Foundations and effective interventions from the outset are necessary for long-lasting peace.

A coalition of partners, including the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Food Program (WFP), and nongovernmental organizations like The Organization for Children’s Harmony (TOCH), have launched a multisectoral project called Kong Koc, which roughly translates to “to wait,” a grassroots concept used to deescalate violent conflict.

The South Sudan Multi-Partner Trust Fund for Reconciliation, Stabilization, and Resilience (RSRTF) is paying for the two-year, $12 million project. The project aims to help build peaceful, resilient, and stable communities in the historically violent greater Tonj area of Warrap state.

The main goal is to stop fighting in Tonj by building peace in a planned, orderly, and community-driven way.

Participants at this first-ever conference agreed to stop violence and work toward the rule of law to solve their problems. They did this because they knew the current insecurity and strained community relationships could not continue.

Community leader Nyin Athuai urged the residents of greater Tonj to embrace peace at the launch.

We’ve wasted a lot of time fighting, so we’re hoping our project will not only help the impacted families get the justice they deserve but also help us all settle our disagreements amicably and look forward to a brighter future.

The RSRTF tries to make communities more resilient by promoting stable political and security settings. The goal is to make sure that local people are making progress toward a long-term, sustainable recovery from conflict.

For Maker Dut Riak, a youth leader from Romich in Tonj East County, skill-building must go hand in hand with development and recovery.

“I’m glad this project has started. I urge everyone involved to make demilitarizing civilians a top priority and to set up technical schools where young people can learn skills that will help them get jobs and support themselves. He said wisely that if this is done in all of Tonj, there will be no more fighting.

All people responsible for starting or taking part in violence, especially young people and women who are part of armed groups, will be included in the resilience and livelihood programs of the Kong Koc project.

As part of a long-term plan to change how men and women relate to each other, partners will set up places where women can gain confidence and learn to influence areas where men are in charge. At the same time, women will be targeted explicitly for resilience interventions.

At the launch, UNMISS delegate Adewuyi Adewumi asked residents of greater Tonj to support this vital project on behalf of those who worked on it.

“Kong Koc is delaying hasty acts, such as using force to settle problems. I urge every community member to take this project, which is properly titled, to heart and to follow the path of lasting peace and progress. “To end the violence in South Sudan and create a flourishing future, we must band together,” he said. said ewumi.

During the first year of this two-year project, partners will talk with people who are directly responsible for violence in order to improve community structures and ways of handling conflicts.