Dozens of members of the disabled community of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State demonstrated for peace on Monday and against the country’s ten-month old war, which has been led by the SPLA faction leaders Riek Machar and Salva Kiir.
Fighters of the two warring factions SPLA-IO and SPLA-Juba have displaced 1.7 million people, killed tens of thousands of people, and pillaged the towns Bor, Mayom, Malakal, Leer, Bentiu, Nasser, and numerous villages.
Protesters in the state capital Aweil on Monday marched and wheeled their way toward the base of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) where they presented a petition urging the international community to support peace efforts. They also presented their petition to the state government.
William Deng, representative of the disabled, said that the war has created hatred, tribalism and injustice.
“We don’t need more disability to happen in the South because this will wound the nation itself,” said William, speaking on the UN radio service in South Sudan.
For its part, the UN peacekeeping mission says that it urges disabled persons to “spread the message of peace” in their communities.
This is one of the first peace protests reported in the Bahr al Ghazal region since the start of the war. The region is controlled by the SPLA-Juba faction.
Photo credit: Hannah McNeish/IRIN
Related:
Women in black hold silent protest for peace (18 Sept.)
Wounded soldiers protest in Juba over salary delay (24 March)