Turkson sent to Juba as peace envoy

Hundreds gathered at the small open-air clinic in the grounds of St Theresa’s Catholic cathedral in Juba when Cardinal Peter Turkson, head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, said Mass there two weeks ago, writes Ellen Teague.

He urged Catholics to remain united and avoid violence, well aware that thousands were seeking refuge in church compounds and schools across South Sudan. Nearly 40,000 people have fled to Uganda since fighting between troops of President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar erupted in early July.

“The initiative for my visit came from Pope Francis, who wants to support calls for peace,” Cardinal Turkson told The Tablet this week. Speaking on the phone from Rome he reported that Francis thought about inviting Kiir and Machar to Rome “to try to undo the mistrust between them” but sent Turkson to South Sudan instead, with letters for both of them. “These difficult situations are always in the Holy Father’s heart,” the cardinal said.  

Cardinal Turkson met with President Kiir, a Catholic, in Juba on 19 July, but not Riek Machar who had left the city, although they did speak on the phone. On 8 July, nearly 300 people were killed in fighting between Kiir and Machar loyalists around State House. Machar has asked the international community to send in neutral international troops.

“There is already an arms proliferation in the country, a lot of embittered soldiers, and the government is not completely in control,” Turkson said. “My own wish is not to send in another army but to urge faithfulness to the programme of reform, building up towards elections in 2018.”