Church urges holdout groups to join peace efforts

JUBA – The Episcopal Church of South Sudan on Thursday called on the holdout groups, who are non-signatories to the September 2018 peace agreement, to join ongoing peace efforts.

Speaking during a one-day workshop held at St. Thomas Munuki Deanery in Juba, Ven. David Batali Oliver, Archdeacon of Munuki Archdeaconry of the Episcopal Church, emphasized the need for holdout groups to abandon rebellion and join the peace process.

“So, regarding the peace process in the country, the church encourages those who are still not part of the peace process so that they also come and engage because it has been proven that you cannot achieve peace without dialogue,” Batali said, referring to grassroots engagement with community leaders in Juba.

Batali urged the holdout groups to set aside their grievances and embrace peace to restore stability.

“So, those who are still having issues, they need to come so that they also present their grievances so that they agree, they reach a certain level at a certain platform, and people agree,” he said.

He stated that peace should begin with making peace with God, which then extends to others.

“Peace is not perfect, but you need to accept certain things. Once you agree on certain things, that will make you go ahead, that is peace. But as a church, for us, we believe that for us to be peaceful, we need to first of all make peace with God,” he said.

Reuben Inaju, the UNMISS Public Information Officer and head of the Community Outreach Unit, expressed confidence that South Sudanese can resolve their grievances independently.

“Those who are still holding out, we are appealing to them to see how they can come together. This country needs peace. And whatever anybody can do, as a South Sudanese, as a non-South Sudanese, to bring peace to South Sudan, we want them to do it,” said Reuben.

“We are here as a mission to support the government and people of South Sudan to achieve peace. And that is all we are here to do. My message to them is that everybody should join us.”

The one-day workshop was organized by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in collaboration with the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (R-JMEC).

The forum brought together 60 community leaders, including elders, women, and youth, to provide them with knowledge of the basic obligations of UNMISS in the country.

The workshop is part of a series planned by the Outreach Unit of the UNMISS Communication and Public Information Section to raise public awareness of the UN Mission’s mandate in South Sudan.