Treason Case in South Sudan: Why now?

Monitoring South Sudan

While peace negotiations between the SPLM/A and the SPLM/A-in-Opposition have entered a third round in Addis Ababa, the government of South Sudan is in the process of putting several of South Sudan’s most prominent politicians on trial. The court case is highly politicised and inextricably linked to the struggle for power in South Sudan.

Shortly after the outbreak of violence 15 December lastyear the South Sudan government detained eleven politicians accused of involvement in a coup attempt. Their detention has been a crucial issue in previous rounds of the peace negotiations (see previous brief). In late January seven detainees were released on bail, but the trial of the other four commenced last week. Pagan Amum, Oyai Deng, Majak D’Agoot and Lol Gatkuoth are all charged under the Penal Code Act of 2008, chapter five, with “treason, incitement of the masses, causing disaffection among police forces or defense…

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Bor Community has to Recourse its Stance from Kiir’s Regime!!

President Kiir asked, “Where were they (Bor youth) when White Army invaded Bortown? Bor leaders are going to tell me and I am going to get anyone behind this (killing of civilians in UNMISS compound in Bortown).” At least someone has finally spoken to shift blame to someone else….I hope Justice Michael Makuei Lueth Kang, the minister of Information and Broadcasting in South Sudan, the chair of Greater Bor Community in South Sudan, and the first South Sudan minister to justify the killing using ‘we’ statement, is listening to President Kiir….It looks like Kiir and Makuei’s friendship is coming to an end or betraying and traumatic life is coming back to normal rationality!–via Athiaan Deng’s Facebook page

By Butrus Ajak, Asutralia

The baseless rhetoric getting strewed on the net that Bor community is being set up by ‘Bor officials’ is rubbish and unfounded. I will not prevaricate, but get down to business. The truth is Juba’s government bears blame for setting up Bor community and leave it to her own fate.

Bor community was, and still is made the Biblical sacrificial lamb for Republic of South Sudan (RSS) regardless of her altruistic and animatedly support for the government. In the year 91, political disagreement within the SPLA/M took a tribal dimension, several generations of Bor people, about ¾ of its population to be exact were slain helplessly. Notwithstanding, and the political fallout had nothing to do with Bor people. Arguably, Bhar-el–gazal people have different views on Bor people.

I had had numerous heated deliberations at Footscray social gathering place with Bhar-el–gazal boys and all they said, was: “THAAN COL BOR, THAAN YE ARIOC, A PAN DEN PAL NUER KU BEER” Direct translation of this clause reads: ‘Bor community is coward community, it has left its territory to Nuer and Beer’. In addition, Muoranyar Maker, a rebel oriented Bhar-el–gazal gentleman I met on social network (Facebook) shared the same idea and the following are pukes he spewed about Bor community!

“You guys (Bor Community) seem strong and aggressive on the web when your beloved community repeatedly risks undergoing major serious image distortion. You need this aggression beyond website boundaries and face your real enemy. You need to depend your homeland, at least to assure your ‘mothers their labour is never went in vain’. What is the acceptable justification do you give by having your populations protected elsewhere” Writes Muoranyar.

This paper is informed by this outrageous nomenclature Bhar-elgazal boys have on Bor community. As Bor son, I set out to write and challenge this misleading and groundless fustian. Bor community is never coward, keep reading! In the year 1991 Riek’s forces invaded Bor and uprooted civilians and occupied all towns right to Mangala in Central Equatoria. The situation reigned out of control, all the SPLA commanders were there and no one dared to face Riek’s forces. In fact most were even busy crossing borders to Uganda or Kenya. The SPLA/M Torit faction soldiers were demoralised as no one determined to take a lead. Son of Bor community, Commander Lazarus Kuol Manyang restored hope. He stood tall and did what a man could do in such dire situation. He sent out an order that asked all Bor soldiers and able bodies to report to his station urgently. In his opening speech he said:

“We got to fight Riek’s marauders with will all our hearts and might, and that nobody should look back once in frontline or else, he would be that should remain back and leave the men to do the fight”.

Gen. Kuol led the fight, flanked by another Bor’s son commander Bior Ajang and our Upper Nile Dinka brother commander late George Athor Deng. Riek’s forces didn’t stand a chance. Actually, what happened then is a history and could be explained best by Riek and Bol Koang and the remnants of White Army in that particular showdown. Riek’s forces were culled by Bor community to only rise again in 2013,that Gen. Kuol has gotten old see how this fight is being fought as of now. If this is not bravery, what is it then? How would our mothers (Bor community mothers) who bore such sons be sorry for bearing soldiers of this splendid?

Juba’s government is to blame for Bor destruction and mass displacement in the following ways:

In 2013 & 2014 respectively, Bor Community is caught up impromptu again. President Salva Kiir Mayardit being an autochthonous Dinka of Bhar-el–gazal went into political gridlock with his then deputy Dr. Riek Machar, a Nuer native. The political deadlock deepened and on that vendetta and fateful night of Dec, 15, 2013 hell got loose. Nuer civilians were reported by independent actors such as UNIMISS and Right groups that, Nuer were targeted and killed. This targeted killing was executed by presidential guard, infamously known as Tiger, and Tiger is populated by only Dinka Bhar-el–gazal, specifically where president hails. Bor Community was never part of what happened.

Leadership stoush went on for several days in Juba until Riek slipped out of Juba. He rushed to his homeland and mobilised his year 91 militia known as White Army and Bor was invaded for the second time. About 5,000 or so were killed, and several thousand displaced. Awkwardly, president Kiir has not up to now uttered a word of condolence to the victims of his bad leadership!

From the look of political things, it is crystal clear Juba’s government had an organised sinister plan about Bor community. Juba’s government installed Peter Gatdet Yaka, a top-class terrorist and political prostitute as head of division eight rights in the midst of Dinka Bor. And according to reliable sources, it is clear Gatdet was deliberately brought to spy and silence Bor Community on suspicion that Bor yearned to take Garang’s leadership back anytime if not given a close guard. The same government disarmed Bor community more than twice making the community much more susceptible to her lawless neighbours who remained armed to the brim as I write.

Third, gov’t failed to aptly come for community’s rescue when Gen. Gatdet Yaka killed Gen. Ajak Yen and drove to Bor-town with armoured mounted vehicles shooting indiscriminately at anyone they saw in Bor-town. Juba’s gov’t failed again to militarily flank the enemy and take the war to Nuerland. Instead at the time Bor was captured president Kiir ordered Bor community generals both retired and active to go and liberate their town, forgetting the marauders are coming for his head, and seat. Majestically, Bor sons volunteered their souls to protect Kiir’s leadership, though general Jongroor and Chol didn’t make it back to Juba,this is what we in Bor call heroism! They have fallen decently. Even Bor sons who went for a visit from US, Australia and Canada never abstained to join; amongst them are Mac Achuek Mac (RIP), who left his young family in Australia and Akech Makuei Diing (RIP) left his young family in Canada. They took part in war and lost their souls depending elected leadership from being forcefully taken by force. This is what bravery is Muoranyar! All these forfeits were happening at watchful eyes of Bhar-el–ghazal sons and yet they remain denial to give credit where it belongs. Well, Bor got to claim it by themselves.

