By Philip Buda Ladu
The final of the Naath Peace Tournament (NPT) was indefinitely called off after three teams surprisingly showed up for the concluding match of the inter-counties competition at Buluk Playground, Juba.
On Wednesday, Nasir FC was set to battle against Payinjiar FC in the finals of the NPT in Juba, but the unpredicted presence of the Uror team contending for the same encounter led to confusion and the eventual postponement of the much-anticipated game.
Anti-riot police were immediately called to calm down the disorderly players and fans to prevent the situation from escalating into chaos.
However, the tournament organizers have yet to issue an official statement on the confusion and how they will solve the mess in order to conclude the competition that was aimed at promoting peace among the various Nuer communities in the counties of the greater Upper Nile region.
Meanwhile, the Nuer Youth Union (NUYU) issued a statement following the confusion that marred the NPT showdown in Juba as seen by this outlet.
Naath Peace Tournament was founded on the basis of promoting peace, stability, and social cohesion within the Nuer community.
The organizers successfully did the first edition of the tournament, and the whole community was happy about the program initiative.
According to the NUYU, the second edition of the Tournament started well until the semi-final, in which they all witnessed an imaginary event happen between the Uror Football Association and the tournament organizing committee.
The community youth body emphasized that the tournament’s purpose is to bring peace to their community, warning that in the case of any contrary event, rather than its main goal, it will cause insecurity in the community.
“The Union feels concerned about the ongoing events of the NPT, which may cause violence in our community, since there has been an unsettled case between Uror and the Organizing Committee and they are still hardening their stand to play the final match without solving this issue,” the youth union noted.
It further highlighted the uprising tension in the Protection of Civilians Sites, threatening texts in their WhatsApp group, and other sources as indicators that the match may not end without violence.
Therefore, based on that background, the Nuer Youth Union came out boldly to speak out and give their clear stand on the continuity of the match.
“Therefore, the Nuer Youth Union recommended that the final match be played after this case is addressed,” it continued. “In case of any continuity of the match, should any violence happen, the committee will be held responsible, and NUYU will not be part of it?”