A Catholic bishop from South Sudan was Thursday named winner of a UN peace prize in recognition of his efforts to build trust among warring pastoralist communities.
Retired Bishop Paride Taban won the 2013 Sergio Vieira de Mello Prize for his work at the Holy Trinity Peace Village in Kuron, in Eastern Equatoria, AFP reported.The village, set up in 2005, brings together people from different tribes and faiths who have been in conflict for years over cattle rustling.
Laurent Vieira de Mello, who heads the Sergio Vieira de Mello Foundation, said the Holy Trinity-Kuron Peace Village is an example of reconciliation and peace.
He added that it will encourage other communities to follow a similar approach in other areas of conflict in South Sudan and beyond.
Bishop Taban should receive the award — including 5,000 Swiss francs (the equivalent of 20 thousand pounds) — from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on March 1 in Geneva, Switzerland.