But questions remain, how would Juba’s government initiated war become Bor community war? How would Muoranyarand his community boys miss this glaring fact that the war started by Kiir and Riek and if they were to own it, then it is for Bhar-el–gazal and Nuer? I took this upon myself because Muoranayar and his boys avowal was never an isolated one, they have repeatedly been saying it and other communities have adopted it too, that Bor is coward. It is a white and flaccid lie. Bor is never been coward and this position can be attested by those who shared war trenches with Bo soldiers including Salva Kiir. During those tough years, it was common prevalence when war loomed, lots of officers from Bhar-el–ghazal felt sick and fighting could be postponed or assigned to some officers. Or officers were never of this sort. Such fearless Bor commanders dead and the living are as follows:

Commander Majok Mac Aluong (RIP), commander Anyaar Apiu (RIP), commander Alier-wala (RIP), commander Geu Atherkuei (RIP), commander Deng Kudum (RIP), commander Mading Kudum (RIP) these are brothers, commander Abraham Jongroor (RIP),comrade Makuac Ajoot (RIP), commander Deng Aguang (RIP),commander Makor Lual (RIP), commander Awan Chol Lual (RIP),commander Akoi Maketh Deu (RIP),commander Mayen Akuak (RIP), commander Majok Ayom (RIP), commander Jok Reng (RIP),commander Arok Thon (RIP), commander George Gai Garang (RIP), commander Deng Leek Deng (RIP), commander Deng-akutnhom (RIP), commander Ayuen Mabior (RIP), commander Bior Ajang, commander Kuol Manyang, commander Peter Wal Athiu, commander Gabriel Jok Riak, commander Wilson Amoc-Arab aka Deng Kuoirot, commander Deng Garang Beny, commander Wuor Mabior,ncommander Mawut Wuoi, commander Atem Manyok Mabior, commander Mayen Deng Lual (Mayen-adit), commander Majak Agoot, commander Malual Ayom, commander Muhammad Sadiq aka Piliph Awuou Leek, commander Jok Ariing, commander Maker Thiong, commander Nyang Jook, commander Akech Loi, commander Garang Ngang Abui, commander Manyang Agook, commander Mathiang Aluong, commander Malony Akau, commander Alier Nhial, commander Atem Aguan gand list goes on. It is worth noting these were only officers and Bor foot soldiers were countless.

If coward is what Bor is,the above gentlemen could have never made names in the revolution history. Second, if Bor is that low, why was it vitally pertinent one of her own was rushed in at catch 22 periods, at the moment SPLA/SPLM scaffoldings were failing apart? This alone dictates Bor is not what Muoranyar and his boys want their readers and listeners to believe. Belief it or not, Bor Community is a linchpin of Kiir’s government and any other government that will come.

If this is not bravery, what is it then? How would our mothers (Bor community mothers) who bore such selfless sons be sorry for bearing soldiers of this caliber? I am making all these points to empathize our mothers have actually given birth to heroes and not the other way around. Just assume Bor community was fighting to liberate Bortown from Jallaba, the aforementioned heroes would have not fallen in the way they did. In fact, most of them fell liberating your towns. If anything, Bor community have contributed more than its population, this in turn says much more about Bor community’s bravery. If we were to fight Murle or even the entire Nuer in the way we took the revolution war up on ourselves, I tell you we would be in better position to secure and protect our territorial borders from any external aggression. There are a lot more pretty good evidences to suggest these men were a cut above the average soldiers.

Message to Bor leaders at home, and abroad.

First thing first, Bor community has to separate powers. Monopoly of powers has destroyed our community and this has to stop forthwith. I understand those of Justice Makuei Lueth, Deng Dau and Ruei Puot are doubling up, as politicians and community representatives. This takes away community interest. Politicians are politicians and community has to be led by community representatives not politicians. Community representatives are people who will present common people interest.

Tough time calls for decisive action, this is to say Bor Community survivability has to be approached with foresight prudence and I think politicians have done all they could do and community is crumbling down. This is a ticklish moment, Bor Community has to recourse its political stance from Kiir’s government, this requires join forces from community representatives, youth leaders and politicians. This community cannot have it both ways, standing for a government and at the same time being labelled names by the same government it respects and protects. Bor community is being scornfully mocked as if the war was of her own. It doesn’t have to be this way!

I know Bor community can be mocked because it has no numbers, but I am very sure we can swing, and bolster any elections results.For this, I am calling on our young leaders to act, especially our young leaders in the person of Madol Chie Anyang, the Bor Youth Leader in Australia, Deng Lueth MayomAyiik, the Bor youth leader in USA, and those at home.

I suggest you really burry our differences deep and let’s start sending delegates home for sensitization and consultation with our people. Let’s consolidate and solidify our conformity as this will assist in denying our opportunists within and outside the wherewithal to downtrodden Bor community vulnerability.

Nuer, Murle, and Dinka Bor community have lived with vengeance against each other, particularly cattle rustling and no community has ever disposed each other. What is it this time? Juba’s government has invisible hand in Upper Nile’s predicament. Thanks Deng Lueth, I came across your following witty call for Bor community.

“Dear Greater Bor People, by now, each and every one of you should have a very clear understanding of this conflict in South Sudan. It has affected us beyond description. However, we must remain resilient and do what spares our love ones who are still alive and the future of our community and country. Therefore, we must understand that:– We are part of Upper Nile region not Bar-el–ghazal region – Lou/Gaweer Nuer are our neighbors; we cannot scoop our land in Jonglei and move it elsewhere for safety. We must, together with all communities in Jonglei, find ways to peacefully co-exist together. SalvaKiir government does not care about Bor communities – chronic insecurity in Jonglei prior to the conflict and government was not doing enough to fight it”

Good on ya comrade Deng Lueth. Precisely, what you have narrated is exactly what it is; all you need is to take it to another level. Bor youth leaders in diaspora have to have a task to dialogue with Nuer leadership and find some commons ground for our communities. It is time our people understand these egoistic politicians have, and are continuing destroying our communities. It is we the common men who are hit the hardest. Leadership can never be obtained through aggression or killing people so as to stay or usurp power.

In recap, Bor community survivability lies in her hand. Old politicians are not helping the escalating situation. I suggest Bor youth leaders take a lead and implement change, or else the ripple effects of this political strategy will be the nail in the coffin of Bor community. More and more mass migration is yet to come. This is a world of allies and this community cannot afford to have allies who never care about its existence. It was understandable when this community suffered because of Garang’s leadership in 90s, how about now?

