The following statement was issued by Fr. James Oyet, the secretary of the South Sudan Council of Churches, Paramount Chief Juma Ngundeng of Unity State, and others after a three-day event in Juba.
Faith Based and Traditional Leaders from Greater Upper Nile Region Call for Forgiveness and Reconciliation Amongst South Sudanese People
March 17, 2016, Juba
We, the Faith-Based Leaders from the South Sudan Council of Churches and Traditional Leaders from Greater Upper Nile Region, attended a three-day Training of Trainers on the dissemination of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (ARCSS) in Juba from March 15-17, 2016. We are thankful and encouraged by H.E. President Salva Kiir Mayardiit and Dr. Riek Machar Teny for having signed the Peace Agreement in August 2015.
We, the people of Upper Nile Region, are tired and have suffered enough as a result of this senseless war, and we call upon H.E. Salva Kiir and Dr. Riek Machar to show leadership in the implementation of the Peace Agreement and expedite the formation of the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU) as a major step towards the full realization of peace in South Sudan.
We request our citizens and all people of South Sudan to be patient, love, forgive, and reconcile with each other as people of one nation. Our strength as South Sudanese lies in our unity, trust, and tolerance of our diversity. We call upon the people of Greater Upper Nile and South Sudan to forget the past and work together towards a prosperous nation.
We call upon the International Community and the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) to continue to stand with the people of South Sudan and Upper Nile, who are suffering displacement, hunger, loss of lives, and destruction of property as a result of the current conflict, and urge all to support the parties to fully implement the Peace Agreement so that ordinary citizens can start rebuilding their lives and nation.
As Faith-Based and Traditional Leaders, we are ready to join hands and work with our leaders to realize peace, forgiveness, reconciliation and healing in our Country regardless of where we come from or belong and call upon all the parties, leaders and friends of South Sudan to support our plans in reaching out to our communities with message of peace and reconciliation. We thank the SUCCESS program and the United States Agency for International Development for supporting us in our search for lasting Peace in South Sudan.
We pray to the Almighty God to bless the people of South Sudan, heal their broken hearts and wounds, and reconcile the people for a peaceful and viable South Sudan. God bless South Sudan, and God bless the people of South Sudan.
War is Destructive, Let South Sudan Reign with Peace, Amen.