Central Equatoria State Gen. Augustino Jadalla on Tuesday told the people of Kajo-Keji County who gathered at a rally in Mere Town that President Salva Kiir reiterated his commitment to improving peace and stability across the country.
According to a press statement from the governor’s press unit, Jadalla said the president urged the people to embark on developmental activities and accept dialogue as the best means of resolving grievances.
“The president calls for collective efforts to restore durable peace. He has called the youth and people of Kajo-Keji County to embrace peace and renounce the growing culture of violence,” Jadalla said.
He added that President Kiir called on the holdout groups to use the amnesty he declared in Yei in 2017 to join the peace process through the Tumaini Initiative in Nairobi.
Governor Jadalla said his mission to Kajo-Keji was to acquaint himself with the socio-economic and security situation and conditions of the people.
“My people of Kajo-Keji, I am aware of the challenges you are all going through. The challenge of inadequate health and education services, trauma, improper road rehabilitation, resettlement and reintegration, border encroachment, and disputes among several others,” he stated. “In that regard, I need to inform you that I and key members of my cabinet have come from Juba by road to share this pain you are going through. We carry you dearly in our hearts.”
Jadalla told the gathering that the current challenges in the country are temporary and will come to an end. He also said the state government is engaging the national government to ensure that the border dispute between South Sudan and Uganda is resolved.
“Our role as state and county authorities shall be keeping good relationship with the neighboring communities of the two districts because we all border each other. Therefore, Hon. Commissioner and the people of Kajo-Keji, until the two governments resolve this issue, I call all of you to maintain friendly relations with the two districts,” Governor Jadalla said. “Our country is a blessed nation. It has all the resources like oil, gold, cement, forestry, mountains, etc. Our great-grandparents have done their part. They fought and protected this land at all costs. Never should the current challenges mislead you to abandon your patriotism and protect your land.”
For his part, Kajo-Keji County Commissioner David Lisi Christopher thanked the governor and his delegation for visiting the county and reported that the security situation in the county had improved.
“The other issue here that can encourage us is cooperative and rural development. We have the people and the agricultural activities in the villages,” he said. “In the five payams, there were about five cooperative societies. These cooperatives are already down and you know cooperatives are sources of development and they also bring essential goods closer to the rural areas.”
Meanwhile, Mary Keji, the women’s representative in Kajo-Keji County, asserted that there has to be total peace and stability in the county for refugees and displaced people to return.
She said women and children are suffering in camps due to lack of food and said collective efforts need to be marshaled to restore stability in Kajo-Keji.
“We are requesting durable peace. We have lost our children due to the movement of the people of Kajo-Keji to refugee camps looking for safety and education,” she said.