Bishop Elias Taban of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Yei town has warned the people of South Sudan against encouraging hatred and ethic killings across the country.
Elias further said targeted killings in major towns and roadsides have caused rampant insecurity in South Sudan.“The selective killing on our roads is our problem and we need to acknowledge this without shame and fear, and we need to stop it if we need peace in our country “said Elias.
The religious leader advised South Sudanese not to promote culture of killings among different tribes, saying South Sudan shouldn’t emulate Somalia. “The message from us as a church is that if we don’t want Somalia culture in our country, we must stop looking after tribal killings. So one thing we need to learn from here is to live together as brothers and sisters “he said.
The evangelical bishop pointed out that South Sudan’s popular slogan “One People One Nation” will be meaningless if citizens are still killing each other based on their ethnicities.
Elias advised the South Sudanese to embrace ethnic diversity for the sake of peace and development in the country. “You must be proud of your tribe “he said. I am a Kaliko by tribe and I am proud of it. So if you are a Dinka, Nuer, Kakwa, Pajulu, you must be proud of it “he added.
“If you go to Kampala and say I am a South Sudanese by tribe, they will laugh at you and I don’t agree with those who say on our television that my tribe is South Sudan and that is absolutely nonsense”.
The clergyman also urged the people of South Sudan work for peaceful co-existence among communities, saying war is destructive and hinders development.
“When late John Garang entered the bush to fight for our freedom, we all supported him directly or indirectly. So why do we also need to create another war when we knew that many people lost their lives during the long struggle for liberation?”he asked.
“Our wives, children and fathers, all perished during the war. So let us all stand for peace in this beautiful multi-cultural and blessed nation”.
File photo: Elias Taban