Bhar–el–ghazal community needs to know you can’t have two at the same time.If you choose to stay put to power, you got to depend it then. Cowards is when you have four states at the time of budget allocation and have those who can’t persistently depend the gov’t when war strikes. It is about time Ngok Lual Yak community and Bor community can never accommodate Bhar-el–gazal mess anymore.

Finally, by the look of shambolic politics in RSS, especially this loosely talk without ethics both in media and on the street, it is obvious citizens of congruent feeling with me will feel ashamed for doing everything they can to make sure the elected government stays in power until its tenure elapse.

Butrus Ajak is a health professional who resides and works in Australia. He holds MPH, MHP &BBus from various universities in Australia.

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We are on the right side of history: A response to Butrus Ajak’s call on the Bor Community to re-think her political alliances. 

Dear brother Butrus Ajak, 

Your recent post is a violent departure from your usual sober approach to the crisis raging in our country. It seems like you have been roughed up in a bad way by someone from the Bhar El Gazel (BEG) region, which is the only context in which this outburst could be understood. Don’t be unmindful that every community has its own mentally strayed loose cannons, and you just happened to have been blown up, inadvertently, by ones of the BEG’s. This person’s opinion is nowhere near the general consensus in the said region. Let him bark until he runs out of steam and stupid zealotry.

But, since you’ve made some calls to the Bor Community to re-think her political alignments in the current conflict/political dispensations and the future ones, I think your post deserves some measured levels of response from somebody from the said community. Of late, the question as to why we’re standing shoulder-to-shoulder with a government that doesn’t seem to take our interest seriously has been dripping effortlessly from the tongues of some members of our community. I always take such a question as one of those random questions, which invariably stem from the war fatigues and general wariness, which is precipitated by the incompetent manner in which the war is being fought. I never really attach any importance to it until now.

I read your writings somewhere before, and you appear quite knowledgeable, as someone whose views shouldn’t be dismissed with an air of arrogance or ignorance. The fact that you appear angry, upset, and visibly outraged is completely understandable. Our community has been served with the shortest end of the stick in this conflict. We’ve suffered immeasurably.

Brother Ajak, in 1991, when Riek first challenged Dr. Garang militarily, the first thing he did was to send his White Army to Bor to wreck havocs. His mission succeeded when he managed to killed thousands of Dinka Bor civilians, loot their properties, and left the few surviving ones to fight against famine and diseases in the refugees’ camps, and internally displaced persons’ camps. Riek did this because he wanted to break Garang’s will, and he almost did.

In the movement, the SPLM/A, this was understood not as an attack on the Dinka Bor people alone, despite the fact that Dr. Garang came from Bor, but as an attack on the movement as whole. The SPLM/A responded as such, albeit belatedly, and Riek’s forces were forced out of Borland. I survived this onslaught as a young boy so when I talk, I talk from the ugly experiences of the past.

The people who came to defend Bor were not solely the Dinka Bor’s sons. It was the whole movement’s military machine who threw its weight behind Dinka Bor. For example, when Majak D’Agot was sent with Jesh El Amer (Red Army) to fight off the invading White Army, his force was almost homogeneously comprised of men from the BEG region, with a few from Equatoria, Dinka Bor, and Nuba mountain. This force was almost completely obliterated by the White Army in the muddy bushes of the then northern Bor. The force that came with Kuol Manyang, which finally liberated Bor on Dec. 12th, 1991, was equally comprised. It was the movement fighting the sellout in the person of Riek Machar.

This shows that despite our habitual silly tea place cheap talks, when the worse comes to worse, the Dinka of BEG will always stand with the Dinka Bor. All the data suggest that it is safe to make such a generalized conclusion.

In this conflict, let’s also pause, reflect, and understand that it is not the BEG region’s fight alone. The idea that that since the President comes from the BEG region, the fight should be viewed as a fight between those who hold the power and those who want to wrestle it out, with the rest of the country standing with its arms akimbo is silly. This President was elected by all of us, and any attempt to undo the majority’s will by force or otherwise should be resisted as an attack on our sovereignty.

It is immaterial whether Salva Kiir is the president or someone else is the president. To think that Warrap today should lead the resistant against Riek Machar is similar to that erroneous belief, which was prevalence in some quarters in 1991, that the Dinka Bor was the one with an axe to grind with Riek Machar. Dr. Garang was the legitimate leader of the movement and he had to be defended as such. Kiir is the legitimate leader of the country now, and on the similar basis he should be defended. Just as the Dinka Bor couldn’t defend Dr. Garang back then, the Twic Mayardit, where Kiir hails, isn’t in a better position to defend Kiir now. The sooner we realize this, the better.

About the political alignment, you seem to insinuate that since the BEG region doesn’t care about Dinka Bor, it is time for the Dinka Bor to re-think her political alliances. You also seem to suggest that the defunct Upper Nile Region, which is where Dinka Bor has been mostly persecuted and prosecuted, is where the Dinka Bor’s security and political future lie. First, it has to be qualified whether or not the BEG region cares about the Dinka Bor interest. I am open to be convinced by a well-thought out argument, backed by a reasonable data, but so far, I haven’t seen any.

The present disfranchisement from the members of Dinka Bor is firmly rooted in an understandable anger triggered by a few unpalatable emotional outbursts from a few people who don’t know better from the BEG region. This childish, grotesque, and bigoted reasoning from a few BEG demagogues shouldn’t be used as the basis to fault the whole region. And honestly speaking, which region is devoid of uninformed and bigoted idiots? We’ve got our own loud-mouths who speak before they give themselves a chance to think, but their shortsighted views of others are never taken as the basis on which the whole community of Bor is viewed and judged.

Brother Ajak, I am offended beyond fathoming that you would even hint at agreeing with Deng Lueth Mayom on his skewed views, which seem to erroneously insinuate that the Lou Nuer, Gawer, and other Upper Nile Nuer societies are our close brothers and that these are the ones we should form an alliance with. I read Deng’s call on the Dinka Bor to stand with Nuer, and I ignored that because we all know where Deng Lueth and cohorts stand since this conflict began, but are you too that gullible, to be swayed that easily? A day of reckoning will someday arrive for those who are now playing politics with the lives of our people. Our community is awash with Nyandeng’s apologists————those who are placing political expedient and jealousy before that which is right and just. These people will someday have their day in the court of public opinions and they will be condemned. There will be no Salva Kiir to stay their well deserved chastisement.

The Upper Nile, where Deng Lueth Mayom and his apologists find solace, is where we’ve repeated been persecuted. In 1991, it was the Upper Nuer societies who allied with Riek and attacked Bor in earnest, thus reducing it to ashes, both physically and emotionally. In the ongoing conflict, it was the same Upper Nile Nuer Societies who sounded the drums of war, and invaded the Borland, again, sending her children to the refugees’ camp, and internally displaced person’s camps. Now, is that what you want to form an alliance with? When did an antelope ever ran into a lion’s den and made it out a life? Where is this elusive brotherhood I keep hearing? If we can’t learn from history and experience, then what exactly are we going to learn from?

