Author: Chuol Jany
South Sudan Catholic Bishops Conference concluded in Juba with calls to the government to remain in dialogue with other opposition parties and refrain from words and actions that might contribute to the violence.
The Bishop’s statement was read by His Eminence Cardinal Stephen Ameyu Martin who is also the Archbishop of Juba.
Catholic leaders said, the Church also suffered from the violence with the death of Fr. Luke Yugue and his driver Mr. Michael Gbeka being just the most recent incident that happened in Westen Equatoria. Other clergy who were killed included Sr. Veronika Rackova, Sr. Mary Daniel Abud, and Sr. Regina Roba.
The Bishops express their willingness to forgive individuals accused of committing such acts. “
While we are willing to forgive individuals, we condemn their actions and the impunity they enjoy, and we urge the government to fulfill its responsibility to protect all the citizens in South Sudan.
The Bishops warned that South Sudan is not truly at peace despite a lack of serious fighting between major armed groups but sub-national violence is taking place in many parts of the country. “This is often portrayed as simply local ethnic tribal community violence but it fact it’s inextricably linked to the national political dynamics.”
Catholic leaders acknowledged the economic hardship affecting the South Sudanese and described it as a “dire situation” for the people in this country. They say the continued rise of prices and inflation reached the highest in the world and people cannot afford to buy basic needs.
“We urge the government of South Sudan to address the economic crisis. We are conscious of the recent violence during the protest over the economic situation in Kenya. We also view this as a warning to avoid the same in South Sudan,” Bishops warned.
The Bishops are also deeply concerned about the conflict in neighboring Sudan saying it destroys the fabric of Sudanese communities and creates trauma and hatred.
“We cannot distance ourselves from the neighbor Sudan. The fabric of Sudanese society has been torn apart with people shocked, traumatized, and delivering about the level of violence and hatred.
Bishops call all armed groups to lay down their weapons and enter meaningful peace negotiations. They condemned the killing raping and looting of civilian properties by any side and called for accountability.
The Catholic bishops further appreciated the South Sudan government’s open and generous response to the returnees and refugees from Sudan.
They (Bishops) encourage the people of South Sudan to embrace unity as one Body, one Spirit in Christ” and urged the people of good will to support peace in the region and humanitarians assistance for Sudan and South Sudan.