[Juba, South Sudan, TCT] The Archbishop and primate of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan, who is the Chairperson of the Committee for National Healing, Peace and Reconciliation Daniel Deng Bul said South Sudanese people have many wounds at hearts that cannot get heal in a day, but need transitional and humble reconciliation processes that will give them chances to speak out their problems.
In his presentation at the conference organized by South Sudan Law Society on Tuesday in Juba Grand Hotel, Archbishop Bul highlights how his committee was setup through a presidential decree and tasks to go down to the people to do what is called ‘home grown peace initiative,’ saying South Sudanese people have suffered for so long on injustice and mishandling of their conflict affairs since colonial period to date.
Adding that, the committee realized that there are so many wounds at people’s hearts that cannot get heal in one day, so the committee decided to go down to grassroots to listen to people’s grievances.
According to archbishop Bul, the committee also has been advocating for what it refers as ‘national agenda’.
Bul told the conference that the committee has trained over 2000 grassroots’ peace participants, through its peace mobilisers short training.
“the strategic approach of the committee is ‘hearing people’s grievances’ Bul emphasized.
As part of implementation of the recent signed peace agreement between the government and the armed opposition, Bul said the committee will hand over to the proposed Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission which will soon be formed, but he cautioned that as “Church we shall continue playing vital role of preaching peace and reconciliation in this nation”, says Archbishop Bul
In his concluding remarks, archbishop Bul emphasized on the grassroots approach that his committee has employed.
“the people have lost trust on each other in South Sudan. This doesn’t just need peace events, but growing sustainable peace among the people by hearing from them is vital” said Deng.
At the presentation, video clips on the work of the committee was played to the conference, showing the content of people at grassroots expressing their grievances and forgiving all their abuses. While people expressing grievances and views, they blamed government for not doing justice, The clips also showed a testimony from a Taposa participant in Eastern Equartoria state grassroots peace training, saying “I was never thinking of walking or talking with any member from Buoya ethnic community because of deep hatred that was in me, but with reconciliation training and after I aired out my grievances am able to forgive them and I hope they forgive me too.”
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