Brother Ajak, when the ongoing murderous transaction was initiated, I was in Bor and I know what exactly happened. Let’s not allow political cheap talks to sway our opinions when we haven’t gathered enough information. It is fatal to toy around with one’s own security in times of moral crisis such as the one that we’ve found ourselves in.

When the fight broke out in Juba, the first place where the Nuer began to avenge the alleged killings of their kith and kin in Juba was in Bor. After the night of Dec. 15th, 2013, some members of the Lou Nuer in Bor Town went to the home of their neighbors, two boys from Kongoor (Dinka Bor), and butchered them with machetes mercilessly. They then displayed their abused bodies outside the compound for their unsuspecting relatives to find in the morning. Then, Gadet switched sides in Panpandiar and butchered Ajak Ayen (Dinka Bor) and his body guards. He then sent his men to attack the town in earnest and sent us fleeing to the bushes. In the pursuing mayhem, hundreds of civilians, who took no part in the quarrels in Juba, were slain.

But that was not enough, the Nuer of the Greater Upper Nile mobilized in their thousands, and attacked Bor. Hundreds more civilians were killed in cold blood including the women in the church, and the patients in the hospital. They also went on a killing spree, butchering civilians in their huts in the surrounding villages. All these happened because these civilians were Dinka, and the Dinka was the one killing them in Juba. But that was not enough, after they were repulsed in Bor Town, they came back to Duk and maimed it. They abducted village chiefs in Duk; the fate of these traditional elders is yet to be elucidated. Their blood thirst hasn’t been quenched yet, and if given a chance, they will do what they did again, to the Dinka Bor civilians. Unless the word alliance has changed its meaning, I doubt if this is something you need to form an alliance with without being seen as dinning with the devil.

You also argue that Bor was not adequately defended when the war broke out. Yes, it is true, but understand that there was a national army, stationed in Panapandiar, in Bor. This force was enough to defend the region from any aggression, internal or otherwise. However, like the rest of the national army, it was mostly comprised of Nuer tribesmen. A fatal mistake was made when all the Nuer militia were integrated into the national army without political desensitization and training. However, this is a topic of another day. We can debate the pros and cons of it, but we will be digressing.

As a result, the massive defection of Nuer soldiers to Riek’s side left the country without a standing fighting force. The President and the Defense Ministry had to make do with what they had to defend the country. It was the reason why M7 of Uganda was called upon to defend his ally. And remember, when the late Abraham Jongroor went and chased Gadet from Bor, he only had five hundreds (500) men under his command. Do you know where these soldiers mostly came from? They definitely didn’t come from Bor. They mostly came from the BEG region. If it wasn’t because of these men’s bravery, a few civilians from Bor who are now sheltering in Guolyar, Awerial County, won’t have made it out of Bor. I personally won’t have made it out of my hiding place in the bushes of Kolnyang. And yet Deng Lueth Mayom, and you of late, want me to believe that the people who ensured my survival are supposed to be my enemies?

Having given you the reason why on a communal basis we can’t form any alliance with the Nuer societies backing Riek Machar, let me tell you the BIGGER reason why it is even a horrible idea to throw in our lots with Riek Machar. THE COUNTRY’S FUTURE. When the war of liberation began in Bor in 1983, thousands of our peasants joined the fight. The first nucleus of the SPLA’s fighting force was composed of men of Koriom battalion, which was mostly recruited from Bor. These men fought the hardest battles of the liberation war. They won some and lost some. Lots of them died and lots were disabled.

They were followed by the rest of the communities across South Sudan. Every time there was a depicit in the SPLA’s fighting force, Dr. Garang would always come back to Dinka Bor, and we never hesitated to produce men to fight the war. There were ‘Buluk ke Diak’ and other recruitment drives which yielded men who went on to liberate the country. I am sure you have some recollections of those recruitment drives across Borland. In terms of materials, we wasted grains and livestock to feed the army. In blood and materials, we’ve enormously invested in this country. Personally, I have lost three brothers, an uncle, and a nephew, all of them fell by the enemy’s bullets. Lots of other families from the Dinka Bor and across South Sudan can cite their loses. Expensively, we have invested in this country.

When Riek rebelled in 1991, Southerners were at the verge of capturing Juba, a victory which could have allowed us to conclude the war in our favor. However, Riek stabbed us in the back, and formed an alliance with Bashir, our traditional enemy. Despites the setbacks, we pressed on until we brought forth the CPA. The last SPLA commander to fall before the guns went silent was Dhieu De Warabe. He was a Dinka Bor. Figuratively, the CPA was inked with his blood. It was a covenant not to be broken between the fallen and those who survived to enjoy the fruits of our struggle. Riek Machar was one of the first beneficiaries to enjoy the sweetness of these fruits, but Dhiew De Warabe wasn’t. Riek’s past deeds were forgiven, but hardly forgotten.

But Riek Machar’s appetite for betrayal is unquenchable so he is at it again. Instead of waiting for the voting boosts to be set up and opened, he took the shortest cut to leadership, and along the way, he has crushed lots of civilians, and put the nation’s future in peril. Riek Machar is bad for the country’s future because of his unstable political records, and any alliance with him will be an alliance against the country’s future.

In good conscience, given our enormous investment towards the effort to midwife this country, this is a costly undertaking we can’t afford to embark on, not now, not ever. We’ve come this far, and as a community, we can’t afford to queue on the wrong side of history. We ought always to remember and honor the memories of those fallen heroes such as Ajak Ayen, Jongroor Deng, and hundreds of Bor sons who have died making sure that this country has a future. So brother, they’ll call you coward because they have not the privilege of knowing their history, let them deny your contribution, but history, which is the best judge of our deeds, will always rebuke them.

(Disclaimer. The views expressed in this essay are solely those of the author’s and not that of his employer. Dr. Bior Kwer Bior, PhD is a South Sudanese national who resides in Juba. He is currently working as a consultant in the National Public Health Laboratory and Center for Disease Control (NPHL-CDC) in the Republic of South Sudan. Dr. Bior can be reached at: biordengchek@gmail.com)

 

South Sudan on verge of catastrophe – Says UN Official in Juba

South Sudan on verge of catastrophe – Pillay 

Opening remarks by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay at a press conference in South Sudan, Juba, 30 April 2014

“Good morning and thank you for coming. 

As you may be aware I visited South Sudan almost exactly two years ago, in early May 2012. The new state was less than a year old, and while there were many human rights issues to discuss, and problems that needed rectifying, there was still plenty of optimism.

It therefore greatly saddens me that this second visit is the result of a drastic deterioration in the situation with a full-blown internal conflict taking place accompanied by numerous grave human rights violations. After the horrendous mass killings in Bentiu and Bor two weeks ago, the Security Council requested my Office to undertake an investigation, and the Secretary-General subsequently requested me personally to come and talk to the country’s leaders. He also requested his Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng to visit South Sudan at the same time.

