Gen. Aleu made the remarks during a parliamentary summons on insecurity, communal violence and the breakdown of law and order in the Greater Tonj counties of Warrap State on Wednesday.

He said the government made a major mistake by failing to invest adequately in young people since independence.

Gen. Aleu said investment in vocational training and professional skills could provide young people with employment opportunities and reduce their involvement in criminal activities.

He said South Sudan’s greatest resource is its human capital, rather than oil or gold.

 “We have made very big mistakes since the independence of our country. I’m serious about this. I’ve said it several times. By not investing in our youth, the best resource of this country is not oil or gold; it is our human resources.”

He said vocational training could equip young people with practical skills and create employment opportunities.

“You can train somebody who has not gone to school to fix motorbikes or become a builder. Instead of constructing this number of universities, we could have invested in vocational training for our youth and other professional courses. We would have done that. We would not have been in this situation.”

The Interior Minister also linked youth unemployment and lack of opportunities to cattle raiding, armed groups and urban criminal gangs.

He called on Parliament to take the issue seriously, saying lasting solutions to insecurity require addressing the challenges facing young people. “You’ll never get a solution here unless you address the problem of youth.”