South Sudanese have been urged to end segregation and division along ethnic lines in order to promote lasting peace and security in the country.
This was revealed by the Minister of Presidential Affairs Barnaba Marial Benjamin on Tuesday during Tukul talks sponsored by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) at Pyramid Hotel in Juba.
“South Sudan does not belong to one tribe it is for all us the sixty-four tribes. We are all South Sudanese and take it from today especially the young people, go out and tell the people in your state that I am a South Sudanese,” said Marial.
The tukul talks conference organized by the ministry of foreign affairs and international cooperation in partnership with UNFPA and UNMISS are aimed at bringing South Sudanese people together.
“We fought together and you know how much it cost to get independent, and by then there was no issue of ethnicity among us,” said Marial.
The minister said that all South Sudanese should live peacefully in the small traditional house (tukul) without tribalism.
Marial hailed UNFPA for helping to mobilize South Sudanese for peace and unity.
Dr.Ademola Olajide, UNFPA Country Representative, said they are supporting national efforts by working closely with the Ministries of Health, Gender, Youth, Peacebuilding, Finance and Economic Planning and other partners to strengthen platforms for young people to play a role in peace and nation building.
“To empower young people and to enable them to become drivers of change, UNFPA aims to bring together government, civil society, donors, the private sector and youth-led organizations to advocate for more investment in young people as a development priority, build the skills of young leaders and involve young people and youth-led organizations in policymaking and programming,” Olajide said.
He also said they will support independent, effective and sustainable organizations led by young people, especially adolescents, to advocate for their human rights and development priorities.
Olajide said UNFPA remains committed to supporting the efforts of the government at all levels to develop the country’s greatest asset – the young people.
