ICC Note: Church leaders in South Sudan are calling on political leaders to truly pursue peace in the country. They are calling for “one people, one nation, and one South Sudan.” These church leaders say they stand ready to facilitate peace and talks between the opposing sides as they did earlier this year.
07/27/2018 South Sudan (Anglican News) – Church leaders in South Sudan, including the Anglican Primate Archbishop Justin Badi Arama, have issued a joint statement calling on political leaders in the war-torn country to pursue peace. After a meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, the heads of Churches in membership of the South Sudan Council of Churches issued a joint statement lamenting the violence and suffering of the nation’s people. “We as the shepherds of the people of South Sudan continue to mourn and grieve for our country”, they say. “Our hearts pain for the suffering, tired, hungry flock and for our leaders with all their fears, anger and trauma as they struggle both across our nation, the region and the world.”
They say that “the winds of violence and conflict have continued to obscure our road to light and peace, while the international community remains discouraged and frustrated by the absence of peace.”
They spoke of the role that the Church has played in bringing the opposing sides together earlier this year for the first face-to-face meetings in several years; and said that they remain ready “to facilitate space for genuine dialogue”.
“Peace is the call from the hearts of all the people of South Sudan”, they said. “We are tired of war, violent conflicts of interest and we are urgently calling for all communities in South Sudan to shun tribalism and all kinds of fragmentation that inhibit from attaining true nationalism, durable unity and working together for comprehensive peace and genuine reconciliation. . .”
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