A two-day retreat for political leaders aimed at identifying the root causes and resolving the unrest in Ikotos County in Eastern Equatoria State kicked off in Torit town on Monday.
The retreat organized by of the South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC) brought together members of parliament and several politicians from the national and state level who hail from the area.
Speaking during the opening of the meeting, Bishop Emeritus Arkangelo Lemi of the African Inland Church who is the lead SSCC facilitator, urged the politicians to put the interest of the people they serve first.
“The wisdom here is that God is looking for unity so that he can pour his blessings and nobody is ready to bless people who are divided. Even donors will keep their money because nobody wants to associate their money with conflict,” he advised. “If you are in conflict, even your people will be in conflict. Our country has no food yet we have good land here and yet you see people moving with flags and being called honorable, yet food is not there.”
“You parliamentarians are privileged but are not better than anyone of us here, but you are chosen and privileged by God to be servants, and is a privilege that comes with responsibility,” he added.
He urged the leaders to unite because then the people will be united too.
The Ikotos County youth leader, John Caesar Lokurudek, urged the leaders to resolve the conflict in the county.
“We came to consult with our leaders so that they resolve their problems and differences because sometimes they do not greet each other,” he said. “We are here to unite them because this conflict has affected us and closed the Tseretenya-Ikotos. Schools have also been closed and innocent people are dying in Ikotos. We need peace in Ikotos.”
When asked what triggered the violence in Ikotos, Lokurudek said it started as cattle raiding but escalated.
“Some people say it is the issue of cattle rustling but there was cattle conflict in the past and it did not reach this extent,” he said. “People are now shooting themselves anyhow and it has gone beyond cattle raiding. Also, there was a committee that went to Ikotos and it has to produce the list of criminals to be tried in court.”
Margaret Kasara who represents Ikotos County in the state assembly said the division of the people of the county was fomented from within.
“In the past, there was no tribalism and the people were one. We are the ones spoiling Ikotos and nobody came from outside and we are the ones to fix it,” she charged. “We need to speak the truth and Ikotos will be fine. We the politicians need to open our eyes and give good information to our people.”
Last week, two humanitarian workers were killed in an ambush along the Tseretenya-Ikotos road. A week before that, two teachers were shot along the same route.