Youth union prepares members for 2023 elections
The leadership of South Sudan National Youth has urged the members to organise themselves for next year’s elections.
The call was made yesterday when the union delivered some office equipment to two states and one administrative area’s youth union.
Addressing the media, Gola Boyoi Gola, chairperson of the South Sudan National Youth Union, urged the youth to unite and contribute to nation-building.
“How can we build a better future for all if we are fighting among ourselves?” All this fighting will not take us anywhere, “he said.
“We need to organise ourselves because we have to participate in this coming election. The election is coming and we are not united. At the end of the day you will be told you are only good to be an office manager, “Gola warned the youth.
“We need to work hard to make sure that in this coming election, our voice will be heard. We do not want to continue with this government without electing our leaders, “he further emphasised.
Boyoi emphasised that it is the responsibility of every young person in the country to ensure that they are united, urging that they should embrace peace and love for one another to contribute to building the country.
“It was our fathers who fought for 21 years. They were [saying that] when they joined the struggle. Some of them were even younger than us but they did their part. We are independent because of their sacrifices, so what is our role in contributing to nation-building. This is something we need to focus on,” he told the youth.
The South Sudan National Youth Union has only organised youths in Central Equatoria State, Western Bahr El Ghazal, and Abyei Administrative Area since its inception in 2011.
However, Boyoi tasked state youth union chairpersons with organising colleagues in their states and coordinating the union activities.
He noted that it was their responsibility to organise youth in counties, payams, and bomas to gain access to young people in hard-to-reach areas where cattle raiding and other forms of violence are being perpetrated by youth.
Dr Benjamine Bang Bang, the deputy chairperson of the National Youth Union, encouraged young people across the country to make their voices heard for doing good things rather than destruction.
“We are known as young people of this country, we are known for destruction. So let’s leave these tribal lenses and use nationalism instead, “he said.
Dr Bang said creating youth union offices in all states would facilitate their communication, as well as aid in the reduction of destructive activities.
He said the presence of the youth office in the states would help in coordinating their activities across the country.
Dr Bang challenged the State Youth Union chairpersons to reach out to the youngsters on the ground and strive for the betterment of the South Sudanese people.
“We need all leaders and parties to the agreement to go for election because through the election, this new government will be resized. We will not have several vice presidents who are consuming a lot of budgets. This budget that are funds for development, it is going for what you all know,” he said.
The majority of South Sudanese youth are living in dire economic situations and face multiple hurdles as they fight to survive and advance in their life.
According to a report on South Sudan’s youth released by the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in 2021, violence and poverty are rising as a result of the government’s neglect of the citizenry, corruption, ethnic-based violent conflict, and competition for control of the economy and natural resources.
