparent, visible and participatory manner to eliminate misunderstanding and suspicion.

When implemented in an effective and conflict sensitive manner, investments can help bring competing groups together, promote more equitable and fair societies and help to create more peaceful communities. By engaging more with a diverse range of groups from local civil society in addition to government actors, business entities would be exposed to a more nuanced view of the conflict context and the potential impacts of both their interventions on the conflict, and of the conflict on their operations.

Beyond just working in a way which is responsive to the conflict, specific businesses in South Sudan could make a positive contribution to support the peace process. For example, the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) is in a particularly influential position given its large stake in the oil sector in South Sudan which is responsible for the majority of the government’s revenue.  How it might use this influence was left as an open question, but perhaps China has leverage in the peace process that other countries from outside the region are lacking. Business cannot be separated from politics, and so in many respects China is already entwined in the politics of South Sudan. Chinese business actors should not shy away from contributing to conflict prevention and peace building. While ‘non-interference’ is still officially referred to as a core principle in China’s foreign policy, Chinese academic and commercial pioneers working in conflict regions are already seeking creative approaches to better accommodate its own interests with its international obligations and its desire to be seen as a positive partner for peace and stability.

Saferworld have been supporting regular visits of South Sudanese delegations to China since 2012. The delegation who visited Beijing in March 2016 included representatives from CLIP-Poverty, Adeesa Support Group Association, Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), the Center for Peace and Development Studies at the University of Juba, and Saferworld’s Juba office.   

Find out more about our work on China and South Sudan.

“Business cannot be separated from politics, and so in many respects China is already entwined in the politics of South Sudan. Chinese business actors should not shy away from contributing to conflict prevention and peace building.”

Chloe Gotterson, Zhang Hui