Yakani urges Kiir to live up to peace promise

JUBA, FEBRUARY 5^th 2023 (SUDANS POST) – South Sudan’s prominent activist Edmund Yakani has called on President Salva Kiir Mayardit and his deputies to live up to their promises of achieving peace in the war-torn country in 2023.

Kiir since December has been promising citizens that he won’t return the country to civil war.

He reiterated the same message as he meets Pope Francis who arrived in the world’s youngest country on Friday.

In a statement, Yakani who is the Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) welcomed the president’s promise and called on him to live up to his words in the interest of peace.

“CEPO welcome the peace promise by the president in 2023 and this will only be translated into action unless the president, first vice-president and other political leaders lives up to their promises and achieve peace, otherwise it be like usual messages,” he said.

Yakani said for the political leaders to bring permanent peace, the political leaders “must show political will to work together, allocating the needed resources for peace implementation, change of immature political attitudes and to avail a conducive political space for freedom of speech.”

Yakani added that “South Sudan leaders must also stop financing proxy conflicts between our citizens.”

“Investing on process of genuine forgiveness, reconciliation and development is central in consolidating peace in South Sudan through R-ARCSS roadmap implementing and genuine engagement in Rome Peace Talks. Year 2023 is a year to demonstrating political maturity for consolidation of peace by the end of year 2024 through the conduct of credible, fair and nonviolent elections,” Yakani stressed.

The prominent activist further said that CEPO “will be working in partnership with ministry of peace building and other partners to operationalize president declaration of year 2023 as year of forgiveness, reconciliation and development.”