Archbp of Juba issues wrenching appeal for help to
save lives
Vatican Radio) As tens of
thousands of people are displaced by violence in Juba, the capital city of
South Sudan, the Catholic
Church and other faith-based groups are doing their best to offer
protection and aid despite a total lack of means.
Fighting erupted four days
ago in Juba between followers of President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar, the
former rebel leader who became vice president under a deal to end a two-year
civil war.
Speaking to Vatican Radio’s Linda
Bordoni just moments after meeting with South Sudan’s Vice President
and other top government officials, the Archbishop of Juba, Paulino
Lukudu Loro said the humanitarian situation is so desperate “this is
the moment, for anyone that can, to step in and save lives”.
Archbishop Lukudu also said
that on a political level the cessation of hostilities agreed on Monday evening
seems to be holding, and that now the government needs to recompose and
take decisions for the good of the nation which risks sliding back into all-out
war:
Archbishop Paulino Lukudu
Loro says the Vice-President had just informed him of the situation confirming
the cessation of hostilities across the nation and that all military personnel
have been ordered to report back to their own garrisons.
The Archbishop confirmed that
there has been no fighting since 6pm on Monday evening and he said the
government will now have to re-gather, recompose and talk.
However he talks of a
dramatic humanitarian situation in Juba where the UN has said there are some
36,000 people displaced by violence.
“In our Catholic Churches and
communities we have more than 16,000 displaced people with many more in Mosques
and in other faith based communities” he said.
Archbishop Lukudu said the
people being sheltered are calm “but they are not going back home because they
are not sure the decision taken will hold.”
Many, he pointed out, cannot
go home because their houses have been shelled and looted and they are afraid
to leave the Churches or places of displacement.
“The situation is calm, but
on the ground the humanitarian situation is one of misery” and support is
urgently needed, he said.
The Archbishop said he has no
first hand evidence but he has heard the Red Cross is delivering some aid. The
Church itself – he said – has no means.
“I do not know how I can make
myself understood and comprehended very well, but our situation is very
difficult” he said.
And with a heartfelt appeal
he continued: “if there is anyone at all that can help us, this is the moment
to save lives”.
If the people of Juba and of
South Sudan do not receive assistance “a lot of us will die”.
His appeal, the Archbishop
said, is “to the whole world, to our own brothers and sisters in faith in our
humanity, if they can at all help us in this particular moment” which has been
imposed on us “we shall be very grateful and thankful to them that they will
save lives”.
The Archbishop says the UN is
present in Juba running refugee camps but UN personnel is not able to
travel freely in the city to help all the people sheltered in Churches, in
Mosques and in other communities.
Archbishop Lukudu says all
the faith-based organizations in the country are engaged in dialogue with the
leaders.
And he points out that the
desperate people fleeing violence turn to faith-based groups without fear “and
so we are doing our best, sharing what we have”.
Archbishop Lukudu concludes:
“I know there are many sufferings in the world but ours – in this moment – was
not expected and if we can be rescued and helped, we would be very grateful,
and I want to thank anybody who will do that”.
(Linda Bordoni)
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