The two governors of South Sudan’s Aweil and Aweil East states in Northern Bahr al Ghazal region have recently refused to grant permission to youth to hold meetings in Aweil and Wanyjok towns, citing the decline of higher authorities in Juba, a youth leader said.
Peter Biar Ajak, founder of South Sudan Young Leaders Forum, said in statement released to the public on Tuesday he could not formally meet local youth in the two areas despite explaining the objectives of the gathering from the two governors in the region.
“We went to see the Governor, Hon. Yournew Wol Kuot, to inform him about our plan to conduct an SSYLF (South Sudan Young Leaders Forum) meeting targeting youth. He was very hesitant, but we explained to him that our intention was to talk to the youth so that they don’t allow themselves to be used for violence. We emphasized that such message was now needed in Aweil more than at any other time in the recent history. He grudgingly gave us a go ahead,” Biar said.
Governor Wol, according to Biar, later decided to change his mind after allowing the meeting to go ahead and cancelled it.
“We began to mobilize youth for the meeting, which was scheduled to be held at South Sudan Hotel. The next day, young people began to arrive in large numbers. The Governor called us to his office. Upon arriving, we found him seated with his Security Advisor, his Political Advisor, and the Secretary General of the SPLM in the State. It was clear that something was not right. The Governor told us he could not allow our meeting to proceed. When we asked why, he told us that these were orders from Juba. He could not tell us exactly where the orders were coming from, but we could figure it out on our own,”
The youth leader expressed disappointment with the manner in which the government and in particular the governor of Aweil state decided to change his mind after all preparations were completed for the meeting to be held.
In Aweil East, Biar said thy met with youth minister Akol Diing who welcomed them and approved the intention to hold a meeting.
“Again, we mobilized youth through community radios, phones, etc. The Chairman of SPLM Youth League in the state, who is also a member of the SSYLF, worked very hard. We arranged all logistics. The next day, we were told that orders have come from Juba that the meeting should not proceed. Hence, we were forced to cancel the meeting once again at the last minute,” he said.
Aweil is the capital of Aweil State while Wanyjok is the capital of Aweil East State. The Greater Aweil is home to Gen. Paul Malong Awan, former army chief who recently formed a rebel group calling itself South Sudan United Front/Army.