LOU-NUER AND MURLE PEACE CONFERENCE POSTPONED

The joint dialogue conference of rival communities of Murle and Lou Nuer from Jonglei State has been postponed until early January 2012 following counter accusations of planned attacks.
The conference, organised by the peace mediation and reconciliation committee of the Sudan Council of Churches (SCC), was to take place from 12 to 14 December 2011.
Addressing the press, Archbishop of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, Daniel Deng Bul, explained that a fact-finding team has reported youth mobilisation by both communities for self-defence, which signifies that the communities are not yet ready for dialogue.
The archbishop noted that the reconciliation process is slow at bearing fruits due to a lack of will among the rivalling communities.
Like other parts of South Sudan, Pibor and Uror Counties are among the remotest areas in Jonglei state, with difficult communication, transport and access to justice.
The Archbishop Deng called upon the government, UN and NGOs to continue supporting the church’s reconciliation process in South Sudan and curb insecurity, and requested the government to deliver services to calm down the cycle of violence.