Korenye Ibone, a mother in South Sudan's Boma area, has an earnest plea.

“As a woman, I am not able to have children again and so do not break the peace that will lead to the killing of our children again,” she says.

“A lot of us in this town lost our children during the war and we do not have much food now. Help us to keep the peace so that we can have food to eat and look [well fed] like you.”

Korenye, a Murle women’s representative made this appeal in Manyabol when she spoke at the handing over of 76 cows from cattle raiders in Boma State by Governor David Yau Yau to authorities of Jonglei State.

“We, the women of this town – and I am sure all over the country – are tired of the consequences of the conflict and the wars,” she pleaded with the political leadership, both from the state and national governments, who had gathered under a Lalop tree. “It is time we build on the peace and help the children left [orphaned by war] to grow and become worthy citizens,” she said.

Millions of women were forced to flee into the bush and to neighbouring countries, while many others and their children died during the war that broke out just over two years after South Sudan’s independence. Amid the killing of civilians, widespread pillaging of cattle, and destruction of homes, scores of women were subjected to appalling sexual violence.

Clad in a colourful Laawa fabric with a white head scarf – perhaps to signify the peace she was proposing – Korenye asked the two governors and the youth to look around the town, which she said had been deserted because of the conflict.

“But with the establishment and deepening of peace, they will return, and things will improve, such as business and food production,” she said.

In response, Governor Philip Aguer of Jonglei on behalf of the political leadership present, said it was important to work to erase the negative tendencies and things that occurred during the war.

“I pray that we can work seriously to have a new generation that would not know that we did all these things to ourselves. A generation that will not know of abductions; not know of cattle raids and how we treated each other.”

He also cautioned against creating a notion that abductions were a part of South Sudanese life.

“I want to tell you that those claiming abductions are part of our life to desist from it. There is nothing like it and we must work to eliminate it. A criminal activity that must be dealt with by the right authorities,” he noted.

He commended the role currently being played by UNMISS and called on all parties to maintain the peace.

Governor Yau Yau said the current peace is paramount and must be maintained.

“This is our peace. This is our lives. We have lost too many lives and we must not let the peace slip by,” admonished Governor Yau Yau.