By Yiep Joseph
Governor Gen. Augustino Jadallah Kamilo Wani of Central Equatoria State has urged the youth to reject being used as instruments of conflict by politicians.
In his New Year’s message, Governor Jadallah pointed out that the ongoing conflicts in the country often involve young people who are influenced by elites and political leaders.
He urged the youth to reject any calls that lead to conflict, emphasizing that it is primarily young individuals who end up harming each other and destroying their own communities during such times.
He called on young people to avoid participation in communal violence, stressing the importance of addressing issues through dialogue instead.
To achieve lasting peace in the country by 2025, the governor encouraged the youth to shift their mindset from conflict to peace and constructive dialogue.
“I also urge the youth to change their mindset not to be used like firewood by the politicians to fight themselves and destroy their villages,” Jadallah said.
He called on the youth to embrace unity and focus on the upcoming election of which they have a great role to play.
“Instead the youth should unite themselves to focus on positive activities, such as education and sports, and prepare to choose their leaders with clarity of mind during the upcoming general election in December 2026,” he said.
The governor appealed to people of Central Equatoria State in particular and South Sudan at large to denounce violence and focus on all means to fight hunger, which is seriously affecting the country.
“We need to consolidate all our efforts to denounce and bring to an end bloodshed and fight against hunger,” he said.
He promised to revive cooperative societies and urged the youth and women to engage in entrepreneurship to improve the livelihood of the people.
“I therefore urge youth and women, because they constitute the majority of our people, to play a great role in entrepreneurship to improve the livelihood of both rural and urban populations,” he said.
In 2024 Central Equatoria State Governor Augustino Jadallah Kamilo Wani formed a committee to investigate the killing of 10 youths in the Wonduruba Administrative Payam and the Jebel Iraq area.
In an order broadcasted on the state-owned SSBC, Wani tasked the committee to investigate the killings on October 9 2024 in the conflict between the communities of the Wonduruba Administrative Payam, Jebel Iraq and the armed forces, assess the security situation in the two areas, and to bring the perpetrators to book and render the report to the office of the governor within two weeks.
The committee is chaired by the State Adviser on Peace and Security Chairperson, deputized by the Minister for Peacebuilding Deputy Chairperson, with the Minister for Local Government and Law Enforcement Agency as a member.
Other members include a representative from the legal administration and a public prosecution attorney in the state as secretary, brigadier generals from the South Sudan People’s Defense Force, the Military Intelligence and the Commando SSDPF and two representatives from the police.