Fighting broken out again in the town of Malakal, Upper Nile state (Diocese of Malakal) as reports said that fresh fighting erupted on Tuesday morning this week.
Meanwhile, the Apostolic Nuncio to Kenya and South Sudan, His Excellency Archbishop Daniel Balvo has said that the civil society need to be involved in future peace negotiations for the new nation.
According to Catholic Radio Network the opposition claim to take control of parts of the town of Malakal. This is the first major clashes since the government and rebels signed a ceasefire agreement on January 23, 2014
Both sides accused each other of starting the violence in Malakal. The opposition spokesman, Brigadier General Lul Ruai accused the government forces of attacking their positions south and east of Malakal while the Presidential spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny said the opposition forces begun the attack at 07:50 Tuesday morning and that the fighting spread in most parts of the town.
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| Archbishop Daniel Balvo |
Speaking with the Catholic Information Service for Africa (CISA) on February 17, 2014; the Apostolic Nuncio said that the Civil society organizations and the Church have already asked the warring factions to lay down their arms and work out their differences adding that in the end it is the people who are suffering.
“If there is to be a permanent solution to the problems of South Sudanese, the civil society needs to be involved not just negotiations on the government level. I know some of them went on their own to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia recently for the peace talks anyway but they should be actively involved always,” he said adding that “It is very hard to promote and create a society with generations of people that all they have known is violence.”
He said that in a country that has a lot of resources; it will not be easy to develop them unless there is peace.
He noted that the church was doing a lot to help people in South Sudan through promotion of their welfare and would continue to ensure that peace prevails in the nation.
SOURCE: CRN and AMECEA Social Communication Office