Juba-based politicians hailing from Western Equatoria State on Thursday agreed to work together to bring peace to Tambura County.
The resolution was the result of a three-day consultative meeting organized in Juba to mitigate inter-communal conflict in the state and particularly in Tambura County.
The workshop, organized by the South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC), with support from the Swiss government and UNMISS, brought together Azande and Balanda participants from the state and national governments.
In a communique, the political leaders promised to conduct a peace conference in Tambura before the end of the year to create a conducive environment for displaced people to return to their homes.
“While appreciating the role of the South Sudan Council of Churches and support from our peace partners to bring peace in Greater Tambura, we have resolved to commit to work to bring durable peace to our people and commit ourselves to hold an inclusive peace conference in Tambura before the end of the year to address the ways and means to live in peace and harmony,” the communique read.
“We call upon our people on the ground to cease all violence and hostilities and start to restore peaceful coexistence and harmony in Tambura and beyond,” it added.
Speaking during the closing of the meeting, Governor Alfred Futuyo Karaba appreciated SSCC for organizing the meeting and pledged to support its resolutions. He tasked the participants to spread the message of peace.
Meanwhile. Dr. Isiah Dau, a Bishop of the Pentecostal church, challenged the Western Equatoria leaders to bring peace to their people.
“A leader has a big heart to accommodate everybody, both bad and good, and also has a fatherly and forgiving heart. Everything can succeed or fail depending on leadership,” he counseled. “If we use bad language, citizens will also use the same.”
In the past two years, there has been heightened violence between sections of the Azande and Balanda communities in Tambura County which has claimed hundreds of lives.