By Bida Elly David
The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has cautioned South Sudanese youth against unilateral participation in boarder matters between South Sudan and its neighbors.
Minister Deng Dau Deng made this statement following the brutal Nadapal saga between the armed youth of South Sudan and the Turkana of Kenya early this week.
Speaking to the media during a press briefing, Minister Dau said that government will not leave such comprehensive matters neither to the hands of the youth nor to the community.
“Our appeal to the youth is that the issues of the boarders are national issues. The government of the republic of South Sudan is the one to address any particular issue of the land of South Sudan. Of course, we cannot leave it to the youth and the local community,” he said.
Minister Dau added that it is a territorial integrity of the Country – saying all the security organs within the government and the ministries of defense are knowledgeable about the border issues not only with Uganda and Kenya but also with Sudan and other places.
“I don’t think anybody can take an inch of this land. We have priorities and the first is to consolidate our internal peace in our Country. So that when we have issues outside, we would be facing it as a unified consolidated Country,” he said.
In continuation, he said that a Country will not decide to wage a war against enemies before consolidating peace internally.
“You cannot declare a fight when you have not yet consolidated yourself inside the Country. So, we want to assure our youth that they should not fight. South Sudan will never leave an inch of any piece of land to any other Country since it is by definition that South Sudan is called a Country because of her defined territory and her population,” he said.
He called on the country’s youth and the community at large to tolerate the situation as government fights to address the territorial disputes amicably.