Easter celebration: Kiir reiterates no more war in South Sudan
By Isaac Vuni
March 23 2008 (JUBA) — Hundreds of thousands Christians in Juba the capital of Southern Sudan today celebrates in styles the forth Easter after signing of Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) on 9th January 2005.
In typical African Sudanese tradition, yearling and ululations, the faithful Christians stated that Easter is the center of their Christianity faith foundation perfectly associated with suffering, dead and resurrection of their Lord Jesus Christ as the prince of peace.
Both Catholic and Anglican believers in Southern Sudan today called on their Southern Sudanese Christians to embrace reconciliation and forgiveness as demonstrated by Jesus Christ himself through his suffering in the hand of leaders of the land, betrayal and denial by his friends and companions who denied him at hottest time but still he forgave all those who betrayed and murdered him to became the foundation of Christianity to all man kind today.
Conceived with message of forgiveness and reconciliation, in his Easter message to Sudanese masses, the First Vice President of the Republic and President of the government of Southern Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardiy, asurured Sudanese Christians faithful and the entire masses that there would never be a return to war because people of Southern Sudan and the marginalized areas have suffered more than enough from 21 years destructive civil war.
President Kiir, himself a committed catholic faithful, said both Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and National Congress Party (NCP) have recently merged in order to solve their conflict of differences on implementation of the CPA to the letter. Therefore, there will never again be another war in the Sudan, he assured.
Adding that whatever that was happening in northern Bhar el Ghazal, Abyei and Darfur could be politically addressed as the two parties to CPA signatories are willing to cooperate for realization of lasting peace in the whole Sudan.
President Kiir called on citizens of Southern Sudan to cooperate with staff members of population and housing census enumerators by providing them with required information on their family members.
Kiir also appealed to traditional leaders to encourage their people to fully participate in the fifth Sudan population and housing census which he said is vital for planning, equitable distribution of wealth sharing and effective development allocations in the country.
On the other hand, the catholic Archbishop of Juba, His grace Paulino Lukudu Loro called on Christian’s world wide to respect and love one another and to embrace the example of forgiveness and reconciliation as demonstrated by Jesus Christ through Easter passion.
It is the first time in twenty five years, Archbishop of Juba Paulino Lokudu Loro celebrates Easter out of Juba because of his health problem which he assured the faithful congregation that South African doctors are properly taking care of him and that he will be back to Juba in two weeks times.
Meanwhile the Archbishop of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan, Bishop Daniel Deng also called on Christians working government officials to fight corruption, tribalism and nepotism now devouring government of Southern Sudan in totality.
The prelate further appealed to government of Southern Sudan to assist innocent citizens of Bentiue and Abyei to get their compensation from oil companies that have forcefully evicted them from their original land.
The Bishop also appealed to government of Southern Sudan officials to stop grapping land from Bari people; otherwise, he says, they are creating another distrust and insecurity after CPA has clearly stated that the land belong to the people and if government wants land for development purposes they must consult with traditional of the concern location or areas than using force as it has been the case in Juba were government officials undermined traditional leaders their right over land ownership.
The most reverend also called on the government of national unity to put an end to bloodsheds in Darfur and allow women and children of Dafurian to benefits from dividend of the CPA.
Officiating Easter service at St. Theresan Cathedral Kotor, Vicar General Fr. Thomas Igga called on Christians faithful and the people of God to refrain from intimidation of innocent and peace loving people in Juba town. He called on GoSS government to direct services towards improvement of services to people including security control to pave ways for effective reconstruction and development.
History shows that the churches witness tends to be most effective when it comes to confrontation with manifest of injustice. The churches in Sudan today particularly in Southern Sudan are working shoulder to shoulder in the struggle for democracy in the marginalized areas. However, of late, some church leaders have made a scatting attack on those in positions of power who only wanted to feel important without contributing to the liberation struggle.
A critical question however is whether the church should be confined to occasional statements in addressing national issues or not.
But for sure, the voice of the churches in Southern Sudan, particularly Catholic and Anglican still carries considerable weight in contemporary history of South Sudan, a politician could not pass in a fair and democratic election without support of the church, women ant the youth majority of whom are Christians. In fact the church was and still instrumental in to bring together the more than fifteen warring Southern Sudan factions in 1992 on a negotiating table through People of peace for Africa, a catholic organization based in Kenyan capital Nairobi through the catholic diocese of Torit to the New Sudan Administrative Areas whose aim was promotion of tolerance and reconciliation that gave birth to the present comprehensive peace agreement of 9th January 2005.
(ST)