By Akol Madut Ngong
The Minister of Local Government and Law Enforcement in Western Bahr el Ghazal State has urged young South Sudanese to put down guns used for cattle rustling and go to school.
He made the appeal yesterday during the national livestock conference in Juba that brought participants from the ten States and three administrative areas, national ministers, MPs, Academicians and university students.
The conference was organized by the National Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries in partnership with UNIMISS, UNDP, WFP and UNESCO.
The Western Bahr el Ghazal State Minister of Local Government and Law Enforcement Agencies, Ibrahim Surur Ibrahim said so many people lose their lives in South Sudan, due to inter-communal clashes related to cattle raiding.
He said the conference will help seek for solution to reduce violence instigated by cattle raiding that’s mostly carried out by youth.
“It is very useful for people to calm down, sharing ideas on how to solve some important issues, in our culture of South Sudan, people are using cattle for the purpose of prestige but not for commercial, this conference, people have agreed that if government modifies the system introducing the cattle to be sold in the market, be used economically, this will help and reduce violence in the society,” he said.
“My message to the young people of South Sudan is the government has now graduated the unified forces, it is time now to let guns be in the hands of the forces only not for the young people,” Surur said.
“Youth are being used by the military generals to carry guns to go after their cows and this is the problem facing us, now these generals have become the national army, there will be rules and regulations that will guard them, don’t follow these generals, they are big people and tomorrow they will not be there, the future of South Sudan is going to die, put down the guns and go to the school,” the State minister urged the youth.
Meanwhile a student from Upper Nile University Timan James Julius attending the conference welcomed the livestock conference organized by the concerned ministry with support from partners describing it as the most important initiative of livestock and related conflict.
The conference brought participants from tens states, representatives in counties, Payams and Bomas, where those problems related to livestock are occurring and part of the team attending are youth and community representatives.