EES Governor Louis Lobong Lojore speaks at a peace event. (EES/Social Media).

Conflicting communities in Hiyala Payam of Eastern Equatoria State on Friday agreed to end insecurities and embrace peace during a social cohesion event organized by the state government.

The event attended by Governor Louise Lobong, was organized by the state Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports with support from the UN Mission in South Sudan.

The remote villages located in Torit County, were previously plagued by intercommunal violence characterized by killing, revenge, highway robbery, and cattle raiding among communities.

. But the insecurity has subsided following a recent peace dialogue facilitated by state and national government officials.

“The people here fought, a village fighting another village and that really created a very bad way of living and when there was this area called Level 4, people were confined in their villages, they could not really move,” Jacob Odwa Paul, a Catholic Priest in Torit County of Eastern Equatoria State recalled the situation of the previous conflicts.

“When night times approached, people used to move to the center of the village because you cannot live at the outskirt because of fear that some people might come to shoot you.”

“It has taken a number of years and people cried that this kind of life must be brought to an end. So, people talked a lot about how this must come to an end.”

Father Odwa said he expects roads safety for people and humanitarian agencies to move freely.

“The government needs to discuss how to get this area which has been said to be level 4, to normalcy. It is to be a free zone so that the NGOs and people move freely because it is from this area, you can pass from here, you go to Nairobi, you go to Chukudum, you go to Isoke, you go to Kapoeta.”

“So, it is a highway area. So, both the government, the UNMISS, and the Church and then all the villages around, the villages comprising of this area are here”.