[Yei, South Sudan, TCT] Bishops in South Sudan are calling on the warring parties to desist from attacks and counter accusations, but to embark on implementing the recently signed peace agreement. On Sunday, Bishop Erkolano Lodu Tombe at Christ the King Catholic Church discouraged continued attacks, which displaced thousands of civilians suffering due to renewed violence.
“We are asking our government to defend people’s lives, because there are people who don’t want peace,” Bishop Lodu told the congregation in Yei.
“The peace is signed; let us work together towards the implementation of the peace agreement.”
South Sudan’s warring parties signed the IGAD plus compromised peace agreement to end the more than 20-months of renewed violence. The new violence, which broke out in mid-December of 2013 in the capital, Juba, set the nation’s population into untold suffering.
get rid of the “unknown gunmen”
Reacting to the current, continued violation of the agreement and incidents of killings in towns, Bishop Lodu appealed to the government to get rid of the “unknown gunmen” attacking and killing people without proper justice. He asked the government that public should know results on investigations of criminal cases.
“And if the investigation is done, let it be clear that it has found this is so. Do not set committees for investigation and have no results for every investigation for a long time.” said the Catholic bishop of Yei diocese. The bishop urged citizens to cooperate with the government in providing security information to end criminal activities.
extend aid to internally displaced people
Thousands of civilians are still in camps across the country while many more others are on the run in areas such as in Wonduruba payam of Juba County, who have been displaced to Lainya County. The South Sudan government forces and those of SPLM-IO under General Martin Kenyi exchanged gunfire last week in Katigiri, Wonduruba payam of Juba County with both sides blaming each other for the attacks.
According to the county relief and rehabilitation commission, 11,044 people, mostly women and children are displaced to Lainya following last week’s clashes in the payam.
“They urgently need aid,” says the commission’s coordinator Mr. Lawrence Salah.
The coordinator complained that despite the local collection of food by the government and the community, the situation remains bad.
“They do not have food, no shelter, no medicine, and the situation is bad,” the commission’s coordinator, Mr. Lawrence Salah, told The Christian Times on the telephone, adding that they met NGO’s and expect their support.
“The community and local government alone cannot feed these people enough. We have to put our hands to together with the state and national government,” He stated.
Mr. Salah explains that there are still many people in hiding in the bushes.
“I think we have a very big number [of people] who are hiding in the bush. I am calling for peace. Silence the guns, so that these people can return to their homes,” he said.
Anglican bishop of Lainya diocese, Rt. Rev. Eliaba Laku Obet, asks the government and partners to extend immediate aid to the displaced people, who are lacking shelter, food, clean water, and medical services.
Bishop Eliaba stressed that bringing peace can only end the agony of the innocent civilians.
“The government should work hard to stop the fighting. Because many people are in the bush,” he said while explaining situation of IDPs in Lainya. Bishop Elioba called on the local authorities to render proper security to the displaced people, adding that some IDP’s are now staying with their relatives in the area.
Although South Sudan’s government and the opposition signed a compromise peace agreement to end over 20 months of conflict, however, since its signature, the warring parties have been exchanging counter accusations regarding violations of the agreement. The UN Security Council has made it clear that it will impose sanctions on individuals blocking peace from both sides.
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