The United Nations Mission in South Sudan has organized a peace and reconciliation football tournament for the youth in Akobo East County. A total of 74 players from the ten clubs in town, representing various different communities, were mixed to make up four teams.

The event, the first of its kind since an outbreak of violence in July this year, was meant to bring the youth of varied ethnicity together to promote peaceful co-existence.

The players, selected by the Akobo Youth Association and the Akobo Sports Association, put aside any existing conflicts between their respective communities and played together, to great effect.

“One of the highlights of the two-day event was the high standard of restraint exercised by players, organizers and spectators to avoid any kind of violence,” said Isidore Boutchue, an UNMISS Civil Affairs officer based in Bor.

He commended the role of the state and local authorities, who their role in encouraging the youth and promoting reconciliation and social cohesion in Akobo East County.

More than a thousand avid football fans turned up to watch the four teams competing, and the players themselves want more of the same. To make it possible for all the ten teams of Akobo to participate, the have suggested a second tournament to be played over five days.