Thousands attend SPLM youth league rally in Torit ArticleComments (1) email Emailprint PrintpdfSaveseparationincreasedecreaseseparationseparation February 21, 2014 (JUBA) - The youth league of South Sudan's ruling party in collaboration with the Crisis Management Committee set up by President Salva Kiir to address the consequences of the two-month-old conflict in the young nation, have launched a peaceful mobilisation campaign.
The mobilisation will take place across South Sudan but it began in Torit, the capital of Eastern Equatoria state on Friday 21 February lead by two senior members of of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement's political bureau. In a rally held at Torit, under mango trees attended by thousands of civilians, the SPLM youth league chairman, Akol Paul Kordit, called for peace and reconciliation in South Sudan. The world's youngest nation needs "stability and harmony" among all South Sudan's tribes, he said, in reference to the ethnic dimension of some of the conflict, which began as a dispute between senior members of the ruling party. Kordit accused former Vice President Riek Machar for masterminding South Sudan's current crisis. "Children are dying. Women are dying. Houses are put on fire by rebels. Government institutions in Bor, Malakal, and Unity state are being destroyed. The country is bleeding [...] We need peace and stability" Kordit said to applause. He added that South Sudanese "must remain united as one people and one nation with all tribes having value and norm to priority success of South Sudan as a nation and not as a tribe basic division." Daniel Awet Akot, the deputy chairman for the Crisis Management Committee also asked for national for peace and forgiveness. Machar has reopened old wounds from his previous rebellion in 1991, Akot said. The government accuses Machar of attempting to overthrow the government in a coup in mid-December when fighting broke out between members of the Presidential Guard. Machar denies the charge but is now leading a rebellion. The conflict has killed an estimated 10,000 people and displaced over 700,000 and forced over 171,000 to flee to neighbouring countries. The former Vice President was sacked by Kiir in July. Akot said that Machar "dishonored the democracy" of the young nation. "Although we forgive him, God in heaven will not forgive him for repeat mistakes he does to people of South Sudan." (ST) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/SouthSudanKob/CAJb14oq0%3DpLZB1YhzyN9_ud73DS_ahxYog9M6UucvMOzH1CbZw%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
