By Matik Kueth
On Wednesday, an inter-community peace football tournament kicked off at the Freedom Square playground in Yei River County, Central Equatoria State.
The peace tournament, organized by RECONCILE International in collaboration with the Department for Youth, Culture, and Sports in Yei, seeks to empower communities by promoting cultural, peace, and social cohesion through sports.
Addressing the competing teams yesterday, Emmanuel Taban, Commissioner of Yei River County, stated that the competition will help unite and bring the county’s youth together.
He urged the competing teams to engage in peaceful competition and embody the values of unity and collaboration.
“Today is not only a day for us, but it’s a day of joy, and it’s a day for us to come and see how our young, talented footballers are coming to showcase their talent. As I reconciled, we have been planning for this tournament for almost three months, but today it’s a day for us to witness and open this grant inter-community peace football tournament,” Taban said.
Taban noted that sport is the only tool that can bring communities together, adding, “We thought it wise that with the help of the county authority, especially the county department for youth, sports, and culture, together with the local football association, we thought it wise we have to have this inter-community peace tournament.”
Emmanuel Taban, Commissioner of Yei River County [Photo – Courtesy]
Mustafa Adam, RECONCILE International’s Program Officer, echoed Taban’s sentiments, urging the teams to compete healthily and end the event without any differences.
“It’s a peace tournament, as we are going to start in peace let us conclude it in peace. All the best,” he stated.
The competition will last for eight days, featuring eight teams competing against one another. The tournament includes football clubs from Yei River County, Lainya County, Morobo County, Kajo-Keji County, Greater Bahr El Ghazal, the Great Upper Nile team, as well as from Western Equatoria and Eastern Equatoria.