The Peace and Reconciliation Commission says it wants to focus strongly over the next two years on bringing peace to local and grassroots levels.

The Commission has launched its strategic plan for 2013 to 15 in Juba, with five key objectives for the next two years.

These include working more closely with the media, the government and NGOs to get the message of peace into communities right across the country.

Commission chairman, Chuol Rambang Luoth, says the modern style of cattle raiding is a major challenge:

“Although cattle raiding has been there before, with easy availability of light weapons, the situation has worsened and now done by a group of well-armed youth. It’s no longer a cattle raiding, but a massacre of innocent civilians, including women and children.”

Meanwhile, the senior post conflict expert at the United Nations Development Program in South Sudan, Amanuel Gebremedhin, said the peace commission “needs help to work effectively.”

“I am inviting everybody to support the peace commission to be successful….there is no capacity there. Capacity cannot be developed within weeks. It needs each and every support, ” Mr. Gebremedhin added.

The Commission says national healing and reconciliation must work at the community level to be successful on the national stage.

The South Sudan Peace and Reconciliation Commission is mandated to promote peaceful co-existence amongst the people of South Sudan and advises the Government on matters related to peace.