The choice of a mediator in Internationalised conflict; a case study of Kenya in the Sudan North-South mediation peace process:2000-2005

Abstract

Kenya continued to pursue duality of hosting the talks while supporting SPLM/A to the point of facilitating the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). This anchors our interest in this peace mediation process as the assumptions that the mediating parties to a conflict are supposed to be neutral for a successful mediation to be brokered. The study purposively selected 4 key informants. These were selected from the diplomatic forum, Kenyan Government representative and South Sudan administrators. This was done through purposive sampling procedure. They were key people who were involved in the mediation process from Sudan and Kenya. A semi-structured interview schedule was used as a guide during the interviews that were undertaken with the informants. The results confirmed that the chief mediator does not need to be impartial to the warring parties for a successful mediation to be achieved. It was noted that partiality is relative to the parties at war. It was also revealed that the type of mediator determined if there would be success of the mediation. This was in terms of the profession that the chief mediator held because it contributed greatly to the mediation succeeding if they ~ in_the same profession with the warring parties. Also exposed in the findings was that there was need tG..b.ave the mediators remaining in the arena during the implementation of the peace agreement. It was noted failure to this, the agreements risked falling and there was possibility of a return to conflict. Understanding these dimensions of the choice of a suitable mediator have provided for a better mechanism of handling intra-state conflicts in Africa. This, if applied, would see a greater movement towards peace in Africa while dealing with the various intra-state conflicts that have arisen and might arise in future.