The event was organised by the KAS Regional Programme Security Dialogue for East Africa as part of Hermann Gröhe's participation in a four-day visit to Uganda, hosted and coordinated by the KAS Office Uganda & South Sudan. To contribute to this visit and to give an insight in regional affairs, an exclusive discussion with Sudanese and South Sudanese experts was arranged for Gröhe, who serves as the Deputy Chairman of the CDU/CSU-Parliamentary Group for social affairs and international economic cooperation and development.
The symposium commenced with welcome remarks by Gregory Meyer, Project Manager at the RP SIPODI East Africa. He provided a brief introduction into the topic, mentioning that the conflict in Sudan meanwhile represents the most pressing humanitarian crisis in the world, and introduced the session's speakers. In addition to the two main speakers Robert Antipas, Executive Director of SPACE South Sudan, and Shaza Elmahdi, Sudan Country Director at the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), two additional experts, Mohamed Latef Ali, a Sudanese journalist, and Bol Bulabek, a political scientist and Sudan expert, contributed significantly to understanding the conflict's regional dimensions.
The experts delivered an insightful presentation on the Sudan conflict's historical circumstances, highlighting the political landscape and the Sudan-South Sudan relationship's intricacies, particularly in terms of oil dependence. Robert Antipas underscored the risk of conflict spillover into South Sudan and emphasised the decline in oil revenues, which constitute 90% of South Sudan's income. Bol Bulabek also elucidated the international interests involved and the absence of a civilian approach to conflict resolution.
Shaza Elmahdi focused on the humanitarian situation, emphasising the imperative of humanitarian assistance and the involvement of regional partners as war financiers. She noted Europe's lack of political interest in deep involvement in the Sudan conflict and highlighted the shortage of humanitarian aid organisations in Sudan. She emphasised the pivotal role of the international community in either exacerbating or mediating the conflict.
Following the presentations, Hermann Gröhe posed insightful questions regarding the conflict's dimensions, the involved parties, and the role of the international community. The presentations and thematic contributions of the experts were followed by a discussion with the event participants. Subsequently, Gregory Meyer and Hermann Gröhe thanked the speakers for the enriching debate on a politically relevant topic. Meyer invited all guests to continue the exchange during the subsequent dinner reception.
About this series
The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, its educational institutions, centres and foreign offices, offer several thousand events on various subjects each year. We provide up to date and exclusive reports on selected conferences, events and symposia at www.kas.de. In addition to a summary of the contents, you can also find additional material such as pictures, speeches, videos or audio clips.