Former parliament speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba has called on churches, communities and the government to work together to persuade armed opposition groups in Western Equatoria state to lay down their weapons and return home.
Kumba made the appeal on Sunday during morning prayers at St Mary Church in Yambio, urging communities to take greater responsibility for restoring peace in the state.
She said the Zande and Balanda communities had no fundamental differences and blamed continued insecurity largely on the involvement of some members of the communities in armed groups.
“The Zande and Balanda have no problem. The problem is our sons and daughters who are still in the bush,” Kumba said.
She called for continued dialogue with armed groups and said churches could play a key role in reaching out to opposition fighters and supporting reconciliation efforts.
Kumba cited the Inter-Church Interface Group, which she said had previously helped persuade some former members of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO) to leave the bush and return to their communities.
“Anyone is welcome to put down the gun and come home to join his brothers and sisters to develop our state and our country,” she said.
Kumba also appealed to former Western Equatoria governor Alfred Futuyo Karaba to return home with those still associated with him, describing him as a “son of the state.”
She said President Salva Kiir Mayardit had granted an amnesty to people carrying guns and urged armed groups to take advantage of the offer by laying down their weapons and returning home.
Those who have returned are being integrated into government institutions, including the national army, she said.
Kumba also expressed concern about insecurity along the road linking Western Equatoria with the capital, Juba, saying civilians continue to face attacks and killings allegedly carried out by armed groups and criminal elements.
“We are brothers and sisters. There is nobody coming from outside now to fight us here. It is us alone,” she said.
She said lasting peace would enable children to attend school, farmers to cultivate their land, businesses to operate and people to travel without fear.
Kumba said she would work with churches and the government to support efforts to restore lasting peace in Western Equatoria.
“So, this is what I can tell you as your mother. We will join hands together with the church and the government to make sure that peace is restored in our state,” she said.
Kumba’s appeal follows a similar call by Western Equatoria Governor Badagbu Daniel Rimbasa on Aug. 24 for armed groups operating around Duma, Mapuse, Bandala and Sue to end hostilities, return to their communities and participate in dialogue and peaceful integration.
Rimbasa also called for an end to road ambushes and urged parents, relatives and community leaders to encourage young people involved in armed activities to return home.
“We are tired of war. We cannot continue destabilizing our own area,” Rimbasa said.
and then