Africa-Press – South-Sudan. TORIT, Eastern Equatoria State (Eye Radio) – An activist in Eastern Equatoria State is urging the government to develop a comprehensive strategy for reducing community violence, arguing it is crucial for achieving the economic diversification recently called for by President Salva Kiir.
Ochan Charles Okullu, the Executive Director of Peace Link Foundation, asserts that the ongoing insecurity crisis has created a highly hostile environment, leading to increased violence among young people.
He believes that addressing these underlying issues is paramount to unlocking the nation’s economic potential.
During his recent address at the reopening of Parliament, President Salva Kiir emphasized the need for South Sudan to break free from its over-reliance on oil.
He stressed that the country’s future depends on diversifying the economy through sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, mining, trade, infrastructure, and by investing in its people.
Mr. Okullu believes that addressing the underlying root causes of insecurity and promoting peaceful solutions to violent activities are of utmost importance to enable this diversification.
In an exclusive interview with Eye Radio from Torit on Thursday, July 17, Okullu explained how a community violence reduction strategy is crucial for diversifying the economy.
“The condition we are in has already created a very hostile environment where our young people are very violent. There is a need for a strategy for community violence reduction,” Okullu stated.
“There is a way we need to engage and ask questions. Why are these young people violent? They are already in an underlying situation.”
“We need to go and look at them as not criminals, but we need to look at the underlying factors that trigger them to get engaged in violent activities and try to treat those root causes. If it is because of the economic crisis.”
“We need to identify what is that they can do better for themselves if they are engaged in certain skills training, because most of them have never gone to school very far, so that after that training, they change completely into different citizens.”
Mr. Okullu is calling on the government to develop inclusive community peace initiatives as a key strategy to address insecurity and promote sustainable peace throughout the country.
He added, “The government needs to do things differently from the way they have been doing. There is a way they need to change the strategy of aiming towards strategizing on how best the issue of security should be addressed,” Okullu stated.
“If the issue of security is addressed throughout the country, that will answer all the questions of suffering that we are seeing around.”
He stressed the importance of involving local community structures, particularly youth, in combating insecurity.
“When thing is done holistically together and local structures are being created at the community level where youth are the key actors, it will help address the recurring security situation that we are witnessing.”
Source: Eye Radio
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