Dialogue between ethnic groups kick-off in Gbudue state

August 17, 2017 (YAMBIO) – An inter-community peace dialogue between ethnic groups in South Sudan’s Gbudue state commenced on Thursday this week.

The three-day event, organized by the inter-faith based Council for Peace in Western Equatoria region, seeks to reconcile the different tribes who had bitter experiences during the past conflict years.

Speaking at the occasion, the Governor of Gbudue state, Daniel Badagbu urged communities to reconcile, embrace unity in diversity, foster peaceful coexistence and forget the past experiences which led to many being killed as well as displaced.

He urged the community leaders to be envoys for peace and shun tribalism.

“My number one message is peace and to do this peace, we have to do it collectively with all of you. Living together in unity is very important to us. We are all South Sudanese people created in the image of God and we have to protect that image of God,” he said.

In recent months, tension between the Azande and Jur Beri communities led to a number of fatal incidents in Yambio prompting the government and inter-faith based council to launch community dialogue to defuse this tension.

The two communities lived together until when armed group looted bush meat from Jur-beri and revenge killing started between the two communities, resulting into the death of 15 people from the two communities in Yambio county.

Ggbudue state is relatively calm, according to state authorities, which made it possible for farmers to produce enough food for consumption and sale during the region’s first agricultural season.

(ST)