Sudanese man living in Saskatoon says there’s hope in South Sudan after peace agreement signed

Since the civil war broke out in December 2013, many of the 11 million people who live in the country have been pushed to the brink of starvation. Millions of people have fled their homes and thousands have been killed.

“We’ve been in touch with most of the family members on a regular basis. The situation is not very good leading to this point of signing this agreement. A lot of attacks happen frequently,” Timon, whose hometown is near the border with Uganda, said.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty where even some of the areas that aren’t directly impacted by the fighting but indirectly things are very bad because most of the roads leading from Uganda to South Sudan are where they access goods and they are very obscured.”

President Kiir has led South Sudan since it seceded from Sudan in 2011. Previous to that time there were generations of war after Sudan (which formerly held South Sudan) achieved independence in 1956. In 1983 the second Sudanese civil began and did not end until the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005. It was during that civil war that Timon had to flee.

“The reason why I left South Sudan is due to the civil war that last for over 21 years … A lot of lives were lost during those 21 years,” Timon explained. “The government forces were looking for young men to be recruited to the forces whether you like it or not, you would be abducted by force and taken away from your parents … That’s what led myself to leave the country.”

“THE REASON WHY I LEFT SOUTH SUDAN IS DUE TO THE CIVIL WAR THAT LAST FOR OVER 21 YEARS”- SENOS TIMON

After living through that conflict and watching, from abroad, as his country descended back into civil war, Timon said he is ready for peace and he believes his country is too.

“Some people were born in war and grew up in the war and never experienced peace in their life,” he said.

“Southerners, we have the belief that eventually South Sudan will overcome this. We will learn from the lessons of all of these conflicts.”

Email kmalone@ckom.com
Twitter @KellyGerMalone

by Kelly Malone

Sudanese man living in Saskatoon says there’s hope in South Sudan after peace agreement signed

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