Eastern Lakes state official bans tribal youth associations

September 5, 2018 (JUBA) – The information, youth and culture minister in South Sudan’s Yirol state, Taban Abel Ageuk has banned the formation of all clan-based youth associations both in the state headquarters and as well as on all counties of Eastern Lakes state.

“This is because it has come to our knowledge, and we have indeed carefully examined, that such community youth associations are provoking unnecessary sectional divisions, hatred and misunderstanding among our people,” partly reads the ministerial order.

The minister, in his directive, addressed to county commissioners, stressed that the unity and harmony of the people of Eastern Lakes state remained paramount.

“So, we should not prioritize our tribes and clans in expense of the collective unity of the people of this state,” the September 4, 2018 order further reads.

Instead, the minister said, there shall exist only community leaderships that embody all youths, elders, intellectuals and women together.

“The government of Eastern Lakes state shall, therefore, recognize and at some point coordinate issues with Ciec community, Atuot community and Aliab community leaderships and these community leaderships by its representation include every member of the community where they are, youths included,” stressed the directive.

The order categorized youth groups in Eastern Lakes states into three, namely, Eastern Lake Youth association, Yirol county Youth association based in the counties and Eastern Lakes state youth associations branches in Juba, Kampala, Nairobi and Wau.

“Equally, Payam and boma associations are instructed to follow the same criteria of naming their youth associations using the names of their payams or bomas and not the names of their clans,” it noted.

(ST)