An unprecedented number of people have been killed in South Sudan this Christmas in a cycle of revenge and suspicion that threatens the nation's viability, the country's senior bishops have warned.
Church leaders including the Catholic Bishop of Tombura-Yambio, Barani Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala, said that the scale of the destruction and loss of human life was enormous.
"The red clay of our newly independent soil was darkened by the blood of violence ... setting off a cycle of death, revenge and suspicion that threatens the viability of our nation," they warned in a message.
They called for an immediate ceasefire and offered to help bring about reconciliation.
Meanwhile about 5,000 people have taken refuge in the cathedral in Juba, the capital of South Sudan that for days has been in the grip of violent clashes between rival factions of the army, respectively loyal to President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar.
The Auxiliary Bishop in Juba, Santo Loku Pio Doggale, said that refugees are sleeping in the open air and that many of them, including several children, have contracted diseases. The presence of such a large number of people is creating serious health problems, and there is a risk of a cholera outbreak.
A UN official in South Sudan spoke today of an atmosphere of fear and desperation as violence escalates. Humanitarian aid co-ordinator Toby Lanzer told the BBC about summary executions in Bor, in the state of Jonglei that has fallen to rebels. The UN headquarters in South Sudan has given shelter to more than 30,000 people.
There are political and diplomatic initiatives to defuse the crisis. A joint delegation of Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Uganda and Sudan representatives has arrived in Juba to attempt mediation. The United States has also announced the sending of a special envoy. President Kiir has said that he is ready to talk "without condition" with Machar.
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