By Gladys Fred Kole
Civil society activist has envisaged future joint visits for reconciliation and forgiveness by President Salva Kiir and his first deputy, Riek Machar, to the states.
President Kiir, today, Tuesday 4th June 2023, stages a huge political rally for his SPLM party in Wau, bringing together all the party cadres and supporters from the Bahr el Ghazal region.
The event marks endorsement of Salva Kiir Mayardit as SPLM party flag bearer for the upcoming December 2024 election.
But Mr. Edmund Yakani, the Executive director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) said in future, he hopes for joint visits as a symbol of reconciliation and forgiveness.
Salva Kiir on Tuesday, traveled to Wau, Western Bahr El Ghazal State, for a regional political rally, just three months after his famous-meets-the-people visit to the region.
The regional SPLM event gathers the party leaders from Abyei Administrative Area, Warrap, Lakes, Northern and Western Bahr El Ghazal states.
Yakani said that he wished the president would also soon plan similar visits to the Equatoria and Upper Nile regions as well.
CEPO’s boss expressed that the joint visits would be remarkable to offer the presidency the opportunity to listen to the citizens, speak to them, and know their concerns.
“A joint presidential visit will encourage the citizens to embrace forgiveness and reconciliation, especially at a time when the country is expecting national elections to be held in December 2024,” he mulled.
Yakani hopes that the president will address some of the concerns of citizens in his public speech in Wau, especially the worries about the deadly violence and dispute in Western Bahr El Ghazal.
He also expects the issue of elections to be one of the matters addressed during the president’s visit since December 2024 keeps narrowing.
CEPO is urging the political leadership to speed up the implementation of the pending tasks of the R-ARCSS for a better political transition from violence to peace before the end of the extended 24 months.” Yakani
On January 2, 2023, President Salva Kiir declared 2023 a year of peace, reconciliation, and development as he amplified the message of stability in the face of inter-state turmoil.
Western Bahr el Ghazal state governor Sarah Cleto, a top member of the opposition SPLM-IO told the media that all provisions were in place for the president’s arrival in Wau on Tuesday.
“We are thrilled to receive him, and in terms of safety, we have all our security in the state deployed; it is 100 percent peaceful,” Cleto assured.