20 March 2014 - South Sudanese women played a key role in the country’s liberation struggle and would continue to speak out during the current crisis, women leaders stressed today at the UN in New York.

“Peace and stability will not be achieved without the full participation of women at every stage of the process,” said Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women.

Speaking at an event held on the sidelines of the annual session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, she noted that two and a half years ago the world celebrated with South Sudanese people as they won independence after decades of bitter conflict.

“Today, the world is looking on with sadness and concern as the South Sudanese again endure the hardship of conflict, violence and displacement,” she said.

Three months ago, fighting broke out between pro- and anti-government forces, plunging the country into a crisis that uprooted over 700,000 people from their homes, including 77,000 who have sought refuge at UN bases.

Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka, who visited South Sudan a month ago, said she met women who called on both sides to return to urgently return to the peace table, renew commitment to a ceasefire and find a political solution allowing the displaced to return home.

Several women from South Sudan highlighted the need to ensure women were included in all aspects of the peace process, noting that people of the country had suffered too long and deserve to live in peace.

“Enough is enough,” declared Betty Ogwaro, a member of the South Sudan National Legislative Assembly. “We want to enjoy development. We want those bullets which are being shot now to be turned into hoes, into tractors, into fertilizers.”

She and her compatriots at the event stressed the need to ensure an end to the current violence, respect for the cessation of hostilities agreement, constructive dialogue, and increased humanitarian assistance to the displaced, particularly with the onset of the rainy season.

There is a need, Rita Martin, Director of EVE Organization for Women Development based in Juba, to include women’s civil society groups in the peace process to ensure that matters that concern women are put on the table and discussed.

“South Sudan is a young country. We have a teething problem but we hope that with your support we will overcome that and really have a prosperous country,” she added.