Bishop Santo Laku, the Auxiliary Bishop of Juba in South Sudan, has recently commented on the fraught situation in the country: “There is no need to tell lies. They do not help us. This country is sinking. We need to get up and stand strong and say God help us to carve a new way, rather than denying the suffering of the people”.
He insisted that “we cannot deny the suffering of our people. How many young men and women are in prison today, uncharged? People are locked in containers uncharged. This country can only be built on justice. When somebody commits anything, he should be brought in front of the law, according to the constitution, although our constitution is also sick”.
Monsignor Laku pointed his finger at the hypocrisy of “those who perpetrate injustice”, those who commit hypocritical acts such as attending religious functions so that the public considers them holy. He also condemned the rampant corruption that undermines the moral values of society, and the growing gap between rich and poor.
“You cannot sing the song of peace without addressing the injustices caused on the people. How can you burn my tukul and you ask me to be peaceful and you do not allow me to go and cut the grass to build another tukul?”, he concluded.
The United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and a group of East African countries have, in a strongly worded statement, asked South Sudan’s government and rebel forces to adhere to a permanent cease-fire immediately.
Reports of fighting in the country continue. The UN refugee agency has said ongoing government military operations have trapped around 100,000 people in the southern town of Yei, amid reports of women, children and babies being hacked to death.
