President Salva Kiir is calling on South Sudanese around the world to mark a day of National Prayer and Fasting next week.

The day which will be held on the 10th of March, urges South Sudanese to rally behind calls for peace and reconciliation.

In a recorded personal appeal to the nation over radio and television, President Salva Kiir called for unity and healing amongst the people of South Sudanese worldwide.

“We have been going through untold suffering and it is time we should open up all our avenues for our citizens to dialogue and pray together,” he said.

The President called on the governors and South Sudanese communities in foreign countries to organize an event to observe the day.

“We will need to ask our diaspora community to pray with us on this day so that we turn over plights to almighty God for a better year – 2017,” he continued.

The theme for the national prayer is a verse from the bible that calls for “Repentance and Forgiveness.”

“We need to turn out in big numbers on that day to pray, repent and forgive each other for the problems that we might have committed against one another for the last four years so that we start a new chapter in our relation in our relations as citizens of this nation,” said Kiir.

The National Prayer Day will take place across the country before the official launch of the National Dialogue, an initiative he unveiled in December 2016.

Full text of the statement

My Dear People,

As your leader and the Patron for the National Dialogue, I am obliged to release this public statement to inform all our citizens and friends about the planned National Day of Prayers that’s going to be held on March 10th, 2017.

Our time, as people who aspire for common destiny, is now ripe to turn to God and ask Him for forgiveness and blessings. We have not been that prefect and we need to submit ourselves to Almighty through prayers.

In this regard, I am appealing to all our citizens and friends to observe the following on that day;

1. We need to turnout in big numbers on that day to pray, repent and forgive each other for the problems that we might have committed against one another for the last four years. It should be the day we all pray to God and ask Him for forgiveness so that we start a new chapter in our relations as citizens of this nation.
2. I am also asking all State Governors to observe this Day (National Prayers Day) in their respective State Capitals. We have been going through untold suffering and it is time we should open up all avenues for our citizens to dialogue and pray together.
3. In the same spirit, we would wish to ask our Diaspora community to pray with us on this day so that we turn over our plight to Almighty God for the better year 2017.

Thank you!