By James Innocent
Thousands of people including local residents, government officials, employees from UN and Nongovernmental organizations, besides UNMISS and SSPDF soldiers gathered on Friday to participate in peace marathon in Yei River County of Central Equatoria State.
The peace initiative was launched successfully on Friday morning ahead of the South Sudan Independence Day on 9th of July 2022.
The marathon was organized by the government of Central Equatoria State in collaboration with UNMISS, including other partners and stakeholders from different communities living within greater Yei River County of central Equatoria State.
The chairperson organizing committee for Yei marathon, Hon. Bidal Moses said the epic was organized as a peace initiative from 2016 conflict where people lost lives, properties, and thousands displaced.
The honorable member stated that the initiative was to bring people together including young ones to rebuild greater Yei County through trauma healing strategy to forget the past, and contribute positively in peace building.
A member of parliament said, the marathon initiative should be a sign of peace to the all communities, so that citizens who have problems should forget the past and think about rebuilding of the new nation by coming together.
Meanwhile, UNIMISS team leader James Mugo Muritihi shown gratitude on the marathon for peace building, saying it has brought people from different partners and communities including military people.
“He points we are very happy for this initiative which is very successfully and great show for solidarity with strategic objectives organized in Yei that has brought people together and share space together for peace and am seeing that some people are working to fight hunger and others working towards peace and agriculture which aims all at building resilience and peace in the communities,” he said.
“The executive director of Yei River County also joined the marathon he adds, we are running against peace, hunger and climate change and the crowed watching are really happy including those who are watching across the county and this is the peace we are running after,” he added.
One of the participants, Rana Rabi Bikram from Nepal working for UNMISS said he was so happy to join the peace marathon, adding that such epic was not organized since he came to Yei.
“I have been here in Yei since 2018, and now there is peace marathon running; so, am very happy. I appreciates the team for coming up with the peace marathon, as I have seen military soldiers joining the marathon initiative in Yei River County of Central Equatoria State add of the South Sudan,” he said happily.