What is the role of youth in peacebuilding in South Sudan?

(radiotamazuj.org)

The youth are the backbone of nation-building and their energy need to be properly harnessed to achieve peace and stability for national development. 

In South Sudan, some politicians have and continue to exploit the youth by using them to fight wars to achieve the former’s interests at the expense of the youngsters. 

A South Sudanese advocate, Guer Rom, said in a statement to Radio Tamazuj that Article 40 of the South Sudan Constitution stipulates the right of young people and how the state should enable them to improve their abilities and skills to join the labour market to guarantee the independence of young people and give them freedom under the bill of rights.

"The revitalized peace agreement signed in 2018 stipulated that young people have a great role in the peace process as well as those who participated in the wars, 70% youth, who sacrificed their lives for the sake of the country. So, they were allowed to be represented in the government in the Ministry of Youth and sports,” Advocate Rom said.

A young man, Mark Paulino, says young people are the backbone of the country because their population exceeds that of other age groups so they have a great role in the process of building and maintaining peace in the country. 

"If the youth want to start a war, they can do so because they have the strength unlike the rest of the society,” Paulino said.

Another South Sudanese youth, Henry Kala, said that the youth should have a spirit of peace and unity to support the development of the country in the coming period. He accused some politicians in the country of fueling the conflict by exploiting the energies of the youth to achieve their gains.

"There are some politicians in the country who are fueling the conflict by exploiting the energies of young people to achieve their ends,” Kala said. 

He called on young people to renounce violence and be united and at peace in all parts of the country.

For her part, the Executive Director of the South Sudan Women’s Movement (SSWM), Betty Sunday, said civil society organizations in South Sudan face several challenges, the most prominent of which is harassment by the security apparatus while they go about their work.

She said security operatives believe that civil society organizations are working against the government yet they are focused on building the state in a way that accommodates all.

"Young people should know that they are the backbone of building the state, they have a great role in building peace and the Lord preserves them to know their role in the development of South Sudan to achieve the desired prosperity,” Sunday said. 

The Undersecretary at the Ministry of Peace Building, Professor Pia Philip Michael, believes that the economic crises in the country are one of the causes of conflict, especially among young people who often struggle to get money, because of their poor professional skills, and to acquire money for a bride price or marriage. He said this drives some young people to participate in conflict and crime to obtain money for bride price. 

"The Ministry of Peace Building is working hard with partners to ensure peace-building in all parts of South Sudan. According to statistics since 2005 and until now, only Juba city is stable, so young people in it receive support from the government and organizations to carry out economic activities that help them make money,” Pia said. “Young people in the states also resort to criminal activities to get money, so the Ministry of Peace Building is working to identify these activities and support young people in the states to build their capacities to care for their communities.”