SOUTH SUDAN: Peace-making is a journey, not a destination, says Bishop Hiiboro Kusala
Rt. Rev. Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala
The Chairman of Sudan Catholic Bishops Conference (SCBC) Rt. Rev. Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala has asked the south Sudanese to understand the fact that Peace building activity is a journey and not a destination.
In his address at Interstate Governors’ Strategic Intervention Conference for Peace, held in Yambio from 27th to 30th, November, 2017, Bishop Kussala stated that Peace-making is an everyday activity. “How you welcome new people at village, community, school, how you deal with conflict among your friends, and the daily decisions you make about how to react to frustrations and disappointments, you can also apply these commitments to tackle bigger problems you see in our nation,” he said adding that being a peacemaker means working with others to put these ideas to work toward bigger challenges.
Bishop Kussala who is the Bishop of Tombura-Yambio said, “We are never defined by our past but our present, as no matter how hard the past was, you can always start again. We wish to forget the wounds of the past and move ahead towards peace.”
Bishop Kussala said his task is to open the doors of reflection for the next two days with the message theme “Peace within and across the boarders” adding that, peace is the way to heal one another, not wound one another. “I am sure other speakers will fortify our quest for peace through their insights for peace in their religions and in their socio-political set ups. Everyone will have a chance to share their views,” he said.
He invited them to pray with Francis of Assisi: “Make me an instrument of Peace! Where there is hatred let me bring Love” as they resolve to heal the wounded past, to heal the nation for a future of hope.
“Thousands of our people are refugees, thousands are internally displaced. Our conflicts and war turned what was once a rich country into one of the poorest in the region. We have sent thousands of our youth into modern forms of slavery. The menace of drug is becoming a silent genocide. Should we continue to wound one another through hatred? Can we as a people heal one another? Can we impress on those who peddle hate speech to become ambassadors of peace? Can religions help to see each one of us not as a Christian or Muslim, but brothers and Sisters of this great nation? Can this nation provide peace and hope to all? Bishop Kussala expressed.
Bishop Kussala asked the people of South Sudan to reject the notion that they are gripped by forces and that there are no solution to the problems and challenges they are facing. “Our problems are man-made; therefore, they can be resolved by man.” He said adding that his primary message is to reject pessimism and cynicism urging the people of South Sudan to know that it is possible to solve their problems.
The Conference was organized by the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Committee (JMEC), in collaboration with the Interfaith Council for Peace Initiative, the body the Catholic Church belongs to, in order to promote peace. JMEC is responsible for monitoring and supervising the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan, ARCSS, signed in 2015, under the auspices of the IGAD (economic and political community formed by Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda).
By AMECEA Online News Reporter
