Youths called on to take responsibility and avoid political manipulation

Young people have to take their responsibility and shun political manipulation that they are subject to in most African countries. This was said in a three-day international conference on the role of youth in peace consolidation in Africa which is being held in Bujumbura.

Sylvestre Ntibantunganya: “The youth have to think twice before deciding to join a political party”

Sylvestre Ntibantunganya, former Burundi president and speaker, has said the youth have to think twice before deciding to join a political party. “Young people have to question their choice before taking any decision,” he says.

He calls on young people to take their responsibility and act as mature people. “When you have over 18 years of age, you are a mature person. Once you take a decision, you won’t say you were manipulated”.
Mr Ntibantunganya also calls on governments to protect their youths. “When governments are indifferent to youths, organisations with bad intentions take advantage of their absence and misuse them. Governments have to create favourable conditions for the youth,” he says.

Marcellin, a young man from Cote d’Ivoire, says most of the youth are easily manipulated because they are unemployed. “Youth have to take initiatives to fight against unemployment. They’d better do voluntary works. This will help them be open to the world and create opportunities for themselves and this will prevent them from being easily manipulated,” he says.

This young man says the there cannot be any development if the youths are not involved. “In most African countries, youth are neglected. This is one of the reasons why they are easily corrupted. Because they are poor, they easily succumb to political manipulation”.

This international conference on the role of youth in peace consolidation in Africa has brought together youth from 12 African countries namely Burundi, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, DRC, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivoire, Uganda, Central African Republic and Zimbabwe under the theme “Youth as peacemakers: Encouraging young ambassadors for peace”.