Security interrupts national Youth Union news conference

The security operatives have disrupted the national youth union media briefing which they say was planned to update the public about the national youth convention and to elect new leadership citing lack of approval from the national minister of youth and sports.

The deputy chairperson of the South Sudan Youth Union, Majok Anyardit, said they decided to call the press to inform the public particularly the youth to tell them about their plan to give power to the next leadership.

Mr. Anyardit has accused the minister of trying to tarnish the union’s legacy but does not want the peaceful transition of the leadership. He attributed the issue as part of long existing administrative wrangles between the union leader and the minister.

“He sees it like a legacy of comrade Gola to hand over the leadership peacefully. So, he wants to interrupt it by all means until the 11^th of December comes, and he issue the order dissolving the union. This is his plan,” Anyardit claimed.

Anyar alleged that the minister has divided the union where he works only with the council leaving the executive. “He has now divided the union. He’s working with the council and the executive is by this side,” he said.

Anyar told The Radio Community that the security that interrupted the meeting were send by the minister to called off the press conference.

“The minister sent his officials and security of the ministry to chase out the journalists,” he asserted.

“We had already started talking even a half of the statement has been taken then there was interruption from the security personnel who entered the hall and told everybody to leave that the minister has not allowed the press to be conducted.”

Efforts to reach minister’s office for commend were not successful. There have been existing administrative wrangles between the national Chairperson of the Youth Union, Gola Boyoi and the national minister of Youth and Sport, AlbinoBol.

In May 2022, the Bol suspended Gola accusing him of breaching protocol and overstepping his jurisdiction, but later in December same year, Bol lifted the suspension and reinstated Gola to his duties after he publicly apologized to him in November.

The current national Youth Union Leadership headed by Gola Boyoi Gola was elected in 2019 and is expected to handover the power in December this year respectively.