SPLM Youth holds a conference at Nyakuron Cultural Center - Feb, 2014

The Youth Wing representative of the SPLM/A in opposition has praised Saturday’s rally in Juba which called for peace and reconciliation.

The representative of the SPLM/SPLA- in opposition’s Youth League, Puot Kang Chol, was speaking to Eye Radio in Debre Zeit, near Addis Ababa, yesterday:

“We very much champion it and appreciate it because this is what we have been calling for on our side,” said Mr Puot.

“But at the same time, we feel that they are not realistic to what they were saying because even yesterday [Sunday] there was shooting in Juba near the UNMISS compound when some Nuer elements who happened to go out of the UNMISS compound were chased by the militias of Salva within Juba.”

Puot Kang Chol added that democratizing South Sudan is key for real reconciliation.

“We have been calling for youth to come out in large numbers because you cannot reconcile without having democracy in that nation. We must first be a democratic nation for reconciliation to happen.”

Mr Kango Chol called for Ugandan forces to withdraw in order, he said, to allow South Sudanese to solve their own problems internally.

The SPLM Youth League rally was attended by hundreds of youth from various communities in Juba, under the theme: “One Nation, One People”.

Kiir warns youth against retaliatory acts

Meanwhile, President Salva Kiir has warned young people against revenge killings and called for peace across the country.

President Kiir said the conflict in the country is not along community lines.

President Salva Kiir, who was addressing the same rally, called on youth to desist from targeted killings and harboring bitterness on other communities.

“I have to appeal to you, youth, and especially the Dinkas, whether you are in Jonglei, in Upper Nile, in Unity State or in Greater Bahr el Ghazal: forget about the people that you have lost and you go back to the fold to think of how to reconcile people,” said Mr President.

“It’s your duty as the youth to take this message home that we want this thing to stop.”

President Kiir said that young people should champion reconciliation in the country:

“If you want your mission to succeed, to build one nation with one people, that is the only way that it will succeed because there is no nation that will be composed of one ethnic group. And so we must do the right things.”

Co-author: Ray Okech