Bishop says Uganda escalating South Sudan’s civil war
January 30, 2018 (KAMPALA) – The Archbishop of Gulu Diocese in Northern Uganda, John Baptist Odama has accused the Ugandan government of escalating the conflict in war-torn South Sudan.
The Archbishop said this at the re-opening of Ediofe Cathedral in Arua Diocese last week, challenging South Sudanese leaders to stick to what was agreed upon during the last series of the peace talks.
The conflict, Odama stressed, has caused enough suffering to the population in the country, yet they should be developing it.
Currently, Arua Diocese hosts over 700 thousand refugees, with the largest camp in Yumbe, hosting more than 300,000 refugees. Other districts hosting refugees in Uganda are Arua, Moyo and Adjumani.
“For over fifty years, the people of South Sudan have not witnessed or enjoyed peace in their country,” said Odama, adding “The leaders must end the greed that is forcing them into war, but accept to work peacefully towards achieving lasting peace”.
The Archbishop’s call comes days after a senior United Nations official accused Uganda and neighbouring Kenya of fueling the South Sudanese civil war.
Meanwhile, Odama also appealed to the governments of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic to stop the wars that are claiming innocent lives and restore peace.
In a related development, Bishop Sabino Odoki of Arua Diocese warned those fighting to restore peace to rethink their actions.
“It is a shame that a country [South Sudan] that fought for over 50 years because of oppression from the Arab North has degenerated into chaos which they should have avoided,” said Odoki, while appealing to South Sudanese leaders to get solutions to the conflict.
Tens of thousands of people in South Sudan have been killed and over 1.5 million remain on the brink of famine, aid agencies say. In addition, more than 4 million people, or a third of the South Sudanese population, have fled their homes causing Africa’s largest refugee crisis.
(ST)