Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The Central Equatoria State Minister for Local Government and Law Enforcement, Moro Isaac Jenesio [pictured], has appealed to the National Salvation Front (NAS) to desist from practises that sabotage peace.
In an interview with The City Review yesterday, Mr Jenesio stressed the need for the refugees and IDPs to return home to contribute to nation-building.
He called on the holdout group to desist from road ambushes, adding that if they require sustainable peace, they should not wreak havoc through practices that do not promote peace.
“If they say peace is not sustainable, then we don’t want them to engage in issues that are contrary to peace,” Jenesio stated.
“You cannot reach someone who is in the bush, you cannot have any common link with him. What we are doing is trying to advocate for peace because the rainy season is coming and we expect that our people will return so that they will start cultivating,” he said.
He called upon the IDPs and refugees to return to their homes voluntarily to embark on agriculture for the state to attain a sustainable economy. “We expect that once they are willing to return, they can return voluntarily, and then we, as the government, shall be able to help where necessary,” he added.
The state minister stressed that most citizens in some parts of Central Equatoria State still live in fear of being attacked by the National Salvation Front.
“Most of the areas, especially in Central Equatoria State, have citizens there… Some of them live in fear because they suspect the holdout group might cause any major conflict,” Isaac explained.
“Ours is advocacy. Now the national government has the initiative, the Rome talks to resume.” We support that, and we have to minimise confrontation and allow safe passage of citizens along the road, especially those who are doing business and those who would also wish to return to their villages to engage in agriculture. That is our advocacy,” he stressed.
Strategic plan Jenesio’s statement comes after the governor of Central Equatoria State, Emmanuel Adil Anthony, unveiled the state’s strategic plan for the year 2022. He identified seven areas of concentration in the New Year, with peace and security stabilisation and repatriation of refugees and IDPs among them.
On security stabilisation, the Governor stated that the state leadership will continue to develop stronger and more robust peace programmes to end the civil war and rebellion across the state, as well as engage holdout groups to denounce violence and join the waggon of peace.
He directed the ministry of housing, the land commission, and the ministry of local government and law enforcement to address settlement and land issues.
The governor in October last year asked the partners and state institutions to cooperate and align their activities to avoid overlap. These were in line with the four pillar system the state government had developed under which all activities would be run in the state. The pillars included peace and security stabilisation, economic recovery, service delivery, and good neighbourliness.
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