21 July 2015 - It is vital for lecturers in South Sudan’s universities to increase awareness of the benefits of peaceful co-existence, a senior government official in Western Bahr el Ghazal State said in the state capital Wau today.

“You should work on how to change the mentality of our people,” said State Minister of Education Adil Athansio, during the opening ceremony of a two-day workshop organized by UNMISS under the theme, “Inter-communal conflict and its impact on national politics.”

Dr. Athansio said the theme of the workshop was very important and timely, especially considering the current situation in the country.

Various research papers presented by scholars from the University of Bahr el Ghazal emphasized that the ongoing conflict in South Sudan is purely a power struggle and not a tribal conflict.

The Acting UNMISS State Coordinator, Nwanne Vwede-Obahor, noted that it was vital to look at conflict from various perspectives as this would help in coming up with better and more lasting solutions.

She reiterated the mission’s readiness to work with the university and other stakeholders on areas of common interest in the future.

In addition to presentations on conflict management, UNMISS officials also explained the role of the mission to participants who included youth representatives, chiefs, women groups, State Legislative Assembly members and representatives from non-governmental organizations engaged in conflict mitigation.