Ugandan bishop pleads for peace in South Sudan

Ugandan bishop pleads for peace in South Sudan

Ugandan bishop pleads for peace in South Sudan

26 Jul 2016

Ugandan bishop pleads for peace in South Sudan

A church leader in South Sudan’s neighbouring country Uganda has made a passionate appeal for an end to the fighting in South Sudan, citing the extent of suffering among thousands of people dislodged by the conflict.

“The most urgent thing for the Ugandan government, the government of South Sudan and the international community to do now is to protect lives,” Bishop Onono Onweng stressed in an interview with Radio Miraya.

“Humanitarian assistance to the displaced is critical. And they need that support now.”

Onono said a Ugandan interfaith platform with Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Muslim and Pentecostal representation is appealing for an immediate halt to the fighting. Alluding to the biblical metaphor of the wine skin, the bishop is baffled by the upheavals in South Sudan.

“South Sudan fought for independence. Now that they’ve got it, why are they still fighting?” he queried.

“This is a new South Sudan, a new nation with a new leadership. Why put it in the old wine skin of fighting? What are they doing?”

The Bishop Onweng said the Ugandan interfaith group will issue a statement this week, directed at the leadership and warring parties in South Sudan. He said the Ugandan clerics will urge South Sudan’s leaders and warlords to allow their people some respite and a chance to live in peace.

“God has already given them the authority to provide leadership. Can they now settle down and provide that leadership for the people of South Sudan?”

Onono Onweng said the Church is particularly troubled by the plight of those who have taken refuge in Uganda.

“They should be assisted, especially the children,” he said, adding that this week’s joint statement will also appeal to the international community, starting with the regional bloc. The stakes, he insisted, were particularly high for IGAD.

“When one finger is dipped into oil, the others would be soiled. IGAD member states should not think that what’s happening in South Sudan cannot impact them,” he cautioned and stressed that it is in the interest of the regional bloc to push for democracy and peace in South Sudan.

The bishop said church leaders from across the region should actively prop the peace process in South Sudan.

“Prayers alone are not enough,” he conceded, and called for a formal interfaith forum to be set up to work with the country’s political leaders for lasting peace in South Sudan.

“We did it in Uganda. We have the experience and we are confident that we can do it in South Sudan,” Onono said.

He admitted, however, that the resources needed for this initiative, including funding, remain a big challenge.