Cabinet Minister Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro speaks to the media in Juba. (Photo: Office of the President/Facebook).

Cabinet Affairs Minister Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro has urged South Sudanese citizens to promote peace and reconciliation as a means to achieve stability in the country.

Dr. Lomuro made the call during the opening of a two-day stakeholders’ conference on the establishment of Transitional Justice Mechanisms in Juba on Monday.

The justice mechanisms are a key provision in the 2018 peace agreement, aimed at addressing the injustices faced by survivors of the civil war that raged from 2013 to 2018.

The mechanisms seek to provide justice and reparations for those affected by the conflict, as well as to support the country’s healing process.

Speaking to participants at the opening of the conference, Minister Lomuro called for harmonious coexistence among South Sudan’s diverse communities.

He urged citizens to assert their rights through democratic processes and work together to rebuild the nation.

Reflecting on the devastating impact of past civil wars, Dr. Lomuro recalled the deep divisions that split both the country and its military along ethnic lines.

A people who struggled for more than 50 years to gain independence found themselves torn apart just two years later, creating tribal hatred that continues to affect us.”

The officials said the war not only devastated the capital, Juba, but also wreaked havoc on rural communities, disrupting the fabric of South Sudanese society.

According to Dr. Lomuro, a national reconciliation will allow displaced persons, including those in refugee and internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, to return and participate in the ongoing process of nation-building.

“Some people still carry heavy hearts,” he said. “People may sit with you, live with you, but you don’t know what they are holding inside. We must stop that.”

He called on South Sudanese to recognize that no community can live in isolation, especially when it comes to the younger generation.

“No one owns this country. This country belongs to all of us. All of us have the same rights,” he stressed while urging the population to claim those rights through the country’s democratic processes.

He further stressed the importance of respecting the rules and regulations that govern the nation.

The two-day conference, which is set to conclude on Thursday, focuses on the critical role of transitional justice in promoting lasting peace and unity in South Sudan.