The new Warrap state caretaker governor left Kuacjok to Juba yesterday, seen off by a line of supporters and government officials. The departing governor said he was traveling to deliver key messages on behalf of the population and the leadership to the Juba government.

“The governor is now in Juba. He left yesterday carrying with him three important messages to the president and the entire leadership of this country,” said General Bona Bhang Dhol, head of the parliamentary committee responsible for legal affairs and constitution during an interview on Saturday.

The governor Akec Tong Aleu, according to the state legislator, would meet the president and key members of his government to deliver to them important messages and to seek their views on how the people of the state could provide support to the president and his government during implementation of the peace deal.

“He is carrying the message of peace, greeting of the people of Warrap to their son and their leader, General Salva Kiir Mayardit, president of the Republic of South Sudan. This is the first message. The second one is the message of thanks and appreciation for listening to the calls and cries of the people of Warrap and the appropriate response he made at the time his attention was required.”

This referred to the recent calls to remove the former Governor Nyandeng Malek, whom Kiir ousted by decree last month, replacing her with her deputy Akec Tong Aleu.

“The last and the most important message is congratulatory message for signing the so called compromise agreement. The people of Warrap, like other citizens of South Sudan, have expressed their reservations but... our people have decided to stand with the president in the implementation of the agreement,” explained Bona.

Ariech Mayar Ariech, deputy head of the parliamentary committee responsible for information and public relations said separately that the new governor was going for consultation with the leadership and to deliver to the president congratulatory messages for signing the peace and assurance of support of the people of the state in the implementation of the peace.

“Our people are for peace and unity of the country. South Sudan is our identity and this is why the people of Warrap support the slogan of one nation, one people. This is one of the key messages the governor is taking to the president and members of his government,” said Ariech.

Confirming his presence in Juba for leadership consultations, the new governor said he was carrying messages of peace.

“I noticed when I was at Kuacjok airport on Friday on the face of our people one important message. The way they turned out was unexpected. They were not there just to see me off. They came to tell me the message I should bring to the president and the leadership. Those who had the chance to talk to me, told me to carry to president message of hope, love, peace, reconciliation, forgiveness, unity and their unwavering support to him and his leadership. This is the message I am conveying and I am asking the media to help us in the government and in the community to spread it like the gospel,” Akec said on Saturday.

“We’re asking our people, whether in church, at school, at work places or in the cattle camp, in the military barracks and in the police stations in the country to preach peace, unity, reconciliation and forgiveness. We are asking this message to be spread because peace is valuable commodity.”

Akec added, “The unity and the courage that accompanied determination with which we fought together the war of liberation struggle and voting during referendum has been responsible for us talking about peace, because the enemy finally noticed that we are invincible.”