The chairman of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission Festus Mogae is appealing to President Salva Kiir, FVP Taban Deng Gai, and the entire cabinet to embark on preaching peace.
Speaking on Tuesday after a JMEC meeting in Juba, Mogae said the country continues to witness ceasefire violations.
“The insecurity is the cause of all bad things that are happening in the country. People’s lives have being so disrupted, people who are normally self-reliant growing food for themselves, they cannot do that because of insecurity,” he said.
“People are running away because of continuous insecurity, that is what exactly am worried about, and the single most important priority is to silence the guns,” Mogae said.
He welcomed the government amnesty offered to 600 soldiers of Riek Machar in Congo, but said the government should do more for other groups in working to improve the welfare of the people of South Sudan.
“We need to hear somebody say no, no, that is irrelevant, that is wrong, that is not what we are looking for, what we were look for is togetherness, coming together, building peace and therefore so that you can develop your country, and that must come from leaders.”
Mogae stressed that president for instance should make a statement at least every fortnight, say something about dealing for peace, dealing for forgiveness, and express hope that peace will come and this nation will go forward. “That way he gives confidence to the peace,” he claimed.
“My appeal to the President of the Republic of South Sudan, the First Vice President and all the members of the transitional government of national unity, I want them to appeal to the citizens for peace, ask everybody, every South Sudanese to join them in making peace not fighting. They must propagate for forgiveness.”
Photo: Minister of Electricity Dhieu Mathok (left) and Festus Mogae (right)