EU reiterates support for development in South Sudan
September 30, 2014 (BOR) – The European Union ambassador to South Sudan said the EU is committed to supporting the peace process and development in the country, describing the violence which erupted in mid-December last year as “senseless”.
In a public address during a handover ceremony in Bor, he said the EU is looking forward to seeing people living peacefully in South Sudan.
Responsibility for reconstruction and cleaning efforts under way in Bor will now rest with the state government.
“We are here to highlight how senseless the violence is. There is no good reason that can justify the violence and no disagreement that may not be reconciled to peaceful means,” said De Leo.
“Dialogue can overcome what is senseless and what has no future,” he added.
Thousands of people have been killed since violence broke out in South Sudan, with hundreds of thousands fleeing the violence to internally displaced camps or as refugees in neighbouring countries.
Bor was the scene of fierce fighting at the start of the conflict, with the violence causing widespread destruction.
When the state government returned to Bor in February the town was littered with dead bodies and the market was destroyed.
The EU committed $414,048 to Care for children and the elderly through the International Organisation for Migration.
The funding was also used for repairs to the market and the construction of public toilets.
The Mayor of Bor said reconstruction works to the town included the difficult tasks of burying the dead and removing the large amounts of debris from burnt out houses and shops.
However, he said reconstruction teams were committed to restoring a sense of normalcy to the town.
Bor county commissioner Agot Alier thanked the EU for its generosity, saying it had helped improved conditions in the town, as well as the creation of public water collection points.
(ST)