Dozens of cattle camp youths, popularly known as “gelweng”, started a five-day workshop in Rumbek under the theme “Do No Harm”.
Pact Sudan funded the workshop that is being conducted in Rumbek, Lakes State, by the movement called Youth United against Tribalism and Tribal Insecurity in South Sudan.Consolata Oyala is Pact Sudan’s Program Officer for Greater Bahr El Ghazal. She told Good News Radio that the workshop aimed at promoting peace in Lakes State and targeted the youth from cattle camps because they were directly involved in violence and suffer from violence too.
Ms. Oyala said the training would help the “gelweng” make peace within themselves and extend peace to the entire community to pave the way for what she called “development work.”
She revealed that the youth movement planned four similar workshops in Rumbek North, Cueibet, Tonj East and Tonj West.
Mr. Gabriel Ater Bol, a representative from the Youth United against Tribalism and Tribal Insecurity in South Sudan, said the training should help the youth from the cattle camps realize that violence is self-destructive.
Mr. Ater added that the workshop aimed at building peace and the youths taking part in the event would become ambassadors of peace to the entire community.
Cattle raiding is behind most armed conflicts in Lakes State and the youth from the cattle camps have been directly involved in these clashes thereby bearing the brunt of the violence.