Kiir urges homegrown solution against foreign intervention

JUBA (HAN) August 9.2016. Public Diplomacy & Regional Security News. South Sudan president, Salva Kiir, has called for a homegrown solution to the conflict which has ravaged the country, saying it was now time for everyone to show commitment to help in the restoration of peace and stability in the country.

“Peace is not a responsibility of the leaders alone. It is a collective responsible and everybody must join hands for the sake of peace and national reconciliation,” said president Kiir on Sunday.

“All communities must come together in peace, not hatred. It is time all the people show commitment to national reconciliation. Rather than looking for a solution from foreign countries we can find our own solution with which we can be proud of and present as an example to others,” he added.

Referring to the 1999 Wunlit peace initiative between ethnic Nuer and Dinka, Kiir said there was nothing impossible to stop people from coming together if they show interest to reconcile and live peacefully.

“When communities decided in 1999 to come together, nobody stopped them. They went ahead and the result was the outcome of Wunlit peace initiative. It was an important milestone,” he explained.

President Kiir said his government remained ready and committed to strengthening public service with livelihood support and the expansion of delivery of basic services as means of the solution to the problem in the country once peace and stability is restored.

The head of state was speaking to some members of Jieng [Dinka] Council of Elders [JCE] who visited him at his residence after the government delegation led by his new first vice president, Taban Deng Gai, returned from a regional summit in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, and briefed him of the outcome.

The IGAD regional body resolved to send a third party force to Juba to provide security for the capital.

United Nations will on Friday discuss and possibly pass a resolution on the deployment of thousands of protection force to take charge in the capital, including Juba airport.

(ST)