Issued by the Catholic Center for Studies and Media - Jordan. Editor-in-chief Fr. Rif'at Bader - موقع أبونا abouna.org

Published on Thursday, 20 February 2020
With Catholic Church backing, South Sudan to form unity gov't by Saturday, Feb. 22

By Munir Bayouk-en.abouna.org :

News agency reported on Thursday, February 20, that South Sudan's former rebel leader Riek Machar said he has agreed to form a unity government with President Salva Kiir by Saturday's deadline, following talks at the state house on Thursday.

Before the announcement, it was not clear whether the February 22 deadline would be met as key benchmarks of the 2018 peace agreement had not been fulfilled.

"We had a meeting with the president on outstanding issues. We have agreed to form a government on 22 February," Machar said. On the other hand, Kiir confirmed the agreement.

"We have agreed to form the government," he said after the meeting, adding he will appoint Machar as first vice president on Friday.

CATHOLIC SANT’EGIDIO MOVEMENT HELPS SOUTH SUDAN'S PEACE PROCESS

Senior leader in the Rome-based Sant’Egidio Movement, Mauro Garofalo is an architect of a landmark agreement inked in Rome January 13 between opposition leaders in the South Sudan Opposition Movement Alliance, who had not signed previous peace deals. Experts say it marked a significant step forward in the peace process, as well as continued negotiations.

“It took a long time to prepare two meetings of January and February, but the speed of achieving something is saying something. It’s saying there is a political will to overcome silence and mistrust,” Mauro Garofalo said.

Throughout the process the Sant’Egidio community, widely seen as Pope Francis’ favorite of the so-called ‘new movements,’ has served as a mediator in the process.

POPE FRANCIS PLEADED FOR SOUTH SUDAN PEACE

During a meeting in the Vatican, on April 11, 2019, Pope Francis implored the leaders to maintain the tenuous peace that exists between them. He said, “I’m asking you with my heart,” the pope said to the president, Salva Kiir, and the opposition leader, Riek Machar, clutching his hands in front of his chest. “Stay in peace.”

POPE SENT CHRISTMAS GREETINGS TO SOUTH SUDAN LEADERS, URGED UNITY

Pope Francis joined UK church leaders sent 2019 Christmas greetings to the political leaders of South Sudan, wishing peace and prosperity upon the conflict-torn nation.

The message said in part, “In this Christmas season and at the beginning of a new year, we wish to extend to you and to all the people of South Sudan our best wishes for your peace and prosperity, and to assure you of our spiritual closeness as you strive for a swift implementation of the Peace Agreements.”

The message adds, "We raise our prayers to Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour, for a renewed commitment to the path of reconciliation and fraternity, and we invoke abundant blessings upon each of you and upon the entire nation. May the Lord Jesus, Prince of Peace, enlighten you and guide your steps in the way of goodness and truth, and bring to fulfillment our desire to visit your beloved country.”

POPE INTENDS TO VISIT SOUTH SUDAN IN 2020

Pope Francis announced in November 2019 that he intends to visit South Sudan in 2020. His expected visit to South Sudan will definitely consolidate peace and security in the country that gained independence from Sudan in 2011.

POPE FRANCIS… A MAN OF PEACE

Pope Francis’ message for the 2020 World Day of Peace states that: Peace as a Journey of Hope: Dialogue, Reconciliation and Ecological Conversion.

“Hope” is again at the heart of Pope Francis latest World Day of Peace message, which opens with the statement: “Peace is a great and precious value, the object of our hope and the aspiration of the entire human family”. Hope, writes the Pope, is “the virtue that inspires us and keeps us moving forward, even when obstacles seem insurmountable”.

Pope Francis acknowledges how “the terrible trials of internal and international conflicts, often aggravated by ruthless acts of violence, have an enduring effect on the body and soul of humanity”. “Mistrust and fear weaken relationships and increase the risk of violence, creating a vicious circle that can never lead to a relationship of peace”.

On the other hand, writes Pope Francis, “Peace emerges from the depths of the human heart and political will must always be renewed, so that new ways can be found to reconcile and unite individuals and communities”. That journey of reconciliation “calls for patience and trust”, says the Pope. “Peace will not be obtained unless it is hoped for”.

The world does not need empty words, continues Pope Francis, “but convinced witnesses, peacemakers who are open to a dialogue that rejects exclusion or manipulation”. Peace is a process that requires enduring commitment, he adds. “It is a patient effort to seek truth and justice, to honor the memory of victims and to open the way, step by step, to a shared hope stronger than the desire for vengeance”.

The Pope concludes with a renewed call “for a peaceful relationship between communities and the land, between present and past, between experience…and hope”.