Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Juba (Agenzia Fides) - The people of South Sudan are left to themselves, in many parts of the country there is virtual anarchy, with no effective government, denounce South Sudanese Christian leaders in a joint statement, issued on behalf of South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC), a delegation which went to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in the middle of April, where peace talks are held.
"The culture of revenge reigns supreme, and the longer the war continues, the more deeply this culture will be ingrained" say Christian leaders. The civil war has been devastating South Sudan since December 2013 where clashes continue between President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar. "Tribalism is on the increase. Fighting and forced recruitment continue. Land grabbing and cattle rustling are causing huge problems. Minority groups are being marginalized. Splinter groups are forming, which no government will be able to control".
"Both parties appear to be seeking a military solution to the crisis", denounces the message. "Like two teenage boys testing their strength, they continue to batter away at each other, regardless of the consequences. So ingrained is the culture of violence in South Sudan, and so high the level of mistrust and suspicion between the parties, but even within each party, that we suspect they do not know how to make peace even if they wished to do so. They have no exit strategy; they only know violence. They are talking, but not listening".
This is why the South Sudan Council of Churches intend to carry out a leading role in restoring peace in South Sudan, starting from the population and not from political parties. The SSCC finally asks the international community not to suspend humanitarian activities in South Sudan, because reducing these activities "will not punish government or warring parties; it will punish the ordinary people of South Sudan and may eventually contribute to future conflicts". (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 04/05/2015)
