South Sudanese people say ‘Enough is enough’: The suffering must end

By

Peter Louis

Enough is enough with regard to the suffering of the people of South Sudan. The international community are now called upon to take action in the event of the two warring parties failing to sign a peace agreement on 17^th August 2015.

On Friday in Juba hundreds of internally displaced persons (IDPs) organised a peaceful demonstration within the UN Protection of Civilian (PoC) site, turning out with the slogan, ‘Yes for peace and yes for the two armies’.

In support of the IGAD-plus proposal for a compromised peace agreement, the South Sudanese IDP community at the UNMISS camp on Friday carried out a peaceful march with the message that South Sudanese IDPs need a workable peace agreement to end the suffering.

In his statement to journalists in the camp, Hoth Gor Luak, Chairman of the IDP site said that “Today we turned out in support of the IGAD move towards a peaceful resolution of the deadliest conflict in South Sudan.”

“With this demonstration, hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons in Juba, Bentiu, Bor and Malakal are articulating an overwhelming support to the IGAD–plus compromised peace agreement, expected to be signed on August 17^th 2015 in Addis Ababa” Hoth said.

Hoth also stated that “We are for peace and call for any international action to bring an end to the 19 months of the bloodiest conflict in South Sudan.”

“Any failure by any party would result in the hundreds of thousands of IDPs continuing to shelter at UN bases throughout the country. Therefore, we are forwarding this petition to the IGAD Heads of States and Governments, African Union Peace and Security Council, the United Nations Security Council, TROIKA members States and government, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan and its Humanitarian partners, NGOs; and Governments of neighbouring Countries” Hoth added.

Our message to the world is very clear. The 19 months old conflict in South Sudan has had severe effects on the nation in general, in particular the internally displaced persons who have borne the brunt of the on-going conflict” Hoth said.

We are driven out of our homes and forced to shelter under the protection of the United Nations Mission within our own country. Thousands of our innocent women, children, youth and elderly have perished in unbridled violent carnage on ethnic-bases by the so called government of Salva Kiir in Juba and others cities in the greater Upper Nile region.

Two years in the UN PoC camps, the IDP communities in Bentiu, Malakal, Bor and Juba continue to be victims of vulnerable health vulnerability, facing unusual deaths of several diseases like child mortality and maternal death among others.

In the same situation IDPs in South Sudan are aware of several abortive attempts that have surfaced throughout the 19 months of war, in terms of the IGAD led peace negotiation. However, we the IDPs through all hardships under the protection of the United Nations within our own country are still hopeful and confident that IGAD will negotiate peace between the two warring parties.

While the world is aware of the situation, we the IDPs have been living in hope that any solution to the conflict may emerge from the talks at Addis Ababa. Although it has been a painful endurance we are still optimistic that the world which brought South Sudan into its sovereignty existence will continue its support for any viable solution to the on-going man-made disaster in South Sudan.

It is now time for action that give us the chance to return back to our homes to rebuild the broken lives after nearly two years in anguish.

Peter Louis

Peter Louis works as a freelance Videographer and Journalist in the Republic of South Sudan. He previously worked for Ebony TV, South Sudan Radio and South Sudan TV, Wau.