The murder of hundreds of people, many of them civilians, in Bentiu, and the retaliatory assault on displaced people sheltering in the UN compound in Bor, which led to the death of at least 50 more men, women and children, have starkly underlined how close South Sudan is to calamity. Without the strong intervention of Indian peacekeepers, hundreds more might have been killed.

The deadly mix of recrimination, hate speech, and revenge killings that has developed relentlessly over the past four and a half months seems to be reaching boiling point, and I have been increasingly concerned that neither South Sudan’s political leaders nor the international community at large seem to perceive quite how dangerous the situation now is. Unfortunately virtually everything I have seen or heard on this mission has reinforced the view that the country’s leaders, instead of seizing their chance to steer their impoverished and war-battered young nation to stability and greater prosperity, have instead embarked on a personal power struggle that has brought their people to the verge of catastrophe.

Mr Dieng and I have conveyed the Secretary-General’s and our own concerns to President Salva Kiir, and five senior Ministers in his Government – namely Ministers of Cabinet Affairs, Defence, Justice, Finance and Foreign Affairs – here in Juba. 

Yesterday, with the assistance of UNMISS we flew by helicopter to Nassir, where we held similar talks with the opposition leader Riek Machar. On the way, we visited the UN camp in Bor which was attacked by an armed mob on 17 April and listened to the concerns of some of the survivors and heard their descriptions of this brutal assault which appeared to have the sole aim of killing as many civilians in the camp as possible, on the basis of their ethnicity. We were unfortunately not able to visit Bentiu on this visit, but we discussed the attack there with Dr. Machar, since the mass killings in Bentiu were carried out by forces associated with the SPLA in Opposition which he leads. He assured us that he is carrying out his own investigation into what happened and that he will do his utmost to stop his forces from committing similar revenge attacks on civilians.

I welcome this commitment to investigate, as well as the investigations the Government says it is undertaking into the mass killings of civilians in Juba in mid-December which set off the escalation of ethnic-based revenge killings that have ensued over the four and a half months since then. But, if the people of South Sudan are to believe that there is accountability, these investigations must move swiftly beyond statements of intent to action: in other words arrests and prosecution after investigations conducted by an independent body, in a transparent process consistent with international standards and principles. This must be carried out quickly and the outcome must be published. Without accountability, there is nothing to deter others from committing similar summary executions and mass killings. Ordinary people – those who are most defenceless – and the civil society organizations and religious leaders whom I and my team met all speak of their great fear, and their despair at the situation their political leaders have inflicted on them.

The slaughter in Bentiu and Bor was simply the latest in a long list of similar tit-for-tat attacks in towns and villages in many parts of the country, which have increasingly involved armed Dinka and Nuer targeting each other’s civilian populations, as well as foreigners. Many such attacks have gone largely unnoticed or unreported at the international level, but have served to accentuate the spiral of hatred and violence within South Sudan itself, with the Bentiu and Bor killings setting off further shockwaves in various tense ethnically-mixed areas around the country, and in the diaspora.

The towns of Bentiu and Malakal, situated in the oil producing region near the border with Sudan, have changed hands at least six times each since fighting broke out in mid-December, and there have been dozens of other violent incidents across a vast swathe of territory spanning the north, north-east and south of the country. These, and an increasing number of examples of incitement to violence on the basis of ethnicity carried out by elements on all sides, should ring loud alarm bells and inject much greater urgency into the peace talks being carried out under the auspices of the regional East Africa bloc, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Addis Ababa. 

It is essential that the South Sudanese people and the international community impress on the country’s political leaders that they must stop blindly dragging their people down the path of self-destruction. Mr Dieng and I have warned those same leaders that current and future investigations will inevitably examine the extent to which political and military leaders either knew, should have known, or failed to take all necessary and reasonable measures to prevent war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by themselves or by subordinates under their effective authority and control.

With the rainy season just starting, we also urged the leaders to show more concern both for the 1.2 million people displaced inside South Sudan, or in neighbouring countries, and the many other South Sudanese who are now in real danger of facing famine, because the conflict has meant that this planting season will almost certainly be missed with devastating results on the country’s food supplies. If famine does take hold later in the year – and the humanitarian agencies are deeply fearful that it will – responsibility for it will lie squarely with the country’s leaders who agreed to a cessation of hostilities in January and then failed to observe it themselves, while placing all the blame on each other. 

I was appalled by the apparent lack of concern about the risk of famine displayed by both leaders, when I raised the issue. The reaction to a call for 30 days of tranquility to allow people to go home to plant – although it may already be too late for this with the rains starting – was luke-warm: both leaders said they would if the other did, then made it clear they did not trust the other’s words. The prospect of widespread hunger and malnutrition being inflicted on hundreds of thousands of their people, because of their personal failure to resolve their differences peacefully, did not appear to concern them very much.

If, in the very near future, there is no peace deal, no accountability, no space to rebuild trust and promote reconciliation, and insufficient funds to cope with a looming humanitarian disaster, I shudder to think where South Sudan is heading. After so many decades of conflict and economic neglect, the South Sudanese deserve better than this, especially from their own leaders – but also from the international community, which has been slow to act. To give just one example: in December, the Security Council agreed that the number of UNMSS peacekeepers should be increased from 7,700 to 13,200, but the contributing countries have still not supplied some two thirds of the extra desperately needed troops.

I also urge donor countries to respond quickly to the humanitarian agencies appeal for funds, as well as applying their full political weight to the peace effort. The UN estimates that there are already 4.9 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, and that number is likely to climb, and their needs are likely to become more acute, if the fighting and violence are not halted immediately, and the international community does not lend more support. 

The list of alarming statistics is long. Here are a few more: UNMISS unquestionably saved thousands of lives, when it opened the gates of several of its compounds to people fleeing deadly attacks. Some 80,000 people are now sheltering in these compounds. UNICEF reports that more than 9,000 children have been recruited into armed forces by both sides. 32 schools have been taken over by military forces, and there have been more than 20 attacks on clinics and health centres. Many women and girls have been raped, often brutally and sometimes by several fighters. Others have been abducted. Children have also been killed during indiscriminate attacks on civilians by both sides. 

How much worse does it have to get, before those who can bring this conflict to an end, especially President Kiir and Dr. Machar, decide to do so?”

ENDS

The future of the republic of south Sudan is in the hand of 64 tribes!!

By Obang O. Minnesota, USA 

Brethren and sisters of south Sudan, Please let us come to our senses now if we really need peace in our newborn country. We need to jointly find prompt lasting peace in our country from our President Salva Kiir and DR. Raick Machaer to agree on principal to bring this conflict to an end.

Brethren and sister we will choose to continue this war but it will get worse more than what we are seeing now. If we are wishing to defeat the government or the rebel that is the same of saying that we are fighting for our own self interest and not care about people who are just dying because of your personal interest.  What I don’t like is killing our innocent civilians who have not benefit from our CPA since our struggle to get our independent and continue to suffer today because of gain power by force.

