AFRICA/SOUTH SUDAN - "Stop the war immediately. If the parties are unable to reach agreement by themselves, then they must be persuaded to accept a solution" say Christian leaders

Juba (Agenzia Fides) - "Stop immediately this senseless war that is bringing immense suffering to the South Sudanese people" say the Christian leaders of South Sudan in a message issued after the meeting of the South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC) on the failure of the peace talks in Addis Ababa.
"If the parties are unable to reach agreement by themselves, then they must be persuaded to accept a solution which neutral parties and friends of South Sudan, and more especially the ordinary citizens of South Sudan, consider to be reasonable", said the message sent to Fides.
After praising the efforts made by various international mediators to end the civil war which broke out in December 2013, the leaders of the Christian Churches reaffirm "that there is no moral justification and no excuse to continue fighting and killing". "In the 1955-1972 and 1983-2005 wars we were fighting for our liberation; what are we fighting for now? It is unacceptable to negotiate about posts, positions (...), while people are killing and being killed. The fighting must stop, immediately. The parties have already signed a number of Cessation of Hostilities agreements and ignored them; we insist that they be honoured without further delay", the message concludes. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 01/04/2015)