Det var en veldig optimisme etter uavhengigheten for tre år
siden. Det internasjonale samfunn stod i kø med penger og prosjekter og
Sør-Sudan var klar til å bygge sin nye nasjon. Men etter urolighetene 15.
desember i fjor har utviklingen gått feil vei. De euforiske scenene fra
uavhengighetsdagen 9. juli 2011 er forsvunnet og den unge nasjonen som hadde så
mye å feire, er igjen tilbake i krig og uroligheter. En situasjon som de
kjenner så altfor godt etter tiår med død og ødeleggelse. Vi får disse såkalte
SitRep’ene fra FN hver morgen. Det er en ganske lang liste med dårlig nytt. Regntiden
gir mange problemer, men den virker i alle fall dempende på krigsoperasjoner. I
desember er regntiden over og mange frykter en eskalering av konflikten.
Vi jobber nært med kirkesamfunn i Sør-Sudan. De er partnere
i bistandsprosjekter og vi, med penger fra UD,
støtter kirkenes fredsinitiativ og forsoningsarbeid. Jeg tror kanskje
ikke jeg hadde vært like positiv til å støtte alle kirkesamfunn i Afrika (!),
men i dette landet er kirken noe av det eneste som fungerer. Normalt er jeg
heller ikke spesielt opptatt av rundskriv fra bispekollegier og har vel aldri vært på mailinglista til biskoper i den katolske kirke. Men dette
oppropet tar dere med på en ny reise. Det er modig, det er klokt og helt
utenfor den verden jeg kjenner fra Oslo 4. Kanskje setter det et litt annet
perspektiv på DnK’s homofilidebatt eller HEF’s skolegudstjenester. Fordi fokuset
flyttes når du beveger deg i verden og verden ser litt annerledes ut her jeg er
nå! Mat på bordet, rent vann, fravær av krig og vold – selvfølgeligheter i Oslo 4, men problemstillinger bare så altfor mye til stede i den Sør-Sudanske
virkelighet.
MESSAGE OF HOPE FROM THE SOUTH SUDAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS
JUBA, 25TH SEPTEMBER 2014
“WAR IS EVIL; WAR CANNOT BRING PEACE; THIS WAR MUST STOP”
Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Where is your brother Abel?’ He said, ‘I do
not know; am I my brother’s keeper? ’And the Lord said, ‘What have you done?
Listen; your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground! (Genesis
4:9-10)
Preamble
We, the Catholic bishops of South Sudan meeting in Juba from 23rd – 25th September 2014, compelled by
the Gospel imperative and having deliberated on the situation of the Church and
the people in our country, solemnly declare that the current war in South Sudan
is evil, as we have said in previous messages. There is no moral justification
for any further killing. We can accept no excuses nor conditions from any party
or individual for the continuation of the war. The fighting and killing must
stop immediately and unconditionally. Political and other grievances must
indeed be addressed, but only when the fighting has stopped. These issues are
on the table in Ethiopia and will be addressed in the political process. We
declare before God that it is evil for any party to use continuing violence to
try to further their political agenda.
Appreciation
We appreciate the sacrifice of the clergy, religious, catechists and lay
people who are facing great danger and hardship in the service of the people
during these difficult times.
We thank IGAD for their noble efforts to mediate peace in South Sudan. We
also thank the international community and other nations in our own region and
encourage them to continue their support.
The Impact of War
The war has had a huge negative impact on our country. It has once again
reinforced the culture of violence with which we have lived for so many
decades. It has seriously undermined our standing in the world which so
recently welcomed us as the world's newest nation and it has damaged our image.
Human rights are still under threat, including freedom of speech.
Humanitarian Aid and Development
Above all it has created a humanitarian tragedy. Thousands have been killed
and hundreds of thousands displaced. Our traumatised population has been
re-traumatised by atrocities we have rarely seen before. Displaced people are
living in appalling conditions, whether in the countryside, or in UN camps in
the cities, or as refugees in neighbouring countries. A famine is looming in
parts of the country. International humanitarian access is limited due to
insecurity. Once again we declare this war immoral and we demand an immediate
end to all hostilities so that these humanitarian concerns can be addressed.
