Pope Francis to visit South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo in July
March 3, 2022, 4:35 pm

Pope Francis to visit South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo in July

Pope Francis-Catholic church head/Pixabay

The Asharq Al-Awsat reported, the Vatican said on Thursday, Pope Francis will visit South Sudan in July. The Pope has repeatedly had to delay the trip because of security concerns in a country still emerging from a post-independence civil war.

It said that July will mark the 11th anniversary of South Sudan's secession from Sudan. Civil war erupted two years later in 2013, causing 400,000 deaths. The two main sides signed a peace deal in 2018 but hunger and deadly clashes are still common across the country.

Reuters reported that the Vatican said Francis will be in South Sudan July 5-7 after visiting the Democratic Republic of Congo July 2-5 on the same trip.

Barge on Congo river as sun sets (File photo: Pixabay)

Though the 2018 peace deal halted the worst violence of that war, analysts say there are several unresolved issues, such as stalled reunification of the national army, that could plunge the country back into widespread conflict.

The report said that pope has wanted to visit South Sudan for years but each time planning for a trip began it had to be postponed because of the unstable situation.

Five people injured in South Sudan cargo plane crash

It pointed out that in 2019 Francis hosted South Sudan's opposing leaders at a Vatican retreat where he knelt and kissed their feet as he urged them not to return to conflict.

Source: aawsat

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.