JUBA – With one of the world’s youngest populations, youth in South Sudan are disproportionately impacted by conflict, losing their lives as well as access to education, health services, and professional opportunities.
To empower youth in the pursuit of peace, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan launched a campaign leveraging a global United Nations-led advocacy effort under the theme ‘Hear Us, Act Now’ that aims to give voice to youth.
Not just a mere get-together but a symbol of unity, the launch at the University of Juba was attended by around 150 students, youth, women, civil society representatives, academics, traditional authorities, and elders who participated in a vibrant conglomeration of debate, poetry, and music.
Youth leader, Babur Sokiri, used the event as an opportunity to denounce violence and turn a new page of peace and tranquility in his suburbs:
“As all of my community, I’ve lived in darkness for ages, so I want to testify to you that I have now decided to leave my old self and be a positive agent from now on.”
He urged the government and other organizations to create employment opportunities for young people, build recreational centers, and provide vocational training initiatives to reduce destructive behaviors.
Joining these sentiments, youth leader Mark Andaria emphasized that peace can only thrive in the absence of tribalism, hunger, and disease:
“We just need basic necessities to live in peace. It’s human nature that where essentials such as food, water, safety, and security are plenty, communities will be peaceful, and the youth are likely to shun violence.”
Senior UNMISS officials and authorities highlighted the importance of young people shaping a better future for themselves and their country.
“Too often, youth are excluded from political and peace processes which are the very spaces where solutions are shaped. Yet, they represent the country’s greatest hope for a successful transition from conflict to peace as a generation that has a real stake in building a better future for everyone,” said Mike Dzakuma, UNMISS Deputy Director of Civil Affairs.
Jacob Gore Samuel, Central Equatoria State’s Minister of Peacebuilding, stressed that young people are, not just leaders of tomorrow, but already protectors of today during many community conflicts.
“This campaign is the right platform to explicitly voice your concerns, explore ideas, and take practical actions to promote respect, unity, and understanding among our diverse ethnicities. Choose dialogue over fighting and love over hate,” he emphasized.
“Peace is not only the absence of war but the presence of justice, equality, cooperation, and willingness to help one another,” declared the Minister.
Concluding the dynamic and diverse exchanges, Maria Nyataba, a youth representative from a camp for displaced persons, urged her counterparts at all levels of society to resist participation in intercommunal feuds, and advance grassroots peace efforts:
“Strong peace must have fixed roots and foundation at the grassroot levels. If national politics foster divisions, resist them, and come together instead to build a peaceful society. It’s up to us to build brighter futures.”
By Sokiri James Kenyi
