Citizens are responsible for maintaining peace, an official in the government of Western Bahr el Ghazal state has said.

Derek Alfred Uya, Minister of Information, told Eye Radio it is not the responsibility of the government alone to restore peace in the country.

He says sustainable peace and reconciliation can be achieved if the citizens work together.

“We need to engage in peace and reconciliation projects all over the country,” said Mr Uya. “We should be peace and reconciliation ambassadors and live in the spirit of peaceful co-existence.”

Recently, the International Rescue Committee reported that women and children were the worst affected.

“As food becomes scarcer, women are forced to take greater risks to try to feed their families. At times, this includes walking long distances to search for anything for their families to eat, to fetch firewood to use or to sell, and to look for water. Worsening food insecurity is placing women and girls at serious risks of sexual violence, exploitation and abuse,” said Wendy Taeuber, IRC Country Director in South Sudan.

My Uya urged the warring parties to be considerate of the suffering of the women and children over the last one year.