Forum calls for international conference on South Sudan

The ABLI forum has ended with a commitment to convene an international conference including representatives of the African Union and United Nations ‘to express solidarity’ with the plight of South Sudan.

In its closing session the conference delegates pledged to help ‘chart a commonly-agreed way forward’ for the world’s youngest nation.

And delegates committed to lobby their own governments to put pressure on the warring factions in South Sudan to maintain the fragile peace in Juba, the capital city.

Earlier this week, rebel forces and government troops attacked one another in the north of the country, leading to fears of full-blown military conflict.

And the US State Department condemned a call by South Sudan’s opposition leader for a return to war, saying it was ‘inexcusable’.

The three South Sudanese MPs attending the ABLI forum, representing different parts of the transitional coalition, told delegates about the fragile situation in the fledging state, which was only formed in 2011.

The Hon Anne Abyei MP told the conference, ‘War has become our culture. We have been fighting for a long time and we are traumatised.’

She said that only ‘prayer and fasting’ could help the nation.

The resolution came at the end of the three-day forum, held in Nairobi, Kenya. The event, now in its sixth year, drew together 450 delegates from 15 African nations.

Paul Williams, the CEO of the British & Foreign Bible Society, said, ‘The ecumenical character of the Bible Society movement means that it has extraordinary convening power to bring parties together.  

‘It’s also crucial that the plight of South Sudan does not fade from the attention of the international community,’ he said. ‘Such initiatives must be combined with attempts to change hearts on the ground. Bible Society of South Sudan is doing an incredible job under the most challenging circumstances to maintain the distribution of Bibles and are constantly running out of supplies because of the high demand they experience.’

Other resolutions included individuals pledging themselves to ‘grow in personal integrity’, ‘develop personal ethics’ and ‘positive parenting’.

The forum committed the Church in Africa to remain ‘a place of “rescue” for the world’, as well as keeping its own house in order so that it could ‘hold political and other leaders to account’. In doing that, Church leaders pledged to ‘pay taxes’ and ‘curb environmental pollution’.

Finally, the forum called on the continent’s governments to ‘promote the common good over the selfish interests of individuals’ and to ‘recognise’ and encourage its Paralympians.