SOUTH SUDAN: Religious Congregation in South Sudan Suspends Formation Programs amidst Ongoing Conflicts
Religious Sr. Jencinta Dagbaaboro photo credit Courtesy
Ginaba Lino
Religious Sisters of Our Lady of Peace ministering in South Sudan’s Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio have suspended formation programs for postulants and Aspirants owing to ongoing conflicts in Western Equatoria State.
“The nature of the conflict I have witnessed in Tombura is very unfortunate on tribal route; the conflict has forced the religious Sisters of Our Lady of Peace to send home two postulants and five aspirants who were in the formation house inspiring to become Catholic Religious sisters,” Mother Superior of Our Lady of Peace Sr. Jacinta Dagbaaboro laments in relation to the violence.
In a report published Thursday, September 23, Sr. Dagbaaboro recounts how she managed to run “with only one novice through bushes, 72.8kilometers to Ezo County and later to Yambio” the main City of the State.
The Mother Superior disclosed that, “Those who were sent home (Postulants and aspirants) will all come back to the formation house when the conflict in Tombura is subsided and the environment comes conducive for them to continue with their formation to Sisterhood.”
She called on the State and national government to show leadership undertaking to end the conflict in greater Western Equatoria particularly Tombura County, adding that, it affects the civilians from moving with holistic programs effectively.
She also appealed to Catholic Diocese of Tombura Yambio and Countrywide to build their faith in God and work for sustainable peace in the country.
According to a report by United Nations (UN) Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, “The conflict in Tambura, between the Azande and Balanda communities, is said to have been fueled by armed forces belonging to the South Sudan Peoples Defence Forces (SSPDF), and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA/IO) both of whom are supplying arms and ammunition to the Azande and Balanda tribes, respectively”.
The violence has led to over thousands of people in the county to seek refuge in the neighboring State.
The religious congregation which is now under the leadership of Bishop Edwardo Hiiboro Kusala of Tombura-Yambio Diocese, was initiated by the Comboni Missionaries in 1956 before the Sudan government expelled Catholic missionaries in 1964.
