As South Sudan prepares for the anticipated December 2026 general elections, citizens of all faiths have an important responsibility to promote peace, unity, and tolerance.<\/p>\n
Religious beliefs should bring people together, not become tools for political division, hatred, or violence.<\/p>\n
Faith occupies a significant place in the lives of many South Sudanese. Churches, mosques, and other religious institutions influence how people understand their responsibilities towards one another and society.<\/p>\n
During the election period, this influence should be used to encourage peaceful participation, respect for differences, and the protection of human life.<\/p>\n
Elections are a democratic process through which citizens exercise their right to choose leaders. They should not become a reason for communities to turn against one another.<\/p>\n
Political disagreements are normal, but they must never be allowed to destroy friendships, divide families, or provoke violence between people who have lived together for generations.<\/p>\n
Religious leaders have a particular responsibility to remind their followers that political competition does not cancel the values of compassion, forgiveness, and respect for others.<\/p>\n
From the pulpit, in mosques, and during community gatherings, they should encourage believers to reject tribal hatred, political intimidation, inflammatory language, and revenge.<\/p>\n
However, the responsibility for peaceful elections does not rest with religious leaders alone. Politicians, security institutions, civil society organisations, the media, and ordinary citizens must all contribute to creating an environment where people can express their political views without fear.<\/p>\n
Candidates and their supporters should understand that no political ambition is worth the loss of innocent lives.<\/p>\n
Campaign messages should focus on policies, public services, security, economic recovery, education, and healthcare rather than attacks against opponents or the mobilisation of communities along religious or ethnic lines.<\/p>\n
Citizens must also exercise caution when using social media. False information, provocative messages, and unverified allegations can spread quickly, increasing suspicion and tensions among communities.<\/p>\n
Before sharing political content, people should verify its accuracy and consider whether it contributes to public understanding or threatens peaceful coexistence.<\/p>\n
The National Elections Commission and relevant authorities also have a responsibility to provide clear information about the electoral process, protect citizens’ rights, and address complaints through lawful procedures.<\/p>\n
Transparency and accountability can help build public confidence and reduce unnecessary tensions.<\/p>\n
South Sudan has experienced years of conflict, displacement, and suffering. Its citizens understand the high cost of violence and the difficulties of rebuilding communities after bloodshed.<\/p>\n
The country cannot afford to allow electoral competition to reopen wounds that peace efforts have sought to heal.<\/p>\n
Religious faith should therefore be a source of hope and moral guidance throughout the election period. Believers should pray for peaceful elections while also demonstrating peace through their words, decisions, and actions.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, the strength of a society is not measured by how many people share the same political opinion but by how peacefully they coexist despite their differences. Citizens may support different candidates, parties, or political programs and remain neighbours, friends, and fellow countrymen.<\/p>\n
As South Sudan approaches the December elections, every citizen should remember that political terms come and go, but the consequences of violence can last for generations.<\/p>\n
God protect South Sudan.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Be the spectator!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As South Sudan prepares for the anticipated December 2026 general elections, citizens of all faiths have an important responsibility to promote peace, unity, and tolerance. Religious beliefs should bring people together, not become tools for political division, hatred, or violence. Faith occupies a significant place in the lives of many[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":45757,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[89,90,122,80,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-columnists","category-commentary","category-nation-talk","category-national","category-politics"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/NATION-TALKS-LOGO-2.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49025"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49025\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49026,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49025\/revisions\/49026"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}