By Sr. Henriette Anne, FSSA
Sudan and South Sudan Catholic Bishops Conference (SSSCBC) has called upon the President and all the people of South Sudan to resist temptation of reverting to arms and restraint, dialogue, and commitment to the Revitalized Agreement on Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) amidst the escalating violence and deteriorating political climate in South Sudan with arrest of the first Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar.
In their 28th March 2025 letter, the SSSCBC said that the people of South Sudan have suffered for long, yet the dark cloud of conflict is hovering again, reminding every one to remember the words of Pope Francis of “no more bloodshed, no more conflicts, no more violence, let there be peace”.
“The people of South Sudan have suffered too long. War has taken their children, their homes, their future and yet again, the dark clouds of conflict hover over our nation. We recall the words of Pope Francis during his visit to Juba in 2023; No more bloodshed, no more conflicts, no more violence. Let there be peace”.
In their letter, they promised that they are “ready to mediate dialogue, to be the voice for the voiceless, and to walk hand in hand with all who seek genuine peace”, and urged civil society, youth and women groups, traditional leaders, the international community, and all people of good will to stand together against war and for peace.
The prelates expressed that the arrest of opposition leaders and the involvement of foreign military is only serving to heighten fear and mistrust lamenting that these actions risks turning South Sudan into a battleground for external interests and political manipulation.
“The arrest of opposition leaders and the involvement of foreign military forces-especially the deployment of the Uganda Peoples Defense Force (UPDF) has only served to heighten fear and mistrust”.
They further cautioned the leaders noting “if South Sudan returns to full scale violence, the consequences will be catastrophic, the loss of human life, the collapse of national unity and the breakdown of already fragile institutions will devastate future generations”, they continued “the political neglect of the suffering of our people of the people, the displaced, the orphans and the widows will not go unremembered before God”.
Using the words of Pope Francis, they reminded all political leaders that “Peace requires forgiveness, courage, and hope, it demands that we look beyond ourselves, and asked all the citizens of South Sudan to resist hate speech, tribal incitement, and misinformation especially through social media and not let their land be soaked in blood again
