Leaders in Yei River County in Central Equatoria State called for inclusive dialogue, unity and peaceful coexistence as the county joined the rest of the world in commemorating the International Day of Peace at Yei Freedom Square on Monday.
The commemoration was held under the theme, “Invest in Peace: For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day,” highlighting the importance of sustained investment in peacebuilding and community participation.
The United Nations observes the International Day of Peace every September 21. The day was established by the UN General Assembly in 1981 and was first observed in 1982 before September 21 was established as its permanent date in 2001.
The event brought together county government officials, religious leaders, local chiefs, elders, youth, people with disabilities, development and humanitarian partners, media organizations, and other community stakeholders.
Alex Lodiong Sakor, the Catholic Bishop of Yei and Chairman of the Inter-Religious Committee in Yei River County, urged communities to embrace dialogue and peaceful means of resolving differences. He said lasting peace cannot be achieved through the use of arms, stressing the importance of dialogue and improved services to citizens.
“Let us not bring peace by the strength of firearms but by the strength of dialogue, because if there is anyone looking for peace by the power of guns, they will definitely fail,” he stated. “There is a need for services, and when services are there, there is peace. Those in the government, the religious leaders, let us try our best in providing services to our people. To invest in peace means bringing services to our people.”
James Wani Banja, Director of Peacebuilding in Yei River County, said communities continue to experience pockets of peace as a result of collective efforts by local leaders, religious institutions, peace committees and other stakeholders.
“The people in the outside payams of Yei County have experienced relative peace compared to the past years of 2017 and 2018. This is due to the efforts of the local leaders, religious leaders, and the peace committees who have been playing a vital role in strengthening peace in those areas,” he said. “What is disturbing us right now is the issue of the checkpoints. Not all checkpoints are respecting the resolutions we came up with in the civil-military dialogue. Unfortunately, some checkpoints are not respecting the resolutions.”
Meanwhile, Mustafa Adams, representing peacebuilding partners, commended peace committees and religious leaders for their continued work in promoting peace across Yei and beyond.
“The community must create peace, and this should be translated into everyday relationships between the people. We will continue to work with the government, especially on peace lobbying. Without your support, the integration we had is not going to be possible,” he said. “Today, as we celebrate peace, I have an important question: ‘What role can we play in translating peace messages into reality?’ because, every day, we are talking about peace.”
On her part, Yei River County Chairlady Alice Siama called for greater attention to domestic disputes, saying violence within families also poses a threat to peace in communities.
“In our families, if there are problems for which we have to look for durable solutions. Women have always played a big role in peacebuilding in our families and country,” she said. “Since the beginning of this year, we have registered 12 women who have been killed. Women should not be subjected to hard situations or killed. We want a peaceful society.”
Yei River County Executive Director Hillary Lokudu also called for love, unity and peaceful participation in civic affairs and further urged residents to remain calm and participate peacefully in the electoral process.
“Let us love each other and our neighbors. Since the election is on the way, it is the only way to flash me out if am not giving you services, and if you do not, then I will continue not giving you services and you continue complaining,” he said. “Election is the only democratic way that you can exercise your rights.”
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