Speaking at All Saints Cathedral Church in Juba, Rev. Dr. Justin Badi Arama, Chairperson of the South Sudan Council of Churches, expressed deep regret and profound concern over the escalating violence and insecurity plaguing the nation.
“With heavy hearts, we convey our dismay at the challenges we face daily,” he said.
Rev. Badi highlighted reports of armed ambushes on roads, rivers, and highways, military clashes, shrinking public space, media restrictions, and deadly confrontations in villages and cantonment sites. He also pointed to widespread issues of rape, kidnappings, devastating community-level raids, detentions, and pervasive insecurity and hostilities across South Sudan.
“As shepherds of the people and fellow citizens, we ask: How can South Sudan allow itself to spiral back into this tragic cycle of conflict and large-scale violence? Have we not endured enough from the deadly weapons and senseless killings of our bitter past?” he questioned.
Rev. Badi noted that President Salva Kiir has repeatedly assured the public that he will not lead South Sudan back to war, emphasizing a commitment to implementing peace agreements. However, the cleric stressed, “We continue to witness a lack of concrete steps toward peace and reconciliation.”
He attributed the ongoing unrest to the failure to implement the security arrangements outlined in the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement. Additionally, he lamented the misguided reliance on armed action to resolve social and political conflicts, rather than pursuing sincere dialogue.
“We ask our government and opposition leaders: Do you truly hold this country and its people in your hearts, or are you consumed by the pursuit of power and wealth?” Rev. Badi challenged.
The cleric called for immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access to all conflict zones and the establishment of protected corridors for aid delivery, including tax exemptions on humanitarian goods.
Quoting the late Pope Francis, who spoke during his historic peace pilgrimage to South Sudan in February 2023, Rev. Badi urged leaders to heed the pontiff’s plea: “Brothers and sisters, it is time for peace! No more bloodshed, no more conflicts, no more violence and mutual recriminations about who is responsible for it; no more leaving your people athirst for peace… it is time to turn the page.”
He added, “In truth, violence is not the solution to grievances. It leads only to ruin. Reject the rhetoric of division, which poisons our unity, as we are now experiencing.”
Rev. Badi condemned ongoing politically motivated violence as unjustifiable and a betrayal of the noble calling of leadership. “Cease this violence and prove yourselves to be the legitimate protectors of the people of South Sudan, the guardians of the constitution as the supreme law of the land, and the stewards of our territorial integrity,” he urged.
