WESTERN BAHR EL GHAZAL – Residents, dignitaries, and peacekeepers joyfully and recently participated in a "Run for Peace" event in Wau, undertaken under the theme "Let's celebrate unity, peace, and diversity”, making it clear to participants what they were being part of.

More than 2,000 people ran, jogged or walked the 10 kilometres of the race, which was jointly organized by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), and the state’s Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports.

“This initiative is excellent because you can see how it brings people together and allows us to interact both with others and with UN peacekeepers,” said Wau resident Clara Octavio, adding that such communal fun can boost peaceful sentiments among young people.

Everyone having a good time was the whole and all-important point of this crowd-pleasing happening.

“Winners, losers, running fast or walking slowly; none of that really mattered today,” confirmed Major Sakli, a Bangladeshi peacekeeper. “All we wanted to do was to strengthen the ties between communities living in the area, and between them and UNMISS. Trust between us will help us protect civilians,” he added.

Sara Cleto, Governor of Western Bahr El Ghazal State, not only participated in the run but also expressed her hope that more sport events be arranged.

“We could host a similar race every year. I am grateful to participate in promoting harmony by gathering people for healthy activities that can unite us and create better relations with neighbouring states as well,” she said.