South Sudan Council of Churches regrets a waste decade on the 10th Anniversary
Juba, South Sudan
July 9,2021 — While commemorating the 10th independence anniversary of South Sudan, religious leaders regret how the euphoria, hope, optimism and reign of sustainable peace with prosperity have been watered down the drain by a senseless violent conflict in just 10 years.
Members of South Sudan council of churches standing for a group photo(Photo credit: courtesy image)
According to a statement issued by the South Sudan Council of Churches and read out by the head of the Pentecostal Church, Bishop Isaiah Majok Dau, on behalf of South Sudan Council of Churches, there was much jubilation among the South Sudanese both at home and also in the Diaspora when South Sudan attained her independence on July 9th, 2011.
The statement stressed how many citizens hoped to have reached the promised land after a long struggle that cost them decades of years and selfless sacrifices to have an independent country.
“We expected a new ray of hope, optimism and reign of sustainable peace with prosperity. However, those jubilations and celebrations were short-lived as the nation in just a span of two years descended into violent conflicts that have devastated all aspects of South Sudanese lives. Painfully, millions of our citizens, who were hopeful and jubilant on this day ten years ago, were suddenly impoverished, made hopeless and reduced to extreme dependence on humanitarian ,” Bishop Dau said.
According to Bishop Isaiah Majok, many South Sudanese are commemorating 10 years of independence with pain in their hearts because there is nothing much to sheer for as the leaders abandoned the liberation promises.
“Our hearts continue to groan with pain, anguish, turmoil, despair, and misery as lives are lost every day in every corner of our country. Conflict has become the context in which we are evolving with rampant proxy inter-communal violence, increasing cases of sexual violence, revenge killings, land grabbing and child abduction. These protracted armed conflicts have not only destabilized our peace but have also retarded the socio-economic development of our country. These conflicts have rendered our first ten years of independence, “a wasted decade. We are at a standstill in many ways,” he said.
Dau said the revitalized peace agreement signed in 2018 was the only hope that leaders should stick on for peace and stability to reign in South Sudan, adding that the reluctant of the signatories to implement its provisions is the only point of concern.
He said the Council is calling on all parties signatories to the deal to implement the agreement so that the violence and other negative policies are resolved through peaceful settlement.
Bishop Majok said all citizens and other sectors of society including civil society organizations and political forces should work together in collaboration so that the glimmer of hope people felt ten years ago can be revived.
“It must not be another lost decade! It is an opportunity to rescue our people from imposed destitution and sustain their livelihoods. In this second decade, we must stop the self-sabotage of our collective future and prosperity. We must reflect on what went wrong in the first decade after independence, learn from those experiences and rise to the collective responsibility of this generation to deliver our country from its current predicaments. Never again shall our people be merciless victims of our own hands,” he added.
Baba Medan, the Deputy Minister of Information and Communication, in response to the Council calling the last ten years a “wasted decade”, calls on citizens and institutions not to only focus on the government’s weakness but appreciate what the government has achieved.
“Before independence in 2005, South Sudan was not like now, Juba was having only 5 cars and today there is thousands of vehicles in Juba. There were no good buildings but now there’s towers in Juba and many achievements. You see, you don’t [need to] always focus on the failures, you also see the achievements, so though there was insecurity at that time, the government achieved a lot of things and with the peace agreement, I believe we are going to achieve a lot, because now, the government is focusing,” Deputy Information Medan said.
Medan said the government has undertaken several developmental projects including building roads, enhancing the agriculture sector and implementing the peace process which he described as a key priority at the moment. He added that it is crucial that everyone works together to achieve lasting peace.
Bishop Dau appealed to friends of South Sudan from the Global Ecumenical Church Fellowship, the international community and development partners who stood firmly with South Sudan in its quest for independence to continue their support to the country in its effort to achieve a sustainable and inclusive peace and stability.
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