Joint Statement by The National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students (NUEYS)
And The Somali Youth Congress (SYC) On the Occasion of International Day of Peace
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The Horn of Africa is a region that has seldom witnessed peace, mostly due to the effects of neo-imperialism. As a result of the lack of peace and security, conditions for development in the Horn have been impaired. Therefore, we can say that to make sustainable development a reality, there has to be sustainable peace. Moreover, if we wish to see sustainable peace in the Horn of Africa, then we have to challenge the neo-colonial agents that systematically breed conflicts into the region.
It is a known fact that, in all parts of the world, young people are the offenders and victims of war and conflict, more than any other age demographic group. Therefore, the youth are the lead stakeholders when it comes to peacebuilding and conflict prevention. We declare that we, the members of the National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students (NUEYS) and the Somali Youth Congress (SYC), are ready and able to play a positive role in bringing peace to our region. The people of the Horn, in particular the youth, have made their desire and aspirations clear and they expect to fulfill their choice and, above all, reject outside intervention that undermines their peace efforts.
Invasion can only bring about destruction and chaos. Political problems can only be solved through political means, and hence outside intervention should be avoided. With the emotional decisions of some parties that are clouding the foreground, however, this appeal has been given a deaf ear. And obviously, the situation is leading to protracted war and not reconciliation. Therefore, we condemn the invasion of Somalia by Ethiopia . As Africans challenge neo-colonialism, African countries should not colonize other African countries. We are all brothers and sisters in our struggle for peace and sustainable development, and therefore, we should all work together for peace and sustainable development instead of breeding conflict.
It isn’t that the people of the Horn are incapable of fixing their own problems; it has already been done. The creation of participatory grounds for all parties concerned, as well as the grounds to solving internal political challenges by ourselves, is what can ensure progressive action towards peace and development. Examples of this are the Asmara Peace Agreement signed by the Sudanese Government of National Unity and the East Sudan Front, and the Somali Congress for Liberation and Reconstitution. Such initiatives send out a clear and exemplary message that ‘the problems of Africans can be solved by Africans themselves.’ Let the voices of the youth be heard as they know their problems and, therefore, are able to solve them.
It has become apparent that the AU, the UN, IGAD, and other major actors exacerbate and make conflicts sustainable because, instead of listening to the voices of the masses, they protect the interests of major powers. ‘Mediation’ has become a form of trade and minority interest groups do not think twice about dragging around reconciliation processes for years on end in order to suit their own interest. There are some nations, pursuing domination policies, which gain benefits as problems in the world multiply and escalate. So it would not be an exaggeration to say that prolonging conflict resolution processes has become a lucrative business. Even the regional and international organizations that were founded to secure peace and stability have been transformed into mere extensions or appendages of the offices of major powers that represent the interests of a sole superpower. We declare that we are willing and able to create partnerships within ourselves to promote real sustainable peace. We also demand that the international community hold their responsibility when they are involved in peace processes. The international community, especially the co-signers of the Algiers Peace Agreement, should put more pressure on Ethiopia to abide by the final and binding decision of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC).
We believe that the youth of the Horn of Africa are not pond pieces on the chessboard of power politics. We are working hard to have peace, security, and sustainable development in our region, and therefore, condemn any initiatives that undermine our struggle, especially if such an initiative wishes to work against us.
This does not mean that the struggle of the youth of the Horn of Africa should be in isolation. On the contrary, our movement for peace and development is a vital part of the global youth movement. The principle motivation for us to advocate for peace, security, and development in the Horn of Africa, in solidarity with young people all over the world, is the knowledge that peace and security is necessary for democracy, social justice, and development to prevail. Therefore, as members of the international youth movement, determined to strive for a better world in which humankind will fully emancipate itself, the National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students (NUEYS) and the Somali Youth Congress (SYC) declare that we will work together to bring peace, security, and sustainable development to our region. Moreover, we declare that we will work together to develop our youth movements in an effort to build versatile youth leaders in the Horn of Africa.
We are the future!
Victory to the global youth movement for peace and sustainable development.
Long live the friendship of the people of Somalia and Eritrea.
Victory to the people of the Horn of Africa!
Victory to the Masses!
