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UN PhotoSOUTH SUDAN / YAMBIO YOUTH PEACEKEEPERS DAY
STORY: SOUTH SUDAN / YAMBIO YOUTH PEACEKEEPERS DAY
TRT: 03:38
SOURCE: UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 2 JUNE 2026, YAMBIO, WESTERN EQUATORIA STATE, SOUTH SUDAN
1. Various shots, students arriving at the debate venue
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Atu Sarah Amos, Student, Nile Progressive Secondary School:
“Peace is not the absence of war, but it is the presence of opportunity, dignity, and hope. Today this house must decide, do we invest in controlling violence, or do we invest in preventing it altogether? We firmly believe that investing in youth education and employment is more important in achieving lasting peace.”
3. Various shots, students presenting arguments from the opposition side
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Ondo Peter Michael, Student, Bishop Abangite Secondary School:
“The government must invest in security to ensure the safety of life before giving knowledge to people. Ladies and gentlemen, we believe that while youth education and employment are important, peace cannot exist without security, because security creates an environment in which schools can be safe, and in which people can carry out businesses.”
5. Various shots, students debating, audience reactions
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Mika Martin, Student, Nile Progressive Secondary School:
“Security is reactive and temporary. Why we are saying [this] is because security responds to attacks and crimes after they have happened and not before. Youth investment is preventative and transformational. When we invest in young people, we create responsible citizens.”
7. Various shots, students exchanging arguments
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Godwill Ceaser Mabu, Student, Bishop Abangite Secondary School:
“We agree, prevention is valuable, but governments must also handle current threats. Before schools or businesses can function, people must first feel safe. Teachers cannot teach during wars, and investors cannot come and create jobs in war zones.”
9. Various shots, judges deliberating and audience engagement
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Emmanuel Dukundane, Officer-In-Charge, Head of Field Office, UNMISS Yambio:
"Young people are the future of South Sudan, so that is why [they] are interested and motivated to engage in such a debate that [aligns] with the UNMISS mandate, in terms of peace and protection of civilians. So students are inspired, and it is good that young people are inspired in their clubs and their schools to debate so they can also raise their voices to the Government that they should not invest in guns and buy weapons but invest in education so that education can change the culture of gun violence."
11. Various shots, students clapping and smiling after debate
12. Closing shots, students leaving the venue
Can peace be fostered by prioritizing investment in education and jobs rather than weapons?
That was the theme of an intense and lively debate at a special event commemorating the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers in Yambio, South Sudan.
SOUNDBITE (English) Atu Sarah Amos, Nile Progressive Secondary School student:
“Peace is not the absence of war, but it is the presence of opportunity, dignity, and hope. Today, this house must decide: do we invest in controlling violence, or do we invest in preventing it altogether? We firmly believe that investing in youth education and employment is more important in achieving lasting peace.”
Hosted by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, students seized the opportunity to discuss the issues that matter most to them, given the catastrophic impact of persistent conflict on their lives today as well as their futures.
SOUNDBITE (English) Ondo Peter Michael, Student, Bishop Abangite Secondary School:
“The government must invest in security to ensure the safety of life before giving knowledge to people. Ladies and gentlemen, we believe that while youth education and employment are important, peace cannot exist without security, because security creates an environment in which schools can be safe, and in which people can carry out businesses.”
The opposition stressed that education is foundation on which sustainable peace is built.
SOUNDBITE (English) Mika Martin, Nile Progressive Secondary School student:
“Security is reactive and temporary. Why we are saying [this] is because security responds to attacks and crimes after they have happened and not before. Youth investment is preventative and transformational. When we invest in young people, we create responsible citizens.”
Others argued that, without security, peace can never be secured.
SOUNDBITE (English) Godwill Ceaser Mabu, Bishop Abangite Secondary School student:
“We agree, prevention is valuable, but governments must also handle current threats. Before schools or businesses can function, people must first feel safe. Teachers cannot teach during wars, and investors cannot come and create jobs in war zones.”
Empowering young people in leading peacebuilding efforts is essential to ensuring intergenerational change.
SOUNDBITE (English) Emmanuel Dukundane, Officer-In-Charge, Head of Field Office, UNMISS Yambio:
"Young people are the future of South Sudan, so that is why [they] are interested and motivated to engage in such a debate that [aligns] with the UNMISS mandate, in terms of peace and protection of civilians. So students are inspired, and it is good that young people are inspired in their clubs and their schools to debate so they can also raise their voices to the Government that they should not invest in guns and buy weapons but invest in education so that education can change the culture of gun violence."
On the frontlines of South Sudan’s difficult journey from war to peace, youth are stepping up to chart a path beyond mere conflict resolution to a future of opportunities and hope where the generation of today and those to come can truly flourish.
