19/05/2026
AN APPEAL TO ALL LEADERS, PUBLIC SERVANTS, MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT, BUSINESSMEN, COUNCILLORS, COMMUNITY LEADERS, AND TRIBAL WARRIORS IN ENGA PROVINCE
I would like to sincerely acknowledge and commend all the tribes and individuals in Enga Province who have already surrendered their fi****ms to the police. Your decision is a wise and courageous step towards restoring peace, unity, and stability in our communities. You have shown true leadership and responsibility by choosing peace over violence, and I encourage you all to stand firmly by your decision to uphold peace at all times in your respective communities.
I also wish to acknowledge the tremendous effort and initiative taken by Hon. John Pundari MP, the Police Minister, for spearheading the gun surrender program in Enga Province. This initiative is timely and necessary, especially at a time when our province and our nation need peace more than ever before.
However, while appreciating the effort already made, I respectfully challenge the Minister and the government authorities to ensure that the gun surrender program is properly coordinated, carefully planned, and fairly implemented across the entire province. The exercise must not target or involve only a selected few tribes while others continue to possess illegal fi****ms. Every tribe, every community, and every individual in possession of guns in Enga must be encouraged, and where necessary, compelled to surrender their fi****ms for the greater good of the province.
As the 2027 National General Election draws near, it is critically important that the gun surrender program be fast-tracked and expanded to cover every district, every village, and every tribe throughout Enga Province. The people of Enga deserve to experience a peaceful, fair, and violence-free election in 2027.
For too long, guns have caused fear, destruction, loss of innocent lives, and instability in our communities. Development cannot flourish where violence exists. Businesses cannot prosper where people live in fear. Our children cannot have a better future when communities are divided by armed conflict.
Therefore, I appeal to all leaders, public servants, businessmen, councillors, tribal leaders, and warriors who still possess fi****ms to take this opportunity seriously and voluntarily surrender your guns to the police. Let us work together to sweep our communities clean of illegal fi****ms once and for all.
Peace begins with each one of us. Let us choose peace, unity, and progress for Enga Province and for future generations.
Bp. Justin Ain Soongie
Catholic Diocese of Wabag
