On Saturday, 23 February, Christine Fenning attended a conference at St Antony’s College in Oxford, organised by The Sudanese Programme, where the South Sudanese diaspora discussed the future of South Sudan. The all-day programme was packed with fascinating presentations and talks covering a wide range of topics by people of different affiliations (from former ministers, politicians, regime critics, activists and analysts to psychotherapists): from a history of the latest conflict, to discussions of what went wrong with the New State, to a presentation about  Peace and Community Cohesion Accountability, talks about the political future of South Sudan from various angles, including the very recent unification of the SPLM (Sudan People’s Liberation Movement) faction and the future of the revitalized peace agreement, to more economically-focussed talks on how to turn destruction to production, as well as talks that focused on cultural norms, the impact of culture, and on youth and women.

Throughout the day discussions were lively. People disagreed on many things but they seemed to agree on this: If the peace process is to be successful, it needs to focus on the people of South Sudan and their needs. There is hope for South Sudan but the South Sudanese have their work cut out for them and need to focus on working together for the good of all people in South Sudan.