Pope in South Sudan: Hoping for a turning point for peace Weapons for Ukraine: These ideas are being discussed in parliament

Pope Francis was euphorically celebrated at the first stop on his African journey in the Democratic Republic of Congo. On Friday he will travel to South Sudan – a country where violence is still the order of the day despite a peace agreement between the opposing political blocs. More than two million of the eleven million South Sudanese have fled the violence.

As in Congo, people in South Sudan have high hopes for the visit of the head of the Church. “I would like this visit to be a turning point for peace and harmony,” said James Oyet Latansio, secretary of the South Sudanese Council of Churches. Thousands of people from all over the country have already arrived in the capital Juba to witness the Pope’s arrival at 3pm local time (2pm GMT).

South Sudanese hopes are not unfounded, as former opponents, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and his former Vice President Riek Machar, reached a peace deal shortly after a visit to the Vatican in 2019. After gaining independence from Muslim-dominated Sudan 12 years ago, the country was embroiled in civil war from 2013 to 2018.

Pope Francis prayed with Kiir and Machar at the time, begging them for an end to the conflict. Then suddenly he knelt before the two and other guests from South Sudan and kissed their feet. Since 2020, Machar – who fell from grace seven years earlier due to an attempted coup – has been vice president of South Sudan again.

However, the violence has continued and South Sudan is still a country in permanent crisis mode. Since the country’s founding, more than 13,000 soldiers have provided stability to a UN blue helmet mission. Germany is also taking part in the operation with 50 soldiers.

But even one day before the pope’s visit on Thursday, at least 20 people died in clashes between different armed groups in the south of the country. Violence has escalated particularly sharply in recent months in the states of Jonglei and Pibor in the east of the country. The situation is similar in the Warrap or Central Equatoria regions. Ethnic tensions and the struggle for scarce resources erupt into deadly conflicts almost daily. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the number of patients requiring treatment for gunshot wounds has recently skyrocketed.

“The impact of armed conflict and violence on the people of South Sudan is devastating,” said Pierre Dorbes, head of the ICRC delegation in Juba. After the new clashes, the Red Cross has stepped up its emergency aid, as the violence is becoming increasingly brutal. “Increasingly, we have to send injured people away from the countryside, because that is the only way to save their lives,” says Dorbes.

In the north of the country on the border with Sudan, the south of which only gained independence twelve years ago, there are repeated tensions. It is not only about conflicts between the Islamic north and the Christian south, but also about oil supplies in the border area.

In addition to the old conflicts, the country has long been battling a new threat: climate change. “South Sudan is one of the first outstanding examples of climate change impacts,” said Ania Okinczyc, Welthungerhilfe office manager in South Sudan. The country experienced severe flooding in 2022 for the third consecutive year. “Last year alone, about half of the country was completely under water,” said Okinczyc. Although the dry season has started and there is no more rain, the fields and villages still have water. According to the UN, at least 900,000 people have been affected by the floods.

There is no end to the suffering of the people of South Sudan. The International Refugee Council (IRC) estimates that the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance is likely to reach 9.4 million this year. Three-quarters of South Sudanese already depend on humanitarian aid. (aeg/sda/dpa)