A South Sudanese religious leader has been awarded a certificate for his role in promoting peace and peaceful co-existence among communities in Yei River State.
Speaking at a public event recently held in Yei town, Governor Emmanuel Adil said Elias Taban, the Archbishop of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in South Sudan (EPC), deserved the certificate in recognition for the good services provided in the state.
“I would like to recognize Archbishop Elias Taban of the EPC for his contributions for peace in the state by issuing a certificate I signed by myself in recognition for peace in Yei River State,” he said.
Authorities in the state had, in April last year, promised to recognize the EPC archbishop for his efforts to promote peace among communities.
Since the outbreak of the conflict in South Sudan in 2016, the EPC archbishop has been mediating between various armed groups, and disunited communities in quest for peace and reconciliation in Yei River, Jubek, Torit and Gok States.
In 2017 and 2018, the archbishop mediated a grassroots peace deal that saw the breakaway group of the SPLA-IO headed by Brig. Gen. Hillary Yakani and the Equatoria Non-Allied Forces (ENAF) abandon rebellion in Yei River State.