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Cardinal in South Sudan Expresses Hope in “Tumaini Peace Initiative”, Condemns Violence in Tombura-Yambio Diocese

Jude Atemanke

By Jude Atemanke

Juba, 23 December, 2024 / 9:42 pm (ACI Africa).

Stephen Cardinal Ameyu of South Sudan’s Catholic Archdiocese of Juba has expressed optimism about the “Tumaini Peace Initiative”, the high-level mediation forum that seeks to address the civil war in South Sudan, incorporating groups that are not party to the 2018 the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).

Addressing journalists on December 20, Cardinal Ameyu also weighed in on the violence conflict in South Sudan’s Yambio County that is served by the Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio (CDTY).

Tumaini Peace Initiative will result in “comprehensive peace”, he said, explaining that at the forum, the parties are reflecting on all the previously signed peace agreements.

In discussing the various peace agreements for the world’s newest country that gained independence from Sudan in July 2011, “I think the Tumaini initiative will answer many of our questions,” Cardinal Ameyu further said about the peace initiative dubbed “Tumaini”, the Swahili word that means “hope”.

Launched in Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi, on 9 May 2024, the Tumaini Peace Initiative seeks to facilitate mediation between the Government of South Sudan (GoSS) and the Holdout Groups (HGs) that declined signing the 2028 R-ARCSS in Addis Ababa, citing concerns over unresolved issues.

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The lead mediators of the initiative include South Sudan’s President, Salva Kiir, his Kenyan counterpart, President William Ruto, and Major-General Lazarus Sumbeiywo, former Kenyan Army Commander with the role of Chief Mediator.

The May 9 launching that was graced by some six Heads of State, high-ranking diplomats, and other officials from African countries was folowed by days of formal discussion on the resolution of the South Sudan conflict, which concluded on May 16 with all parties that had participated in the initiative signing a “Declaration of Commitment” in which they pledged their willingness and readiness to renounce all sorts of violence.

At the December 20 Press Conference, Cardinal Ameyu recognized the fact of scepticism about the Tumaini Peace Initiative considering the many failed South Sudan peace agreements but cautioned against “hopelessness”.

“Hopelessness has no place for Christians. We are not going to live forever in war, chaos, or difficulties. There is a day of God when He will liberate us and give us peace,” the Local Ordinary of Juba, South Sudan’s only Metropolitan See, who doubles as President of the Sudan and South Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SSS-CBC) said.

He went on to weigh in on the ongoing violence in Tombura County and condemned the reported shooting at a Church of CDTY, which he said has disrupted Christmas preparations. 

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“We condemn any shooting of the church or its institutions because we are not part of the conflict,” Cardinal Ameyu said.

The South Sudanese Catholic Church leader, who started his Episcopal Ministry in March 2019 as Bishop of South Sudan’s Catholic Diocese of Torit recalled his experience of divisions in the territory of CDTY when he visited Tombura in 2022, describing them as  entrenched tribal divisions characterized by strained relationships.

“Despite the animosity, people were able to go to the market together and talk to one another. After my visit, we celebrated a great Mass where people from divided tribes prayed together,” he recalled during the December 20 Press Conference in Juba.

Cardinal Ameyu highlighted the mediating role of the Church in situations of violent conflict as important, saying, “The Church is there to help people come together. If we address these conflicts, peace will prevail in South Sudan, and we’ll be able to celebrate Christmas together.”

“Let us not exaggerate situations or allow the devil, who crawls around our communities, to fuel division,” he said.

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Cardinal Ameyu called for a recommitment to the values of hope, unity, and reconciliation, adding, “We are brothers and sisters. By displaying unity in the face of conflict, South Sudan can move closer to lasting peace.”

Jude Atemanke

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.