The Importance of Peace and Political Stability in South Sudan (Part 7)
By David Matiop Gai, Juba, South Sudan
March 16, 2018 (SSB) — I have my own philosophy which I wrote in most of my articles about peace and community cohesion that, there is no a single tribe in South Sudan who has rights to remove other tribes from their geographical areas and replace them with God’s angels so that they stay together with Gods angels in peace and stability whatsoever. In my short survey, our views, opinions, thoughts and decisions matter lots on peace and community cohesion.
Apart from civil war in the country, communities are engaging in communal fighting. Peace agreement and implementation of political settlement are challenging factors against national unity. Therefore, the roles of youths and women groups are vital in peace settlement because these two groups are majority of South Sudan population. Youths and women programs should operate at the around table of peace. The evidence is shown in activities they do.
Community peace and cohesion in social contexts and these activities related to peace and political stability must be champion by South Sudan President Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit and this is what I have recommended seriously supposed to be done. What does it mean? It’s mean that the president should tour or move around areas where there is no insecurity and preaches peace education in conjunction with national dialogue.
President Kiir presence in community visitation contributes greatly. For example, President Salva Kiir’s visitation to Yei last year reduced extremely fears among citizens and people began coming to the town since that day. His visitation to Kapoeta state contributed too. But he went to Pageri county of Imatong state and he was warmly received by citizens. This is what President Kiir must do so that people regaining ultimately confident in peace dialogue.
Peace negotiations through High Level Revitalization Forum, (HLRF) in Addis Ababa should not be the only way South Sudanese opt for peace to come to South Sudan. We cannot wait peace from Ethiopia in order to achieve permanent peace and political stability in the country. We must move out of capital city of Juba and reach out communities like what President Kiir did last week.
If we don’t mind, President Salva Kiir can move together with people to reach communities and tell people important of peace and harmony among us as a nation apart from peace discussion in Ethiopia. President Kiir visitation to different communities can improve situation in some fragile areas and communities in such areas can mire in true love, Peace, harmony, trust, forgiveness, counselling and reconciliation. Other important point, President to tour our areas is very crucial.
Being visit by the President encourage people and they can feel like their president is in their midst. As human beings, our concepts and perceptions on certain things matter a lots. If President and his cabinets visit areas within South Sudan regularly, people are leap with happiness and they feel as not abandon by the government. Restoration of peace in the country needs lots of work.
Although president’s touring is very expensive and government has no enough money, his visitation is very crucial so far. Walking around to states is useful towards counterproductive in promoting national dialogue and peace education in South Sudan. On other hand, President is the patron of community peace and cohesion because his powers, his immunity, his position, his ability and his authority over everybody contributes much in peace treaties than ordinary citizens.
Apart from other sources of reaching out peace, President Kiir can push communities for peace and enabling communities through guidance for peaceful activities and nation-building. While the community’s role in peace: are peace-building, forgiveness, reconciliation and community cohesion in our country. Role of community is enquiry of peace that leads to community practice of peace, and harmony. The foundational base of community interest for peace is the concepts of community livelihood and the nature of conflicting interest that immersed into national conflicts.
This means communities are drive out from the interest of peace to the interest of raiding cows, goats, and other sources of livelihood whereby different conflicts interest meet at the junction of getting wealth. But with our case as South Sudanese, community perspectives of peace begin from individual, because always peace start with one person and include other members in family. Therefore, peace in South Sudan requires individual contributions that will attract other partners of peace in benefiting public gains and interest, not parties.
The author is a co-founder of South Sudan Mental Health care Organization, (SSMHCO). He holds Bachelor degree in Social Work and Social Administration from SSCUST, Bachelor of Theology from CLT, Bungoma, Kenya/Kalispell, USA, and a fellow researcher. He can be reach at david.matiopgai@gmail.com.
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