RUMBEK—The Lakes State government and humanitarian partners have launched a three-year peace and resilience project known as Kong-Koch in Rumbek North and Cueibet County.
The project is supported by United Nations agencies, including WFP, UNDP, UNMISS, and PEACE CANAL, among others. The inception meeting of the initiative was attended by various groups, including women, youths, elders, and chiefs in Rumbek.
Lakes Minister of Peacebuilding Nyanhok Malou Marial said that was the phase two of the Kong-Koch project, after it was initially inaugurated in neighboring Warrap State.
“In Lakes State, we actually welcomed this project because of the positive impact it will actually have on our community,” she said. “Three pillars of this project are reconciliation, stability, and resilience.”
She said building a peaceful, prosperous Lakes State requires collaboration among its people. She said the project will be focusing much on the stability and the reconciliation.
“We have achieved a relative peace here, and what is left is the stability part of it, and then the sustainability of this peace is much of what we are actually focusing on, with the support of KONGKOC now.”
“We believe this peace that we have actually achieved will go a long way between these bordering communities of Warrap and Lakes States.”
Warrap State Minister of Peacebuilding Madit Mawien Adhilk said he commended the government and partners’ efforts to extend the peace project to Lakes’ Cueibet and Rumbek North counties.
“The inception meeting will impact people because the KONG KOC project has actually done good things in greater Tonj in three pillars, and those are civilization, resilience, and reconciliation.”
“The idea came out that it has to be extended to these counties so that they are also brought on board and into this program, and now that the program will cover these two counties, it is crucial, and it will help in the field of security and to make sure the stabilization sector is supported and they can build a police station.”
Martha Alook Bol, Chairlady of Rumbek North County, said the Kong-Koch team will travel to Rumbek North County for a peace program.