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In line with the upcoming 2015 KAS annual conference on South Sudan, the public lecture seeks to interrogate the perspectives for peace in the world’s newest state. It will explore the necessity and role international actors including Uganda and international development agencies like the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung can play in fostering sustainable peace and development in South Sudan. Hon. Betty Bigombe is not only director for fragility, conflict, and violence at the World Bank Group, she has also been deeply involved in brokering peace and studying conflict in the great lakes region.

Given the historic and very special relationship Uganda has with South Sudan, principally as trade partner, but also as ‘shock absorber’ of the refugee crisis in times of war, some experts have argued that Uganda’s involvement in South Sudan state formation processes is almost inevitable. However, we ought to note that Uganda is not the only country with business interests in South Sudan. Yet her involvement in the country political affairs is considerably intrusive in comparison to other regional actors. This is perhaps most illustrated by Uganda’s military intervention in 2012 in the wake of South Sudan’s political violence—although more recently a military withdraw has started to take effect. This public lecture therefore aims to examine Uganda’s intervention in South Sudan and its contribution in either exacerbating or mitigating risk factors to violence as well as exploring options for supporting inclusive and sustainable governance and peace.

Thematically, the public lecture will explore two main questions:

a)How has Uganda’s involvement in South Sudan mitigated or intensified the risk of violence and how can violent conflict be mitigated post Uganda’s military withdraw?

b)What possibilities exist for supporting sustainable good governance and inclusive development as a panacea to long-term peace and stability in the world’s newest state?