JUBA, South Sudan -- Pope Francis, on a novel ecumenical peace mission to the world's youngest country, warned South Sudan's political leaders Friday that history will judge them harshly if they continue to drag their feet implementing a 2018 peace accord.
Accompanying him to the overwhelmingly Christian country were Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and the moderator of the Church of Scotland, the Rt. Rev. Iain Greenshields. They hope to cast a spotlight on what Francis has called a "forgotten crisis."
South Sudan gained independence from the majority Muslim Sudan in 2011, but has been beset by civil war and conflict.
Thousands of people ululated and sang in 96-degree Fahrenheit heat as President Salva Kiir greeted the religious leaders at the airport in the capital, Juba. Francis' motorcade route was lined with Christians, Muslims and traditional dancers waving Vatican, South Sudanese and British flags.
"The pope is closest to God," said Poni Jadalla, 45, as she waited to welcome Francis on the first-ever papal visit to the country. "Let the pope give us peace so that this country can develop and no more bloodshed."
The Catholic, Anglican and Presbyterian leaders have called for the country's political leaders to put aside their differences and work for the good of their people.
In his first address on South Sudanese soil, Francis addressed former rivals Kiir and deputy Riek Machar, who were gathered in the garden of the presidential palace.
"Future generations will either venerate your names or cancel their memory based on what you now do," Francis said. "For just as the Nile leaves its sources to begin its course, so the course of history will leave behind the enemies of peace and bring renown to those who are true peacemakers."
Kiir, Machar and other opposition groups signed the peace agreement in 2018 ending five years of civil war that killed hundreds of thousands of people. But the deal's provisions, including the formation of a national unified army, remain largely unimplemented. The delays have forced the postponement of the country's first presidential election for another two years.
MILLIONS DISPLACED
Meanwhile, clashes continue, including attacks this week in the south that killed 27 people. Combined with flooding last year, the number of internally displaced people has topped 2 million and the U.N. has warned that humanitarian needs are soaring.
Calling Francis' visit "historic," Kiir, a Catholic, publicly committed to the government returning to talks, suspended last year, with opposition groups that didn't sign the peace deal.
In urging peace, Francis said, "Enough violence and mutual recriminations about who is responsible for it. ... Leave the time of war behind and let a time of peace dawn!"
He called for an end to corruption, and for particular attention to be paid to women and to involving them in decision-making. "Anyone who commits an act of violence toward a woman commits it toward God," Francis said.
The U.N. Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has reported that "widespread rape" was being used as a weapon by armed groups across the country. It expressed shock at interviewees describing "staggeringly brutal and prolonged gang rapes perpetrated against them ... often while their husbands, parents or children were forced to watch, helpless to intervene."
Additionally, the United Nations warned in November that some 9.4 million people out of a population of 12.4 million would need humanitarian aid and protection this year, a half million more than in 2022. It cited violence, constraints on access by aid groups and climate conditions including flooding and drought.
At the same time, the U.N. has warned that funding for increased aid has dwindled, as donors redirect money to Ukraine and other crises.
Welby acknowledged the donor fatigue and said international organizations were doing their best but meet "strong opposition" on the ground.
"When I remember the commitments made back in 2019, I am saddened that this is what I see and hear," he said in remarks to Kiir and Machar.
The fighting that killed at least 27 people in Central Equatoria state's Kajo-keji this week demonstrated the simmering violence in communities sometimes awash with arms and ethnic tensions in one of the world's poorest countries. It pitted cattle herders against other residents, said county commissioner Phanuel Dumo.
The South Sudan Red Cross said four of its volunteers were among the dead and others were taken from water-distribution points and "killed in groups."
Human Rights Watch, for its part, urged Pope Francis and his fellow religious leaders to raise the issue of widespread impunity for abuses in South Sudan.
Francis Wani, 30, who sat outside the airport gate Friday waiting for Francis to arrive, said, "We have suffered so much in silence. Therefore we only need blessings and peace."
Information for this article was contributed by Cara Anna and Evelyne Musambi of The Associated Press.
Pope Francis talks with South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir (right) as he arrives Friday at the airport in Juba, South Sudan, on a peace mission to the country that has been torn by civil war and conflict since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011. More photos at arkansasonline.com/204pope/. (AP/Gregorio Borgia)Gallery: Pope Francis visits South Sudan
