Delegates of both South Sudanese government and the opposition at the ongoing peace talks in Addis Ababa were gathered by Church leaders to pray for peace and harmony in the country.
Today’s prayers were organized by leaders of the Faith Based Organizations at the Ethiopia peace talks in order to build confidence among the negotiating parties as they spend days in Addis Ababa to agree on how to stop the ongoing war.
Bishop Enock Tombe of the Episcopal Church said the time has come for South Sudan leaders to accept each other and work for peace in the world’s youngest nation.
“If we need peace, we need to get it from the hand of God. We need to use the name of God so that he can save us,” he said.
“The Church should be used to plead on behalf of the people of South Sudan. Not the United Nations, not the IGAD, not the Troika, but it is God who can save us,” he added.
The religious leader urged all South Sudanese to pray for political leaders.” It is not easy this week we have seen that some of the leaders are very bitter, some of them are still looking at themselves, but we are telling them that look at the people of South Sudan who are suffering. I hope they have listened to our message and I hope God will help us so that we have peace,” he said.
The peace talks between South Sudan’s warring parties in Addis Ababa are being convened by the East African bloc IGAD to push them back to the negotiating table to make peace.
A shaky ceasefire deal signed in December last year was violated within hours.