Pope Francis launched, Saturday, February 4 in Juba, an ardent cry of alarm to the leaders of South Sudan to restore "dignity" to the displaced, renewing his call for peace in a country torn apart by power struggles.

"I renew with all my strength the most pressing call (...) to seriously resume the peace process so that the violence ends and people can find a dignified life," François said during a meeting. with internally displaced people on the second day of his visit.

"But we can't wait any longer: a large number of children born in recent years have known only the reality of camps for displaced persons, forgetting the air of the country, losing the link with their land of origin, their roots , their traditions", he insisted in front of 2,500 people.

"Protect, respect and value" women

The head of the Catholic Church notably "begged" the inhabitants to "protect, respect and value" women.

Sexual violence against women and girls is "widespread and systematic" in the country, according to a report published in 2022 by the UN-mandated Commission on Human Rights.

The Argentine pope on Friday began a long-awaited "pilgrimage of peace" in the youngest state in the world, where famine, misery and floods are rife.

From 2013 to 2018, this country of 12 million inhabitants, 60% of whom are Christians, was plagued by a bloody civil war between the supporters of the two enemy leaders, Salva Kiir and Riek Machar, which left 380,000 dead.

Despite a peace agreement signed in 2018, violence continues and the country had 2.2 million internally displaced people in December, according to the latest figures published by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha).              

"Humanitarian tragedy"

"Unfortunately, in this martyred country, being displaced or a refugee has become a habitual and collective experience", lamented François, after hearing the testimonies of three young people who recounted the difficulty of life in the camps.

"I am with you, I suffer for you and with you," he said, warning against the "aggravation" of this "humanitarian tragedy".

Saturday morning, the sovereign pontiff spoke to the Catholic community at Sainte-Thérèse cathedral, in the presence according to the authorities of 5,000 faithful, who welcomed him with songs and dinghies in a festive atmosphere.

"It's all about peace. Pope Francis can't even walk, but he still comes here to encourage our leaders," 24-year-old John Makuei told AFP.

Francis will take part in an ecumenical prayer at the end of the afternoon alongside the heads of the Churches of England and Scotland, representing two other Christian denominations, at the John Garang mausoleum where the crowd was already waiting in the middle of the day, under a sunny lead.

"New burst"

On Friday, the pope had already urged the political class to a "new start" for peace and castigated the scourge of corruption.

"Enough destruction! (...) Future generations will honor or erase the memory of your names depending on what you do now," warned the 86-year-old pope.

The UN and the international community regularly accuse South Sudanese leaders of maintaining a status quo, stoking violence, suppressing political freedoms and embezzling public funds.

In 2019, Francis had received the two enemy brothers Salva Kiir and Riek Machar at the Vatican and knelt down to kiss their feet, begging them to make peace, a strong gesture which had not yet been followed by concrete progress. .

It is the first papal visit to South Sudan since the nation, which has more than 60 ethnic groups, gained independence from Sudan in 2011.

The Church plays a surrogate role in areas without any government service and where aid workers are often attacked or even killed.

This trip follows a four-day visit to Kinshasa, where the pope condemned the "atrocious cruelties" perpetrated in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, plagued by abuses by armed groups that have left hundreds of thousands of dead.

Initially scheduled for the summer of 2022 and then postponed, this visit is the Argentine pope's 40th abroad since his election in 2013 and the third in sub-Saharan Africa.

With AFP

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