Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Juba (Agenzia Fides) - People rejoiced because of the peace agreement but did not publicly manifest it because they fear that it will not be applied. This is what His Exc. Mgr. Santo Loku Pio Doggale, Auxiliary Bishop of Juba, capital of Southern Sudan, said in an interview with AMECEA Online News, commenting on the peace agreement signed on 26 August by President Salva Kiir (see Fides 26 and August 27, 2015).
"There is some fear that the implementations may not go as expected and so the people are saying: well it is true that peace deals is signed but let us wait and see", said Mgr. Santo.
The Auxiliary of Juba said that "people are also concerned that previously the peace agreements were signed but later on the implementations failed to happen (...). The people naturally are not celebrating. I think they are happy but you don’t see jubilations".
As reported by Agenzia Fides, after the signing of the agreement to put an end to two years of civil war, according to a local source "there was definitely no celebratory atmosphere in Juba because the suffering caused by the civil war is immense" (see Fides 27/08/2015). Our sources also reported that among the high military command there was strong resistance to the peace agreements. Mgr. Santo states that at the time of signing, fighting was going on in Unity State, among military units who were escaping from the control of President Kiir and others that were not under the control of his rival, former Vice President Riek Machar. According to local sources the fighting in Unity State have never ceased altogether. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 31/08/2015)
