S.Sudan: Ruling party vows to reconcile to bring peace

By Parach Mach

JUBA, South Sudan (AA) - South Sudan’s ruling party has vowed to reconcile, saying the unity of the party is a must to bring peace to the war-torn nation.

In a statement to journalists on Saturday, acting Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) Secretary General Jemma Nunu Kumba said leaders from different sides of the conflict, including SPLM political detainees led by exiled Secretary General Pagan Amum, the SPLM in opposition led Riek Machar, and the SPLM in government, reaffirmed their commitment to party unity and its importance for uniting the nation’s people.

“With the unity of the SPLM, the people of South Sudan can also be united. We can sit together and plan how we can bring peace to South Sudan and end the suffering of our people,” Nunu said.

She described the meeting as successful and said the leaders agreed to draw up a roadmap toward ending the war.

The warring SPLM met in Uganda on Wednesday to unite divided SPLM leaders in a bid to bring peace to the country.

South Sudan’s three-year-plus conflict began in December 2013 when a smoldering political rift within the SPLM flared into fighting between supporters of President Salva Kiir and Machar, then his deputy.

The SPLM rift is among the root causes of the country’s conflict, which has killed tens of thousands and displaced about 3 million people from their homes.