Development has been brought to a halt. Freezing funds meant for
development is an invitation to more insecurity and suffering. It can be said
that peace is another word for development. While seven out of ten states are
not directly affected by the violence, their people are still suffering and are
still in need of development activities. Prevention is better than cure. We
call on the international community to continue to support development. We as
bishops see coming to the aid of our people, both in government and opposition
areas, as our prime responsibility.
Tribalism
Aware of the negative impact of war, we call attention to the rise in
tribalism as a result of the conflict. Traditionally, the peoples of South
Sudan do not hate each other. While there have been tribal conflicts over
issues such as cattle and land, there have also been traditional mechanisms to
resolve those conflicts before they get out of control. Our peoples have
inter-married, assisted each other during famines, moved freely around the
country, studied together in national boarding schools, lived together in
cities, shared their cultural heritage and worked together in many different spheres.
We acknowledge the generosity of many who even during the current conflict have
welcomed and protected people from other ethnic groups. However ethnicity has
now become a negative issue throughout our society. Large-scale ethnic killing
has created a cycle of fear, hatred and revenge. Our politics is becoming
ethnic, with perceptions from various communities that one tribe or other is
favoured, or that one tribe or another is under-represented, or even that one
tribe or another “deserves” to rule. Even within our churches, elements of
tribalism are creeping in and creating suspicion, hindering our efforts to work
for peace and reconciliation. This is not the way forward. We condemn tribalism
and repeat our earlier call for “One People from every Tribe, Tongue and
Nationality”. We are South Sudanese, and we call for the creation of a national
identity which builds on but transcends our tribal roots and heritage.
Corruption
Tribalism is allied with corruption and nepotism. Political office is
perceived by many as synonymous with access to power and wealth, and
communities often feel that they need their own tribesmen and women in power in
order for that community to have access to resources. We condemn corruption and
tribalism. We challenge all our political leaders, whether in government or
opposition, and remind them that political leadership is about service to all
the citizens of South Sudan, not about personal power and wealth nor favouring
one community or other. We urge our people not to fall into the trap of
supporting their own tribe rather than seeking the best qualified person for
the position.
Our Call for Peace
We are pastors, not politicians, but our faithful are dying. We do not try
to advise on the details of the political resolution of the problems of our
country. Nevertheless, we urge the parties to negotiate in good faith; we
demand that the killing must stop. No doubt both sides will be required to
compromise.
Just as we put our trust in the people during the People to People Peace
Process, just as we trusted the people when we advocated for them to have the
Right of Self-Determination to choose for themselves the political future of
their country in a referendum in 2011, we now believe that the people of our
country are capable of determining the political future following the current
conflict. In the longer-term process, the citizens of South Sudan must play a
prominent role, represented by their traditional leaders, their faith
communities, civil society and other actors.
In our Prophetic role as bishops, we state without hesitation or fear that
the current conflict is evil and must be stopped immediately and
unconditionally, regardless of any other considerations. We call on every
political leader, every military officer, every individual soldier, every armed
civilian, whether government or opposition, to avoid any further killing. It is
immoral and evil. The question to ask ourselves is: do I have the sincere will
to renounce violence, to compromise and to bring peace?
The Church is the Mother of all people from every ethnic group in the whole
of South Sudan. We call upon all the people to embark on the path of
reconciliation, healing and peace. We encourage our priests, religious and
pastoral agents, our international partners, and the other churches and faith
communities, to intensify their activities around these, to become more active
peace-makers. Prayer is the only sure way to peace. Our dioceses and parishes
must organise prayers for peace. Repent and do not sin any more!
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into
pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any
more. (Isaiah 2:4)