S. Sudan rebels deny meeting youth league leaders
January 17, 2017 (JUBA) – The youth league from South Sudan’s armed opposition faction (SPLM-IO) has denied reports that its members conducted a meeting with pro-government supporters in Nairobi, Kenya describing the group as “non-active” members.
“What happened in the Kenyan capital was not in any manner an inclusive initiative that shows all faces of South Sudanese youth in general, but individuals being used by the Jieng Council of Elders,” said Chol.
The group’s views, he said, do not represent the SPLM-IO’s position, but of some individual directly linked to the Jieng Council of Elders.
“The SPLM-IO youth league has acknowledged that the conference that was held in Nairobi, Kenya didn’t seek to include all the youth leaders across the country, but by a selective group of people who are only there to sing praises to the current regime,” he added.
The armed opposition official accused some elements within the Juba establishment of allegedly working against the peace deal.
“The youth who are being lured into politicking by our elders who are careless about the dying of young children in the internally displaced peoples camps across the young nation must put in to their minds that it’s their future that they are playing with, not the future of the elders of today but children of tomorrow,” said Chol.
The quest for peace, he claimed, has been priority of the SPLM-IO.
According to the Chol, the return of peace in South Sudan will not be achieved by a group of youth, but rather through constructive engagement of the two main rival parties involved in the conflict.
“The SPLM-IO didn’t participate or delegate any member in or outside the country to attend the conference. Should anybody appear in the conference, he or she is responsible of his or her actions and not the SPLM-IO youth league,” he stressed.
(ST)