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UN PhotoSOUTH SUDAN / ANTI-GANG INITIATIVE
STORY: SOUTH SUDAN / ANTI-GANG INITIATIVE
TRT: 04:49
SOURCE: UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: NUER / ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 01 OCTOBER 2026, BENTIU, UNITY STATE, SOUTH SUDAN
1. Various shots, Ron Khol and his parents
2. SOUNDBITE (Nuer) James Khol, Bentiu displacement camp resident:
“As a father, I was very traumatized and stressed. Every parent wants a good reputation. Every parent wants to see their child becoming somebody in the community. But when your son is associated with crime, it becomes very difficult. I was very traumatized and stressed. I kept having meetings with him and talking to him repeatedly, but he wasn't listening.”
3. Various shots, youth
4. SOUNDBITE (Nuer) Rhoda Khol, Bentiu displacement camp resident:
“As a mother, when I give birth to a child, I raise that child with the hope that one day they will support me and become a helping hand. Even when I struggle to raise them, I know that there will come a time when they will support me. All this time, I have been collecting firewood and selling it. That is how I have been taking care of my children. I did this with the hope that my son was in school. Even though I was suffering, collecting firewood and selling it, I knew that in the future I would reap the benefits of my hard work. But later, when I realized that my son was involved in drugs and gangs, it depressed me. I became stressed and even became sick.”
5. Medium shot, Khol
6. SOUNDBITE (Nuer) Ron Khol, Bentiu displacement camp resident:
“When I was into drugs, I didn't care about my parents or whether they were annoyed with me. I didn't care, as long as I was enjoying myself, and I was happy. I felt like I was in a group where I was protected, so I never minded what my parents thought. When you are involved in something like that, you don't realize its effects until you leave it. When I left the group and became reformed, that is when I realized that what I was doing was really bad. I was hurting my parents, I was hurting other people, and I was also hurting myself.”
7. Various shots, youth
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Cephus Diggs, UNMISS Return, Recovery & Protection Officer:
“We've been able to establish direct contact with different gang groups, and we were able to bring together the leaders of the different gang groups, including the girls who are also part of the gang activity. So, we are currently engaged on some fish smoking activity to incorporate some of the gangs and youth members within the camp so that they can benefit and rethink about how they get engaged constructively than just sitting and wandering around the camp and attacking people.”
9. Various shots, women making tea
10. SOUNDBITE (Nuer) Gok Gech Reat, Commander of SSNPS in IDP camp:
“The camp is big and the population is very large. We are outnumbered, but we are trying our best to provide adequate security. We continue to apprehend perpetrators. We conduct patrols during the day and at night. We also arrest those who commit acts of violence, including rape, and take them to the police cells.”
11. Various shots, tea place
In Bentiu, parents have become increasingly concerned about their children being caught up in drugs, gangs and violence. Young people suffering from prolonged displacement, extreme poverty, and limited opportunities, have found an easy escape from their hardship in cheap and easily available synthetic drugs and opioids. For some, that escape has turned into a dangerous addiction.
To sustain their drug use and gain protection, many youngsters have turned to gangs. Among them was Ron Khol, whose story is one shared by many other families living in South Sudan’s largest displacement camp, housing around 110,000 people forced to flee conflict.
His father, James Khol, also a Bentiu displacement camp resident, said, “As a father, I was very traumatized and stressed. Every parent wants a good reputation. Every parent wants to see their child becoming somebody in the community. But when your son is associated with crime, it becomes very difficult. I was very traumatized and stressed. I kept having meetings with him and talking to him repeatedly, but he wasn't listening.”
This family’s experience reflects a wider concern among parents in the area, who are now joining forces with community leaders, youth groups, and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan to help young people leave drugs and gang life behind — and find a better path forward.
The initiative is being led by the youth themselves who are joining groups dedicated to tackling this scourge, providing opportunities to speak openly about the dangers of drugs and gang violence and to encourage their peers to avoid following a similar path. What began as a conversation among young people has now grown into a wider campaign to give young people in Bentiu hope for a better future.
Rhoda Khol, Bentiu displacement camp resident, said, “As a mother, when I give birth to a child, I raise that child with the hope that one day they will support me and become a helping hand. Even when I struggle to raise them, I know that there will come a time when they will support me. All this time, I have been collecting firewood and selling it. That is how I have been taking care of my children. I did this with the hope that my son was in school. Even though I was suffering, collecting firewood and selling it, I knew that in the future I would reap the benefits of my hard work. But later, when I realized that my son was involved in drugs and gangs, it depressed me. I became stressed and even became sick.”
Today, her son is living proof that young people can break free of addiction and chart a new path forward with support from their peers, families and the wider community.
Ron Khol said, “When I was into drugs, I didn't care about my parents or whether they were annoyed with me. I didn't care, as long as I was enjoying myself, and I was happy. I felt like I was in a group where I was protected, so I never minded what my parents thought. When you are involved in something like that, you don't realize its effects until you leave it. When I left the group and became reformed, that is when I realized that what I was doing was really bad. I was hurting my parents, I was hurting other people, and I was also hurting myself.”
The initiative supported by UNMISS is focused on giving young people skills, opportunity, and a sense of belonging.
Cephus Diggs, UNMISS Return, Recovery & Protection Officer, said: “We've been able to establish direct contact with different gang groups, and we were able to bring together the leaders of the different gang groups, including the girls who are also part of the gang activity. So, we are currently engaged on some fish smoking activity to incorporate some of the gangs and youth members within the camp so that they can benefit and rethink about how they get engaged constructively than just sitting and wandering around the camp and attacking people.”
For police in the camp in Bentiu, the growing use of illicit drugs is a major security challenge that contributes to violence, looting of property, and other crimes.
Col. Gok Gech Reat, Commander of SSNPS in IDP camp, said: “The camp is big and the population is very large. We are outnumbered, but we are trying our best to provide adequate security. We continue to apprehend perpetrators. We conduct patrols during the day and at night. We also arrest those who commit acts of violence, including rape, and take them to the police cells.”
In a place where young people live with constant uncertainty, parents are turning fear into action. They know that the children of Bentiu need more than protection from drugs and gangs. They need a reason to believe in a future beyond them.
