The most important thing South Sudan needs now is lasting peace, says Oxfam

Women collecting food at the food drop zone in Lankien, South Sudan. Photo by Dominic Kango/Oxfam

As the world celebrates the International Day of Peace today, Oxfam reiterates commitment to support the people of South Sudan to achieve peace and prosperity in their lifetime. South Sudan has been experiencing conflict and displacement for long. Therefore, peace is the most important thing this country now needs.

Oxfam's Country Director in South Sudan, Adil Al Mahi said: “We take this opportunity to urge everyone to embrace peace and live in harmony at all levels so that, women, men, girls and boys are safe from violent acts. Today, we celebrate the men and women who have given their lives to the just course of reinforcing peace. It is upon us to prevent the next generation of South Sudan from the scourge of war.”

This year’s celebration comes with a lot of untold suffering caused by inter-communal conflicts, floods, displacement, locust invasion, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The people of South Sudan have not been exempted since COVID-19 is devastating and destabilizing the country’s economy.

While the theme for this year is ‘Shaping Peace Together’, for the South Sudanese, it is supposed to be a collective effort from both the government and the population. Oxfam calls upon the government to include more women in governance, leadership and in critical decision-making levels.

“The communal conflicts and isolated cases of confrontation between various groups in some parts of the country have continued to pose challenges for humanitarian agencies to deliver services to vulnerable communities. On this important day, we call on the people of South Sudan to embrace peace. We also call upon signatories and non-signatories to the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) to observe the cessation of hostilities,” added Adil Al Mahi.

South Sudan is grappling with the implementation of the ‘Revitalized Peace Agreement’ alongside other natural disasters like floods. Oxfam in South Sudan is supporting the disadvantaged population with food and necessities in Lankien, Akobo and Pibor which have been hit hard by flash floods. We have reached more than two hundred and eighty thousand vulnerable South Sudanese with food aid and clean water since the outbreak of the pandemic in Lankien, Akobo, Wau, Pibor, Rumbek and Juba. We are doing these together with our partners, the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).