South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC) facilitated a two-day community consultive meeting in Liria Payam targeting local government officials, traditional chiefs, youths, teachers, health workers, women, business representatives, and CBOs to find solutions and to initiate a peace process aimed at breaking the cycle of the ongoing inter-communal violence and road attacks, identify the keys drivers of the child abductions and the frequent roads ambushes.
Liria Payam is one of the most volatile and conflict-prone areas in Central Equatoria State, despite the area experiencing chronic food insecurity, lack of basic services, poor infrastructures, and a huge economic problem, some endemics come in time to time like child abductions, land disputes, cattle rustling, revenge killing, banditry, armed road robberies, and ambushes.
During the training, the six community groups (chiefs, youths, health workers, women, business representatives, and the church leaders) reconciliatorily shared their experiences, pains, and grievances towards forgiveness and reconciliation with the first step from the church leaders on mediation and facilitation of discussions towards healing, reconciliation and re-building the shattered social fabric experienced by the conflict-affected communities. On the other hand, the government officials acknowledged and called for collective efforts in peacebuilding, reconciliation, and development of infrastructures mainly pointing out a road network construction connecting the town of Liria to Juba and Torit, as well support on the establishment of local courts and a need to conduct compressive disarmament of the armed population in the areas. The government officials also called upon UN agencies and International NGOs to strengthen the capacity of local NGOs to support communities displaced by the flood and natural calamities.
