Oxfam America: South Sudan, Arms Embargo. #SouthSudan #UN #ArmsEmbargo #OxfamAmerica

Over the past three years, I've had the privilege to meet and work with hundreds of young women and men from South Sudan. Each time I visit, I am always struck by their enduring hope for the future of their nation and by how hard they are willing to work in order to make peace a reality.

That's why it's been especially heart-breaking in recent weeks to see South Sudan slide further from peace, toward instability and conflict.

I'm writing today to ask you to join with me in pushing our leaders in the US to step up and establish a comprehensive arms embargo on South Sudan – giving the people of South Sudan a real chance at building peace. Take action now.

The last three years have not been easy for South Sudan. A civil war that started in 2013 has seen tens of thousands of people killed and more than 2.5 million displaced – about 20 percent of the population. Both sides have used weapons of war including artillery fire, heavy machine guns, and tanks. The human cost of this conflict has been staggering.

But in the midst of enormous obstacles, so many of the young people I know in South Sudan are trying to help. They're mediating long-standing conflicts in their communities. They're running a soccer league at a camp for displaced persons. They're traveling around their states calling for peace and non-violence.

These youth, simply put, are remarkable. Their passion and their dedication inspire me. And yet I think they are the rule, not the exception. I think there are millions more like them all throughout South Sudan who yearn for peace and are willing to work for it.

But their work will not succeed as long as weapons proliferate freely in their society and conflict continues to disrupt daily life. Take action now to stop the flow of weapons to South Sudan.

Peace does not exist on a piece of paper. True peace is cultivated in the hearts and minds of the people, and it can only be expressed through dialogue and reconciliation.

Even though I can never truly grasp the depth of the pain felt by those in South Sudan who have suffered so much, I understand how difficult it is in the face of such unspeakable tragedy to find the strength to forgive and to forge acceptance.

Moving forward together, as a unified nation, will not be easy. But it is necessary in order for the people of South Sudan, who for decades have endured war and violence, to finally inherit the dream of peace that they have been promised so many times.

Help the people of South Sudan achieve peace. Take action now to stop the flow of weapons, and give civilians a chance to rebuild their lives.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice."

It is my hope and sincere belief that soon, all children in South Sudan will sit in schools, not refugee camps, and they will learn together as they prepare to rebuild their nation for the next generation and for every generation to come.

Thank you for joining with me in supporting the selfless actions of the people of South Sudan, who crave peace so badly.

Sincerely,

Forest Whitaker
Artist, social activist
Founder & CEO, Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative
UNESCO Special Envoy for Peace