Youth

The young people of South Sudan are plagued by continuous warfare in their nation that left them in a peculiar situation. As a result of political neglect, it leads them to lack employment opportunities, and fair access to education and health services, to name a few. The state is not involved enough in their well-being and personhood in South Sudan. In the face of all these problems, the youth of South Sudan are the answer to our current predicament. They need the state of South Sudan to invest in their development and evolution because they are the future.

 

South Sudan became the youngest nation on earth in 2011, and as a result, as a nation, we have been facing many issues regarding our young population. Many of the issues were inherited during the Revolutionary Wars and ongoing civil wars. According to United Nations Youth Envoy findings in the country, the youth of South Sudan account for 73.7% of the population, and they are still under the age of 30 years old. That is almost 80% percent of the population that is not attended to. The youth of South Sudan, due to political instability and ongoing turmoil in the nation, have not had the opportunity to fully self-actualize themselves. The lack of resources, state services, education, etc., dedicated to them has left the young people in a perpetual state of suffering.

 

The South Sudanese unemployment rate regarding youth has been 18.57% since 2019, and it has not declined much in the past years; with the addition of COVID-19, the situation has worsened. All of this is due to the improper systems in place to deal with young people's needs. Since independence, South Sudan as a nation has neglected its youth. There have not been funds, programs, services, laws and bills passed to protect their existence and mobility within their nation.

 

The youth of South Sudan is the country's future, and now it is their time to be involved in the nation's affairs. Their future is at stake, and economic and educational stagnation has caused many of them years they cannot get back. Nevertheless, the way forward is pressuring the state to deliver services and proper allocation of wealth for young people.

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In conclusion, the government of South Sudan must promote the development of all South Sudanese youth regardless of background, gender, socio-economic class, or educational level. In addition, their socioeconomic development must be stressed since we have a young workforce that can compete in the global world. The state must set an autonomous, broad and representative structure for the youth, allowing them to coordinate and develop youth activities that can enhance their civic engagement and well-being in the nation.