The UN Secretary-Deputy General’s Special Representative for Political Affairs in South Sudan led a visit to Tambura County in Western Equatoria State on Thursday and committed to assisting peace initiatives in the region.
A little more than a year ago, the county was devastated by violent fighting between villages, with many people dead, thousands displaced, and property destroyed.
Mr. Guang Cong said that the security situation in the region has improved and that the major emphasis would be on peacebuilding.
“For UNMISS, our major areas for the next several months will be to enhance the capacity of the local peace committee in Tambura, and the second will be to facilitate conversation and reconciliation procedures between the Azande and Balanda communities,” he said.
Mr. Cong also said that they would begin manufacturing programs “targeting more than 200 adolescents in Tambura Areas to develop vocational skills and earn a livelihood.”
Meanwhile, Western Equatoria Administration Governor Gen. Alfred Futuyo Karaba hailed UNMISS’s assistance and said that the state is also looking into methods to reconcile the two groups.
“We gave the team who traveled to Tambura the light to do whatever they believe is necessary, whether it’s a training or a workshop to bring those two or three communities together to talk peace,” he added.
The administration, according to Governor Futuyo, is striving to bring peace to the area, and the state has enjoyed relative tranquility in the previous seven months.
