S. Sudan minister urges youth to embrace peace

June 6, 2017 (WAU) – South Sudan minister for youth and sports, Nadia Arop has urged youth in Wau state to emulate what their counterparts in Greater Upper Nile have done during the conflict.

She said children from the Greater Upper Nile region have been badly affected by the conflict and this forced many out of schools.

The minister appealed to the youth not to get involved in rebel activities, saying it has caused massive destruction to the country.

“We need stability of the country where children and women are free from arm or any form of violence, a country where children walk to schools and ordinary citizens walk to good hospital,” said Arop.

South Sudan’s civil war has forced over one million children to flee the country while another million are internally displaced, United Nations agencies say, while officials have warned that the future of an entire generation remains at risk.

Children reportedly comprise of 62 percent of the more than 1.8 million South Sudanese refugees who have arrived in Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Sudan.

Over 75,000 of the children are reportedly alone or without their families.

(ST)