Peacebuilding wasn’t always where Sam’s life was headed. Gaining a degree in Business Studies (Finance and Accounting) led him to work for the United Nations Development Program in Kampala as a finance assistant, then a senior finance assistant. But what changed Sam’s life forever was working as a Christian volunteer helping internally displaced people (IDPs) affected by the Lord's Resistance Rebellion in Northern Uganda.
“After witnessing the suffering of the IDPs, I became passionate about finding solutions to violent conflicts, which became the turning point in my career,” Sam said.
“In 2004, I was hired to the finance team of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS), but I quickly doubled as the Peace Strengthening Project (PSP) Support Coordinator for Sudan and South Sudan.”
Sam’s work in peacebuilding was soon noticed by academic institutions. This resulted in Sam completing a Master of Peacebuilding at Coventry University with a partial scholarship and, later, a PhD in Peace Studies at UNE, supervised by Professor Helen Ware and Dr Rebecca Spence.
“UNE provided me with the necessary research facilities to better understand conflict, apply relevant theories, and teach it to undergraduate and graduate students,” Sam said.
Sam is now applying his research to real-life situations in South Sudan, co-founding Christ Ambassadors for Peace (CAP), a non-profit Christian organisation, in March 2023.
Image: Greater Tonj East community leaders peace dialogue, promoting peace between Greater Luac-jang and Greater Ananatak communities
“My role as the overall coordinator of the CAP is to lead the processes of faith dialogue, community dialogue, and political dialogue,” Sam said.
“The main objective of these dialogue processes is to facilitate South Sudan's transition from exclusive regional and international mediation processes to locally owned and led processes.
“An end goal is to facilitate an inclusive national dialogue process that addresses the root causes of conflict and leads to national reconciliation, healing, and reparation.”
“Developing sustainable peace requires inclusive and locally owned peacebuilding processes. The role of regional and international partners can only be supportive.”
The pursuit of peace in South Sudan is long overdue, but a complex undertaking. The lives of the people in South Sudan have been shaped by civil wars that have lasted over 70 years, beginning in August 1955 as Sudan prepared to become independent from Britain. Prior to that, Southern Sudan was marginalised by the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium, which lasted from 1899 to 1956. The long duration of violent conflict, political expediency, ethnic diversity, and geopolitical dynamics have made it difficult to create lasting peace in South Sudan. Despite this, Sam remains hopeful.
“There are moments that frustrations creep in, especially when the conflict parties seem unwilling to embrace dialogue when the country is at the brink of another round of civil war,” he said.
“What gives me hope is the resilient efforts of the faith leaders in continuously engaging to political leaders to resort to dialogue rather that violent means.”
Sam Onapa’s work has only just begun, and this month he made his way back to South Sudan to continue building the capacity for peace.