We all know what happened to our country since independent. There were no development in ten states, corruption, nepotism, tribalism, discrimination, land grabbing,  and forget to develop our rich country to share the same bread we fought for that was not even given or share by the northern regime sine the independent of Sudan in 1956  from British and Egyptian. Instead our elected official taking the national money for themselves, their families and immediate families and forget betterment of our new nation.

There are more mistake that happened in our country but if we continue to look for the bad side of a solution we will not go anywhere instead we will perish more of our innocent citizens who do not know even the system of our government. My point is to forgive ourselves, reconcile and open a new chapter for the sack of peace in our new nation. That doesn’t mean that we forget all the things that happened in our country and to our people since our independent but just to start serving our people as we promise to do when we were in the bush from 1983.

Let us stop blaming ourselves, our government, and in opposition.   Let tell the president and Dr. Rieck that South Sudanese need peace and no more to war!! In term of ICC issues, I think we know now who is waiting of western accusation of international criminal court. What happened in Juba, Bor town, Bentiu, Malakal and other places has been listed by international observer in our country; let wait the truth of those accusations. Those who were on the ground will tell us and share that with the world then. For now let focus on getting our riches country into its feet to share benefits with his citizens this time around.

My point here is for the 64 tribes to unite together and find lasting solution to this crisis before it really turn to tribal war as western world previously called it.  We have to know  that if we continue preaching for war to continue, whoever is going in that direction to know that he r she is building hatred among our 64 tribes of our beautiful nation.

This is my personal idea to this war and I will continue to say it!!

God bless south Sudan.

 

The Victims of Two Wars in South Sudan

By Manyok Mabiei

It is over two decades of 23 years of 1991 a war crime was committed and another one on December, 17, 2013. Is Dr. Riek Machar is not guilty of two war’s crimes in Bor, and elsewhere in South Sudan. These crimes are terrible to weighs against Dr. Riek Machar were carried out against humanity in Bor. As well as many people know that Bor were victims of two war’s crimes in South Sudan.

Although, the Sudan People Liberation Movement was upraised in Mading-Bor on May, 16, 1983, as well as an inspirations to Bor citizens to join the Movement overwhelmingly and kept it alive. The Movement was very strong an active because of culture in South Sudan and it was attempted to hijack by an arrival leaders in South Sudan to make it collapse, but it was resistance to survive.

Why Bor were victims of two war’s crimes in South Sudan? This is critical concern people can look at it, why Dr. Riek Machar always targets the civilians rather than deal with main government in term of politic.

There were two wars as many people know; one was started by Riek Machar against John Garang 1991, while the Southerners were fighting’s to achieve freedom of land against North.

Second war was started in Juba last year between Riek Machar and President Kiir Mayardit through frustrations of reform of the government. All these wars were affected Bor community deeply in South Sudan; while there was nothing connected the civilians in term of politic in the government.

Here is Dr. Riek Machar footsteps in his political ideology was hammered Bor Community in many ways he was rebelled and went to his village to recruits his own tribal men and led them to Borland for attacks. He was a master minded of 1991 to massacre over 10,000 and unaccountable civilians in Bor were being abducted by Nuer militias.

The 1991 war was condemned as an “inhumanity act less in South Sudan by the world communities.” Who is a leader to do that to kill the innocent civilians if he/she was defeated in political? It was a planned war by Dr. Riek Machar Teny and his allies to fight John Garang and overtake the power in the Movement as his private agenda. This was a part of the Nasir-Faction left the Bor victims of senseless war.

While, Dr. John Garang was struggling to plant a democratic of the whole Sudan in which the Southerners would have full representation in Khartoum; while Riek Machar wanted a quick independent of South Sudan in shortcut from Khartoum.

To look at it, who was making a good decision at that time? Think about it if Southerners were stays mum in their villages without taking up arms, and against North. I believe that the Khartoum couldn’t open a road to Southerners through the power sharing and independent state.

It isn’t easy to seek for the self-determination, while other side isn’t interesting to give a chance to other side. As well some people saying that, “If you looking for peace stand for your ground and there will be a chance for peace,” I think Dr. Garang was thinking that no shortcut of peace without exchanges of the fires. Only Former President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana was got independent state from British in 1957 without war, but more than that, no one in this world got independent state without struggles.

I don’t think Dr. Riek Machar was struggles in same way like Kwame Nkrumah to bring the South Sudan out from North without exchange of the fires. I believe it was a dangerous plan to do so, and here how he was tried in 1997, he left to Khartoum, after he was defeated by the SPLA forces and he became a head of the Government in Khartoum backed South Sudan Defense Force (SSDF).

Along the lines, in 2000, he left Khartoum and formed a new militia, the Sudan People’s Defense Forces/Democratic Front (SPDF). He realized that the SPLA/M was nearly achieving a full independent from Khartoum, and then he changed his signal and rejoined the SPLA/M Party, as a Senior Commander to support Dr. John Garang during preparations of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2000.

Well, Dr. Garang was welcomed Dr. Machar back to the Movement in Nairobi, Kenya in 2000, so that, they can deal with common threat. If all these conspiracies were made by Machar weren’t surprises some of the citizens in his political moves. I believe so people have low opinions to support Machar because of his political ideology.

Second, war on Sunday, December, 15, 2013 Dr. Riek Machar and President Kiir Mayardit were disagrees and fall apart in Juba. Riek Machar was escaped Juba and rebellion that left 2,500 civilians in Bor were kills and their properties were damaged in the towns.

Some of Bor citizens were not aware about Riek Machar and Kiir Mayardit in Juba during outbreak of war. As well as same war still continues in three states of Upper Nile region of South Sudan. What Dr. Riek doing is called a nightmare because there will be no state of Nuer without other tribes in South Sudan.

The cause of fighting was started the months after Kiir Mayardit dismissed Riek Machar, whose supporters have taken up arms against the government. Kiir and Riek are longtime rivals from different view in politic, since they work together in Juba same government.

This is a big challenge South Sudan’s breathtaking descent into widespread conflict comes nearly three years after the nation was ushered into existence with help from the world communities after two decades of civil war since in 1983.

Is this war is not a humiliation to a new nation under Kiir Mayardit and Riek Machar in 8years of serving. What kind of reform Dr. Riek Machar was missing in 8years, as he was a Vice-President of Republic of South Sudan he will do better, if he became a President of South Sudan.

Is Dr. Riek Machar objective is to weaken the government if he kills the civilians in Bor and some communities in Upper Nile? What are his motivations why he always led the wars to Bor?

First, some people were considered that the war of 1991 was affected Bor, because Garang was a leader of the Movement and some were saying that Garang came from Bor community, so Riek Machar was made a poor decision to lead a war to Bor and killed civilians.

Besides, of the 1991 war the current violence was carried out by Riek Machar against Bor, while some of the citizens were presuming that both men from Bor including Minister of Defence Kuol Manyang Juuk and Minister of Information Broadcast Makuei Lueth Kang were stand firmly with Kiir Mayardit. Is that a problem Riek Machar was led a war to Bor and killed the innocent civilians last year.

