Catholic Bishop in South Sudan Urges “collective responsibility” in Forestation

Tombura-Yambio, 12 July, 2023 / 4:16 PM

Bishop Edward Hiiboro Kussala of the Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio (CDTY) in South Sudan has advocated for forestation, urging “collective responsibility”.

“Plant more trees and avoid deforestation,” Bishop Hiiboro who was addressing students during a tree planting exercise at St. Mary Mother of God Parish of his Episcopal See on Monday, July 10 said.

“Conservation of the environment is a collective responsibility of everyone,” he further said, and added, “Trees planted send a message about the importance of conserving the environment in the community.” 

The South Sudanese Catholic Bishop underscored the need for young people to engage in forestation, saying, “Let’s make it a habit of planting trees when intending to cut others.”

The tree planting initiative was part of activities marking the 12th Anniversary of South Sudan’s Independence, he said at the July 10 initiative, which the Youth Ministry of CDTY organized.

After decades of violent conflict, South Sudan gained independence from Sudan on 9 July 2011.

The hard-won independence celebration was, however, short-lived. Since December 2013 when political infighting between President Salva Kiir and his then-only Vice President Dr. Riek Machar erupted into violence in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, the people of God in the East-Central African nation have been subjected to a myriad of challenges.

The violent conflict between the two government factions spread to other parts of the country, especially to Bentiu and Bor, resulting in the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people “in just the first month of conflict”, Mercy Corps, a global humanitarian aid entity operating in transitional contexts, reported in June 2019.

Some peace agreements have been signed over the years of civil war, the most significant having been the September 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).

The peace agreements have been repeatedly violated, with the world’s youngest nation remaining highly unstable amid reported outbreaks of violence now and again, some triggered by inter-community conflicts.

Kerbino Kuel Deng contributed to the writing of this story