Hussein Abdelbagi Akol, South Sudan’s Vice President for Services Affairs, has emphasized the importance of unity among Muslim community in the country.
Speaking at the third Islamic Council’s conference in Juba on Wednesday, Vice President Akol urged Muslims to collectively adhere to the Council’s guidelines to avoid creating divisions within their community.
Akol also encouraged the Islamic Council to foster tolerance between Muslims and non-Muslim sectors, emphasizing the need for cooperation and respect for the state’s directives.
Recognizing the significant role of the Muslim community in the country’s peace process, Akol called on Muslims to actively engage in state matters and extended his best wishes to the Muslim community for the upcoming elections.
Sheikh Abdullah Barac, whose term in the Islamic Council has concluded, highlighted that the Muslim community approached this conference with unity following a dialogue overseen by the Vice President involving current and former Islamic Council leaders. The discussions addressed previous disagreements among the Council’s leaders.
Barac clarified that these internal disputes were not personal but centered around differing viewpoints. He emphasized that all differences had been successfully resolved, characterizing the conference as a reconciliation effort. The third general conference of the Islamic Council, themed “Unity of Peace and Development,” convened with the primary agenda of electing a new Secretary-General.
Abdullah Barac is among the candidates vying for the contested position of Secretary-General in the upcoming election.