These ministers were the long veterans and founders of the SPLA/M, and they have right to serve in the National Government of South Sudan like others who served in 8years.

I don’t believe in that theory of evil act to attack the civilians in Bor, and created violence in the South Sudan. Dr. Riek Machar might think Kiir and his cabinet were the birds of same feathers, because of Dinka connection. That is not true idea from educated mind to look up and down.

I believe some of the Nuer citizens were misused by Riek Machar in his poor plan of act less.

It is true nowadays there were some of Nuer was really educated in Nuer community and they can advise their own civilians not to fight a war of no boundaries. The vast majorities were misleading through evilness theory of Ngundeng Bong. Some people said that some of Nuer were motivated because to get wealth if they go to war of no boundaries.

Is looting is a part of reform and liberation in the nation? This is over two decades from today since they were attacked Bor soil in 1991 and last year to get more resources like before.

Bor citizens were working hard to make their own lives through business and other things to make their own houses in the towns and villages. They were built their houses out of oil money.

It is an individual hard working within eight years and all their resources and lives were gone.

However, to consider the idea of Former Commission of Bor County Maker Lual Kuol stated in his article on January after the mass killings in Bor. He mentioned that, “What will be a peaceful co-existence in Jonglei State after the mass killings of Bor citizens by the Nuer Ethnic group on 17th December 2013.” This is important idea to look at it and view it.

I agree with him. These communities need to sit-down and find out what will be a solution between Lou-Nuer, Gaweer, and Dinka-Bor in Jonglei. I know so far Bor citizens will not truth Lou Nuer and Gaweer beyond three decades from now. The Nuer community should not destroy Bortown because the town is belonging to all of Jonglei citizens’ including them.

A Former Commission was in Bortown the time General Gadet Yak carried out attack on December 17th 2013. Peter Gadet Yak was commander of Division-8 that was stationed in Panpandier village rebelled and led an attack in Bortown and some villages near to the town.

The attack was resulted into death of many Bor citizens and forced out over 200,000 people in town, and small villages. That was terrible killing after the White Army captured the Bortown in second attack they were destroy the town and kill the patients on their beds and rape old women, while they were sick.

No, any living human can do that to kill the patients on the beds and rape 75years old women and kill 24 laywomen in the church at time. That is called hate crime and madness acts less in history of South Sudan.

It is seemingly in places like Bor as historical city of South Sudan, conflict had become a part of life, except perhaps for a brief time after South Sudan was born. So, what will be solution to bring peace between the people of Bor and Nuer? People need to look at it seriously to end violence killings in the future.

These two wars destroy Bor community up to this date and thousands of lives and resources were gone through the Riek Machar frustration actless.

Manyok Mabiei is currently in Chicago, IL. He is concerned citizen in terms of humanity and independent thinker. He is a one of the SPLA-Chapter Founders in Chicago and as a leader and Former Red-Army of South Sudan in 1987. He can be reach manyokmabiei@aol.com. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Who Triggered the December 15th War?

BY MALONG MUORWEL, AUSTRALIA

Once upon a time there was an expressive adage that seems very remote in terms of illustrating certain controversies of it time, but with the current controversy that surround the above mentioned topic, the adage once again reverberate and strongly re-enforces the context of it expression, in spirit and letter, as well as content and form, as long as, you listen to public debates between South Sudanese public, international media, diplomats and international community alike…However, the adage goes:

“Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.”   ‘Voltaire, Questions sur les Miracles à M. Claparede’.

But having said that, there certainly should be some sort of “dirty-facts-laundering” and “ugly-facts-burying” in the eyes of the “local public opinion” as well as in the eyes of the “international community public opinion” which equally tantamount in effect with the below adage:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Martin Luther King Jr.

In an effort to search for a democratic quest and cause in Riek’s Tribal Insurgency war perpetuated against the people and the nation of South Sudanese that he wanted to badly lead and rule “democratically” as he has time and again claimed without any substantial or procedural democratic process and principles in rhetoric, actions, practices or vision, rule of law and order, respect for human inalienable rights for innocent fellow “demos” custodians of sovereignty and legitimate democratic rule.

Dr. Riek’s false claim of advancement of democratic quest through gun barrels by wagging indiscriminate an-all-out-tribal-war against all with savagery extermination of innocent civilians, children, elderly, disables, the sick and dissidents from his own tribe is one of the puzzles of the modern political history…

Not only that, but Dr. Riek erroneous and adventurous political miscalculations has robbed South Sudanese by taking away the only glimpse of light of freedom and political stability that they have so far achieved in the aftermath of the darkest decades of history of social, economic and political marginalisation, exterminations and forced migration by successors regimes of Khartoum minority manipulative Jallaba against, African National communities in South Sudan…when on July 9th, 2011, thousands of people in the South Sudan chanted ‘freedom’ to celebrate the birth of youngest nation in the world. By leaders and ordinary people from different ethnic backgrounds.

The independence is not only for the victory against the exterminations and marginalisation but it indeed marks the ending of the 2.5 million people killed.

However, the current Riek’s perpetual-tribal-insurgency has turned that hope of recovery and glimpse light of a new beginning in rebuilding and re-construction of very much broken and marginalised South Sudanese human-capital through social-economic human development and political empowerment… In addition, to continuing the furtherance of building democratic institutions that has been already established and enshrined into the constitution and validated through practical practices of political daily life, as evident in the conduct of (SPLM grass-roots Democratic National Convention, May 2005) and (Multi-Party National-general-free-and-fair democratic elections of, 2008), In the Republic of South Sudan as well as the (scheduled National free-and-fair general elections for, 2015), recently superseded by the SPLM party own internal grass-root bottom-up National convention democratic elections, that kicked off by starting the passing of party basic documents to legalise the SPLM registration prior to the conduct of National General Elections of, 2015 by structuring its own structures through democratic process mentioned above.

Though there are myriads root causes of the current crisis in the Republic of South Sudan but the immediate causes that triggered the conflict that broke-out on 15th December, 2013, however, its roots could be traced back to May, 2008 when SPLM held its first ever National Convention to democratically elect its leadership..where all the party leadership position where all opened-up a grab in democratic contest. When Machar declared his intention to contest for the leadership of SPLM, creating tensions even among the military but the tensions where aborted. But Machar has renewed his ambitions to topple the president Kiir when he challenged him to step down from leadership in July 2013, and subsequently prompting the president to fire him from his position as VP in the Cabinet for insubordination. But with support from SPLM top leaders including, Pagan Amum and Rebecca Nyandeng, he shifted the power struggle into the SPLM Party leadership using the passing of the SPLM basic documents meetings as a new arena to challenge the president in the party leadership. On the 6th of December the pro Riek Machar group went public out-side-party- institutions by holding a press conference against president. On December 14, 2013, Machar announced to hold a public rally against, what he claimed abuse of power, by Kiir as a civic action to over-throw the president. On December 14th Machar, Amum and Rebecca Nyandeng boycotted NLC meeting but it wasn’t made clear to the public what was going to be their next move.

