Peace Day: Yei Residents Reflect on Conflict, Reconciliation and the Meaning of Peace

YEI RIVER COUNTY— For residents of Yei River County, peace is more than a theme marked on a calendar, it is the ability to return home, rebuild a life, send children to school, move freely and live alongside neighbours without fear.

Those were the hopes echoed on the International Day of Peace celebrations at Yei Freedom Square on Monday, where residents, local leaders, religious figures, young people and peacebuilding organisations reflected on the county’s troubled past and the work still needed to keep communities together.

One of those whose speech centred on the need for peaceful coexistence was the County Executive Director Hillary Lokudu, who urged residents to become ambassadors of peace and promote unity, equality and peaceful coexistence.

He said the county was working to strengthen peace across all its payams and encourage people who had left Yei to return home.

“Youth should continue embracing peace because they are the future of tomorrow,” Lokudu said.

The message carried weight as the county is coming to terms with memories of the 2016 conflict and its effects on relationships between communities and security forces.

James Wani Banja, Yei River County’s director of peacebuilding, said the gathering was intended not only as a celebration but also as a moment for communities to remember what they had experienced.

He said the commemoration was an opportunity to “refresh people’s minds” about the effects of the 2016 conflict.

Banja said mistrust had at times existed between civilians and soldiers, making efforts to rebuild relationships an important part of peacebuilding.

For peace actors working in the county, their work has increasingly involved dialogue between communities and military personnel.

Mustafa Adams, representing Reconcile International, said peace should be measured not only by the absence of violence but also by whether people can live better lives.

He said community members had a collective responsibility to invest in peace and credited peace committees and religious leaders with helping create spaces for dialogue.

“Peace should not be associated with creating violence in communities but with creating better living conditions for society,” Adams said.

The gathering also highlighted some of the everyday issues that can undermine social cohesion.

The chairman of the Yei River County Peace Committee, who is also the county’s paramount chief, Joseph Brown Lo Mose warned residents against selling other people’s plots as families continue returning to the town.

He also raised concerns about parents forcing children into marriage while they are underage, saying such practices do not contribute to peaceful communities.

Meanwhile, religious leaders linked peace to access to basic services. Bishop Alex Lodiong Sakor Eyobo of the Catholic Diocese of Yei called on residents to invest in peace alongside better social services.

He raised concerns about access to healthcare, saying some leaders travel outside the country for treatment while ordinary people continue to face difficulties accessing medical care.

Gaga Frank Osman, chairman of the Yei River County Youth Association, welcomed the commemoration, saying it showed the role of government and partners in supporting peacebuilding.

Dickson Mawa, representing people with disabilities, said their inclusion was important because peacebuilding should involve all sections of society.

Alex Kenyi Lokosa, deputy chairman of the Yei River County Peace Committee, said the annual observance gives communities an opportunity to reflect on the importance of peace and recognise the work of those supporting reconciliation.

The event was held under the 2026 International Day of Peace theme, “Invest in Peace: For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day.”