JUBA – Among a sea of white tattered tents live tens of thousands of people forced to flee their homes when civil war erupted in South Sudan over a decade ago. Many of the children were born in this displacement camp and remain there today.

On the third day of his goodwill visit to Juba, the President of the United Nations General Assembly, Dennis Francis, saw first-hand the challenging conditions the families live in. He heard from community leaders their concerns but also their hopes for peace. He learned about the challenges facing them in accessing health services and of their worries about the impending floods with the onset of the rainy season.

President Francis expressed his solidarity and support for the communities as well as the determination of the United Nations to back all efforts to fully implement the peace agreement so that those displaced from their homes can return and rebuild their lives.

“I learned of the sobering reality faced by the Internally Displaced Persons Camp dwellers in South Sudan, and I believe anywhere else. Witnessing the plight of those affected by conflict especially the IDPs reminds us of the urgent need for peace and stability. We must redouble our efforts to alleviate suffering and rebuild lives, by prioritizing the basic needs #WASH and food sustenance for IDPs,” said President Francis.

The President also engaged with local media on a range of issues confronting the country, including intercommunal conflict and the risk of spillover from the Sudan crisis, soaring humanitarian needs, and the impact of flooding and drought due to climate change.

His message is a simple one. It is the need for peace.

“The Revitalized Agreement is indeed a landmark achievement. And I firmly believe that all it now needs is for the parties to faithfully rally behind it to ensure its full implementation, and I repeat, full implementation,” said President Francis. “There is inspiration to be drawn from Mahatma Ghandhi’s apt words of wisdom that: there is no way to peace. Peace is the way.”

To ensure that peace is sustainable, the President emphasized the need for an enhanced civic and political space.

“The Republic of South Sudan’s nationally led path to a brighter future must be an inclusive one. It must showcase the full, equal and meaningful participation of its women. It must embrace the active involvement of its civil society organizations and the youth. And in so doing, it must fully acknowledge the challenges and opportunities for realizing the rights of all children.”