By Lodu William Odiya
300 members of the National Salvation Front (NAS) have returned to government in what they described as a move toward peace, dialogue, and participation in the country’s political and development process.
The return was witnessed on the ground by journalists and other observers, with Brigadier General Hillary Edson Yakan identified among the leaders accompanying the returning forces.
While declaring their return in a press conference at the National Security Service headquarters in Juba on Monday, NAS commander General Hilary Edson Yakan said his decision to return follows President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s presidential amnesty, which provides an opportunity for armed groups and their members to abandon armed confrontation and return home.
“In response to the presidential amnesty order, January 2020, by his excellency, General Salva Kiir Mayardit, the president of the Republic of South Sudan, to all armed groups to respect the ceasefire and accept peace, I, Brigadier General Hilary Edson T. Yakana, and 300 members of the National Salvation Front, declare our return to government to pursue peace through dialogue,” he said.
Gen. Edson underscored that taking power through the use of force is unconstitutional and unacceptable by all standards.
He added that the group therefore refused to be used by any person seeking power through the use of force, stating that the people of South Sudan had suffered for too long; millions of lives were lost and property destroyed, with many people living in the refugee camps and others displaced within the country.
“We say enough is enough. Let us give peace a chance and let our people return to their country and participate in the development of the country. We chose to abandon war because violence is not a solution and will never solve our problems as South Sudanese,” he stated.
The returned forces called on other holdout armed groups operating in Central Equatoria and other parts of South Sudan to consider the amnesty, lay down their arms, and join efforts to resolve the country’s challenges through peaceful dialogue.
The group said prolonged conflict has resulted in the loss of lives, displacement of communities, and destruction of property, stressing that continued fighting cannot provide a lasting solution to South Sudan’s problems.
“Our message to the remnants of holdout armed groups around Central Equatoria and South Sudan at large is please accept the presidential amnesty and come back home to participate in the development of your country,” he said.
“Those carrying out criminal activities of looting civilians, raping young girls and women, targeted extrajudicial killings, robbing, and banning civilian cars along the roads, we call upon you to stop these acts with immediate effect because what you are doing is wrong,” he added.
Edson further added that the people who work undercover and promote the war through sharing intelligence information with the holdout armed groups should stop it with immediate effect.
He also cautioned some sections of people who use social media to propagate divisions among the people of South Sudan, creating lies with the intent of confusing South Sudanese and beating the drums of war as a means of lobbying for recognition and survival through solicitation of donations from supporters; this must stop because the truth is that it always wins over lies.
“Time has come for the people to exercise their political rights through the ballot, as elections are settled at the end of this year. We encourage every aggrieved political actor who is still outside the country to return and sell his or her case to the citizens,” he said.
“We call upon General Thomas Sirilo to listen to the cries of his people and consider dialogue as a means of restoring peace and security to our country,” he added.
Meanwhile, David John Kumuri, who is the official spokesperson and director of public relations for South Sudan’s National Security Service (NSS) as well as a member of the Board of Directors for the South Sudan Media Authority, stated that safety and security for the group is their top priority.
“According to necessary requirements, while more of their remnants continue to arrive at their camps while awaiting their integration into all the organised forces. So, they will all be integrated into the organised forces,” he said.
Kumuri called upon all the opposition groups in and out of the country to follow a similar decision and join the South Sudanese government and collectively improve the security and economic prosperity of the people of South Sudan and equally meaningfully participate in the upcoming general elections.