Reporting
South Sudan: Kwongo Dak Padiet, King of the Shilluk, thanks Salva Kiir for peace
Audio 01:31
South Sudanese President Salva Kiir in Nairobi in September 2022. (illustrative image) AP - Brian Inganga
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
The king of the Shilluk, Kwongo Dak Padiet, organized a large gathering of his community on Saturday February 25 at the mausoleum of John Garang, in Juba.
The objective: to offer "
royal honours
" to President Salva Kiir, to "
thank
" him for his action during the last phase of the conflict in Upper Nile State, in the north-east of the country, at the end of 2022. ceremony which perhaps indicates a reconciliation between the Dinka and Shilluk communities, in the shadow of which also seems to be taking shape an alliance in view of the 2024 elections.
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With our correspondent in Juba,
Florence Miettaux
The Shilluk kingdom had been devastated during the year 2022 by an
offensive by the White Army
, a militia made up of young Nuer, from neighboring Jonglei.
The South Sudanese President,
Salva Kiir
, had arranged to evacuate King Shilluk from his palace in Kodok, when his life seemed in peril.
Still in exile in Juba, Kwongo Dak Padiet wanted to mobilize thousands of members of his community in honor of the president, this Saturday, February 25.
Thousands of dancers marched, slowly, each group wearing a lawa – this large cloth tied over one shoulder, the traditional shilluk dress of different colors – tied over one shoulder.
Dressed in leopard skin, Kwongo Dak Padiet took the floor and recalled how, twice, President Salva Kiir, he said, "
saved ''his'' head
":
“
We thank him and hope that he will prevent the return of war, and that peace will settle in South Sudan.
He's not going to get there on his own.
He's going to need our help.
And, God willing, he will stay with us until the elections.
»
Reaffirming his support for the king, Salva Kiir insisted on the importance of traditional authorities in building the country: "
Your majesty, if this event is focused on peace and stability in the Shilluk kingdom, the spirit that guides it must be extended to other communities in the country.
»
Among the dancers, Nyikwec Pakwan comes from the city of Tonga, where the conflict in the Upper Nile began in August 2022. “
On the ground, it is different from the speeches we hear here.
There is no real peace since people are not in their villages.
We have been dislodged from our ancestral lands.
Our people live in refugee camps, especially in Sudan.
If there is peace, we will return to our lands to farm and support ourselves
,” he said.
For him, there needs to be a peace process for Upper Nile State.
Difficult, however, without Vice-President Riek Machar, absent during the celebration, and whose forces are involved in this conflict.
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South Sudan
Salva Kiir