The Catholic Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of South Sudan have said that the ongoing violence across the country is indefensible because it is politically driven and a betrayal by the leaders.
In a lengthy message that was both heartrending and a plea on Friday to the government and people of South Sudan on the current political, social, security, economic and humanitarian situation, the Bishops said they gathered in the Annual Ecclesiastical Province Meeting in Juba from July 7 to 11 2025, under the Theme “Let justice and peace embrace” (Psalm 85:10), and that they prayed and reflected on the current political, social, security, economic and humanitarian situation in the country.
“We write this message to you with deep sorrow and grave concern about the volatile situation in our beloved country. The past few months of the year 2025 have witnessed a rise in violence and insecurity. This is plunging our people once again into fear, displacement, suffering, and hopelessness,” the message reads in part. “It is with heavy hearts of grief that we are now conveying our dismay about what we have been confronting on daily basis: reports of aerial bombardments and shelling, armed ambushes on roads, rivers and highways, military confrontations, shrinking of civic space and media restrictions, deadly clashes at cantonment sites and villages, abductions and rapes, devastating raids at community levels, detentions and alarming hostilities and insecurity across South Sudan.”
“We see communities torn apart, innocent lives lost, people injured, forced recruitment of the infamous gang groups commonly known as niggers, and torontos and families forced to flee their homes in fear and pain, exacerbated by economic hardships and hunger,” it added.
The Bishops asked and wondered, as shepherds of the people and fellow citizens: How can South Sudan allow itself to return to this unfortunate spiral of conflict and large-scale violence?
“Have we not suffered enough from the deadly guns and senseless killings in our past bitter experiences? Have we not seen too often how violence has silenced the hopes of our people and crippled peace and development?,” the asked, adding: “Notwithstanding the repeated assurance of the President of the Republic, His Excellency Salva Kir Mayardit, that he will not take South Sudan back to war and also the declared public statements of opposition leaders that they are committed to implement the peace agreements, we continue to witness lack of concrete steps for peace and reconciliation.”
According to the Prelates, all the crises in the country can be attributed to the lack of implementation of the security arrangements as stipulated in the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement.
“However, military action is being wrongly embraced instead of genuine dialogue, as a solution to addressing political and social differences. Thus, we ask, our government and opposition leaders: do you really have this country and its people in your hearts or are you only concerned and obsessed with the pursuit of power and wealth?” the message stated. “We call for immediate, unimpeded humanitarian access across all conflict zones. This includes the establishment of protected corridors for aid delivery, granting tax exemption on humanitarian goods for faith-based and humanitarian organizations serving the vulnerable and suffering people of South Sudan.”
They urged South Sudan’s leaders to remember the words of late Pope Francis during his historic pilgrimage of peace to South Sudan in February 2023, when he pleaded with them: “Brothers and sisters, it is time for peace! … No more bloodshed, no more conflicts, no more violence and mutual recriminations about who is responsible for it; no more leaving your people athirst for peace…. it is time to turn the page.”
“We equally echo these wise words with urgent insistence to put them into practice so that South Sudan could be seen as a good country among the community of nations,” the Bishops said. “As your shepherds, please listen to our plea and exhortation. The ongoing politically motivated violence is not justified; it is a betrayal of your noble calling. Cease from it and prove yourselves to be the legitimate and true protectors of the people of South Sudan, the guardians of the constitution as the supreme law of the country, and the stewards of territorial integrity. As Christians and believers in God, we are called to be witnesses of peace and justice. We urge you to become instruments of reconciliation and healing.”
They urged Christians and faithful people of God to stand firm in faith, love, and hope and to reject despair, practice forgiveness, and boldly witness to peace in word and deed.
“We, the Catholic Bishops of South Sudan, are honored to witness the 14th Anniversary of the Declaration of the Independence of the Republic of South Sudan as we convene in Juba for our annual meeting,” the message said. “We pray that all people of goodwill across tribes, faiths, and affiliations will walk together on this new path, believing again in the promise that peace is possible, and that our land, so rich in resources and potential, can flourish in justice, freedom, unity, and love.”
“Let this Jubilee Year of Hope be a new dawn for South Sudan. Let it be a time of national conversion and reconciliation, a moment when the guns are totally silenced all over, and the wounds begin to heal among the communities, the politicians, and the military and armed groups,” the message concluded.