By James Innocent
The Yei River County Commissioner Emmanuel Taban Seme has appealed to the holdout opposition groups to return home.
Speaking at the closing of a three-day consortium training organized by Finn Church Aid (FCA) in Yei, Commissioner Taban urged leaders act as peace ambassadors in their communities and address the key challenges affecting the area.
“I am appealing to armed groups hiding in the bush to lay down their weapons and return home” said Taban.
He called on the community leaders across Greater Yei to unite and work together to promote development and enhance security in the region.
He stressed the importance of unity in fostering regional development and sustaining peace, also assuring them that the government was committed to guaranteeing their safety and working toward lasting peace.
On her part, Jessica Asio, one of the participants, expressed gratitude for the training, describing it as a follow-up to a similar session held in November 2024. She urged partners to extend such initiatives to other counties.
Meanwhile, Jackson Lumori, representing male participants said the training had strengthened unity among the four counties and proposed forming a peace committee for Greater Yei to address common challenges.
However, FCA Project Manager Slash Moses commended the contributions of government officials from the national, state and county levels.
He further urged participants to put the training into practice and announced that a radio talk show would be organized in each county to share key messages from the sessions.
James Juma Walla, an International Organization for Migration (IOM) official representing the consortium’s main donor the United Nations Multi-Partner Trust Fund encouraged leaders to apply the skills and implement the resolutions developed during the training
Bishop James of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan (ECSS) Diocese urged the counties to work together, emphasizing that peace is the foundation for development.
Lawrence Musoke, Director General at the State Ministry of Peacebuilding, praised the training for helping participants identify the major challenges facing the state and fostering collaboration among stakeholders.
The training brought together leaders from across Greater Yei to share experiences and develop strategies for peacebuilding and community development.