Seeking shelter from the sweltering sun under the branches of a huge tree, local chiefs pull away from the crowds of people to form a small inner circle, holding hands to signal their commitment to ending six years of intercommunal conflict.

After three difficult years living in a refugee camp in Uganda, Rachele Mindraa has made the decision to return to her native village of Anzara in the Eastern Equatorian region of South Sudan.

The sounds of up to fifteen thousand people rejoicing filled Malakal this Sunday as ordinary citizens and functionaries from across South Sudan gathered to bear witness to the consecration of a new bishop for the Upper Nile region.