By Yang Ater Yang
About 50 participants, including government officials, members of parliament, political party representatives, civil society actors, church-based groups, women, and youth leaders, have concluded a two-day citizens’ dialogue in Rumbek on peace implementation and civic awareness.
The forum, organised by the Civil Affairs Division of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), focused on the African Union C5+ Declaration, peace implementation, and preparations for upcoming elections in South Sudan.
UNMISS Civil Affairs Officer in Rumbek Field Office, Benjamin Makur Yuol, said the workshop brought together diverse stakeholders to enhance understanding of the C5+ Declaration and related political processes.
“We engaged different stakeholders from political parties, religious leaders, civil society, youths, women’s representatives, and the government’s officials,” he said.
He explained that the discussions centered on the C5+ Declaration adopted following recent regional and international engagements involving South Sudan’s leadership, highlighting key issues such as elections, cessation of hostilities, and the release of political detainees.
“In the declaration, some of the C5 members called for elections, and others called for immediate cessation of hostilities, and they also called for the release of political detainees,” he said.
Yuol added that the main objective of the dialogue was to build awareness so that stakeholders at the state level understand the declaration and can help disseminate information to communities.
He said participants also discussed challenges related to misinformation on elections, information management, and civic education. The discussions, he noted, were productive, with stakeholders identifying gaps and developing a communique.
One of the key recommendations from the forum was support for holding elections without further delays.
“Second recommendation, the stakeholders called for immediate civic education training for electoral processes because some of them are not aware,” he said, adding that participants also raised concerns about new administrative units and constituency boundaries.
Lakes State Women’s Union Chairperson, Agum Joseph Kuc, said participants were trained on the C5+ Declaration and related peace processes and are expected to share the information with communities at the grassroots level.
“We have some areas that are not implemented and some areas that have been implemented, and we have been given all this information during the training,” she said.
She said participants also discussed election preparedness and agreed on the importance of holding general elections in December 2026.
Agum further called for civilian disarmament, saying that despite previous disarmament efforts, illegal firearms remain in circulation in some communities.
“We have been talking to them to keep the guns with them, but they should not kill or take someone’s property,” she said.
The deputy chairperson of the Lakes State Youth Union, James Maluk Machok, said youth participants used the forum to support elections and raise concerns about governance and service delivery.
“We, the youth of Lakes State, accept the election to go on. We want the election to continue in December,” he said.
He argued that the current size of government is too large to effectively deliver services.
“We have like five vice presidents, 560 national MPs, and in the state we have 17 ministries, and all those cannot make this government deliver,” he said.
Machok also urged youth to avoid spreading misinformation and hate speech on social media, saying young people must play a positive role in peacebuilding as they represent the majority of the population.
He further called on political actors to allow open political space for all parties to participate fairly in the electoral process.
Minister of Cabinet Affairs in Lakes State, Stephen Mathiang Deng, said discussions focused on peace implementation and political engagement ahead of elections.
He said peace has enabled stability in the state and urged politicians to prepare for electoral competition by reconnecting with their constituencies.
“When there was no peace. Nobody stays here up to this time. But because of peace, that’s why we are here,” he said.
He stressed that politicians must actively engage their communities ahead of elections.
“You have to return to your counties, payams, and bomas. It is not about a party, although a party is there. But you need to perform by yourself,” he said.
The dialogue concluded with participants reaffirming their commitment to peace, civic education, and inclusive political participation as the country moves toward elections.