Students hold peace prayers for S. Sudan

Mar 17, 2014

A group of enthusiastic university students under their umbrella body held prayers on Monday for peace to prevail in South Sudan.

By Carol Kasujja

KAMPALA - A group of enthusiastic university students under their umbrella body, Workers Activists Without Borders (WAWB), held prayers on Monday for peace to prevail in South Sudan.

The youth also launched a campaign targeted at promoting peaceful resolutions between Ugandans living in South Sudan and Sudanese living in Uganda.

The campaign, dubbed “How can we reconcile?”, was launched by the non-governmental organization WAWB.

South Sudan’s government has been at war with rebels since December 15, when a clash between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and those supporting sacked vice-president Riek Machar snowballed into full-scale fighting across the world’s newest nation.

The fighting has since displaced thousands as well as led to the deaths of many civilians caught in the middle of a conflict that had overtones of both tribal and political friction.     

“We should reconcile, not only to our God, but even to people we live with,” said James Nsubuga, the group’s (WAWB) chairman.

“We have realized that some Ugandans in Makindye wanted to kill a South Sudan national and also in Sudan, Sudanese expelled a cross section of our workers mainly the taxi drivers and bodaboda cyclist but this has to stop,” he said.

Meanwhile, the African Union has appointed Ugandan academic Prof. Mahmood Mamdani on a five-member commission of inquiry into atrocities committed in the ongoing armed conflict in Uganda's southern neighbour.    

The commission of inquiry was sworn-in Wednesday last week by the AU commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.   

The student body, WAWB sees itself as a channel to amplify youth voices to take on leadership roles and responsibilities.

During the launch of drive held at Mackinon Suites Hotel in Kampala, Nsubuga said there is need to mobilize both the Ugandan and South Sudanese university students to engage in such prayers and mediation to heal wounds on both parties.      

Rev. Father Cyprian Masembe, the director of Peace and Justice in Kampala archdiocese, officially launched the campaign and hailed the youth for coming up with the initiative.

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