A number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) currently staying at a former UNMISS Base in Yei town are urging the government and the opposition to forge an authentic peace process that addresses the suffering of the South Sudanese masses.

Ms. Nora Wilson, Chairperson of the IDPs in the former UNMISS base, is calling on the warrying parties to put the interests of their citizens above all else.She says that the civilians in Yei have waited in vain for peace ever since the fighting broke out in the country in 2013.

“We are waiting for this to happen so that we can go back to our homes in order to begin life again, Ms. Nora explains.

“People are being killed in cold blood each day”, says Mori Peter, the local chief of the IDPs in Labiriki, echoing Ms. Nora’s wish to put the interests of the civilian population first.

Isaac Sebit, the appointed secretary of the IDPs, says there are currently 144 individuals staying in the former base, all waiting for the day when they can return to their homes, mostly in Maridi and Mundri in Western Equatoria.

 “We are living in a state of fear, because if we move out to collect food from our farms, you will be called a rebel and end up being killed,” Mr. Sebit said, adding exasperatedly:

“Where is the peace we hear about on the radio every day? Is it in a corner or is it in a hole or at the back of the house?”