A team from the South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC) over the weekend arrived in Western Equatoria State to consult and plan for a peace conference in Tambura County to resolve the conflict between the Azande and Balanda tribes.
Violent conflict erupted between the two communities in mid-2021 and claimed hundreds of lives while entire villages were displaced and property destroyed.
SSCC has now taken the initiative to find lasting peace and is consulting all the parties to the conflict, stakeholders, community leaders, and government officials to identify the root cause of the conflict.
Speaking to reporters in Yambio over the weekend, one of the SSCC facilitators, Rev. Fr. Dr. Martin Ochaya Lino, said they are in the state to meet several stakeholders so that the dialogue is inclusive.
“We had very good discussions to explain why the Tambura Peace Conference was delayed and explained that it is because we wanted to reach the people we could not reach earlier so that no one is left out. The governor was very happy that we have taken up this process and the government is willing to cooperate with us,” he explained. “On Friday we met Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala of Tombura-Yambio Diocese and he echoed the same thing the governor told us that the people of Tambura and Western Equatoria need to have peace and that they will stand with and support us in what we are doing.”
“We shall travel to Tambura to consult with the people there and once we have heard from them, we shall prepare for the peace conference in Tambura,” Dr. Ochaya added.
The priest urged all the conflict-affected people and stakeholders to participate in the peace conference to end the conflict in Tambura.
Meanwhile, Western Equatoria State Information Minister Isaac Mursal Timon welcomed the SSCC team and said the local administration is ready to support the peace conference so that people live in peace.