Hence until here, we can logically conclude based on the above stated facts that the conflict at first was political, administrative and constitutional within the government and the SPLM party, there is no ethnic dimension ‘in it’ ‘at all’ at it start:

Riek rebellion in essence started as a coup d’état on the night of 15 December, 2013, then it down-graded itself into failed tribal coup d’état and finally turned itself into tribal insurgency in three states of Greater Upper Region. Apart from what many would like the world to believe for their own hidden political agendas, South Sudanese and expatriates alike.

Further, the following “escalation-lader-practicum” may help illustrate the cycle of build-up to the bottle-neck involving important episodes of the causes that fuelled tensions, from the memory of the time ” diary of events”:

1/VP Riek Machar fired for political insubordination…challenging the president to step down. (Reuters) … On 23 July 2013 Kiir issued a decree relieving Machar from his position as vice president. On the same …”Simon Tisdall in Juba”
“Riek Machar, the former rebel fighter ready for a new battle” South Sudan’s vice-president has ambitions to topple his leader and transform his country”.
“In his interview with the Guardian, Machar was highly critical of Kiir’s record as president and urged him to step down, thereby avoiding a leadership contest. But he also made plain that he was ready for a fight”.www.theguardian.com
2/ CBT Affairs Minister/Finance, Alor & Maniby dismissed for corruption charges.
Suspension of ministers on corruption charges.
www.sudantribune.com/spip.php? Jun 29, 2013.
3/ SPLM SG Pagan Amum Suspended from his post in the party for undermining Presidential decrees of the President through going public in the media.
President Salva Kiir on July 23 dismissed his first Vice-President Riek Machar and suspended Pagan Amum, the secretary-general of the ruling SPLM party. He appointed a committee to investigate Amum for charges of insubordination and creating social divisions within the party.
4/ South Sudan Pagan Amum: suspended splm secretary-general petitions the Supreme-Courtwww.uhuruspirit.org/news/ Aug 7, 2013 – Suspended SPLM Secretary General
5/ the conflict shifted in the government into the SPLM Party institutions specifically PB USING Passing of the SPLM Basic Documents as a new arena for challenging the leadership of the Party and calling for his step down for lost of direction and vision.
Emergence of group pro president from all communities of South Sudan.
Versus groups pro-VP Riek Machar from all the communities of South Sudan within the party leadership.
Re-emergence of leadership challenge during the process of passing of the SPLM Basic Documents as a main issue.
Referral of the differences around the basic document from PB to the NLC for further oversight, discussion and decision reaching.
6/ Before the NLC commencement a call for a press conference out-side the party structure on 6th of December 2013. By some party senior members ” as a nother going public out-side-party institutions.
7/ Announcement for a public and mass rally in Juba 14 December, 2013. For the over-throwing of the president through civil action.
8/ December 14TH, 2013 the NLC Commenced.
9/ December 14TH, 2013 some SPLM leadership members worked-out of the meeting including VP OF THE SPLM PARTY RIEK MACHAR , announcing their NLC meetings boycott in the media.
10/ No further up-date to the public from Pro-Riek about their next move…which is a significant (blind spot)!
11/ December 15TH, 2013 NLC meeting continued at Nyakuoren Centre.
12/ December, 15TH, 2013, around 10:00 pm war broke-out in Presidential Guards HQ In ElQiada inside Juba and spread virally in a matter of minutes into the other garrisons of New-Side and Bilpam almost simultaneously.
Where military confrontations continued from 15-18 december, 2013, in a daring struggle OVER-THE- CONTROL of THE MILITARY GARRISONS inside Juba the seat of the national government between.
13/ subsequently, on 18 December, 2013, around 13:00 pm. the military confrontations subsided.
14/ Subsequently, Former VP Riek Machar, Former Unity State Taban Deng and CDR Afred Lado Gore fled Juba to Bush.
15/ Subsequently on December 18-21, 2013, civilians gravely affected in Gudele, MeiaWasaba, Khor-William and Mangaten, (Whether South Sudanese nationals or Ugandans, Kenyans, Ethiopians Congolese, Rawandans, Eritreans started to move to more secure areas not affected by the conflict (CAUGHT IN THE CROSS-FIRE OF THE WARING PARTIES including South Sudanese Diaspora from US, Europe, Canada and Australia some even took refuge in Juba International Airport. But “many” “not all” of Nuer ethnic background made it straight to the UN alleging being targeted or fear of being actually targeted) AND SOME TO MORE SECURE PLACES CONTROLLED BY THOSE PRO GOVERNMENT INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS.
16/ subsequently the government started to control Juba and turn the security to it normalcy…
17/ Subsequently calling for all organised forces for a general parade in Juba (televised in SSTV) where I heard all the army being given a strict order that those who will target anyone from any ethnic group based on their background will be regarded as a second enemy in level of those who rebelled, for wanting to force others to rebel…

18/ also emphasis and assurances have been given that the conflict is not ethnic, though Riek mobilised to his side only one ethnicity the remarks added.
19/ South Sudan’s U.N. Ambassador Francis Deng assured the Security Council after the vote that the government “is doing as much as it can, under very difficult circumstances, to restore calm and stability to the affected areas in the country.”
“South Sudanese do not want to fall back into the abyss of war from which they have suffered for over half a century,” he said. CBS DC washington.cbslocal.com/2013/

20/ Amb. Francis  Deng repeated a statement from Kiir on Tuesday calling for an end to violence and ethnic targeting, and calling on Machar and the forces supporting him “to rise to the challenge of peace, unity and nation building.” CBS DC washington.cbslocal.com/2013/

SUBSEQUENTLY International NGOS and local NGOS under UN PROTECTION STARTED COLLECTING CORPS AROUND THE BATTLE FIELDS OF 15-18 DEC. 2013. It was reported that they had collected 300 bodies and took them to JUBA TEACHING HOSPITAL.
Subsequently the military clashes spread and stretch itself into Jonglei, Unity State and Upper Nile State….

Subsequently slightly spreading to Western Equatoria and South of Central Equatoria Yei n Morobo.

Subsequently the white-army mobilised to attack Juba through Bor.
Subsequently mass massacres occurred at varying times in Akobo, Bor, Bentiu, Parieng, Panyang, Baailiet, Tharjac, Mayom, Tonj North, Tonj East, Twic West, Malakal, Tonja, Panykang, Kaka, Moyo, Akoka and GuilGuk…Subsequently and almost immediately the government started investigating/persecuting those suspected of committing war crimes…on the basis of individual responsibility for commission of a crime..

Nonetheless, tangible evident that justly disputes the argument that “there was no Coup d’état” is by simply exposing Dr. Riek through producing this media document that contain Dr. Riek own willfully-expressed words and intentions aiming at waging a war, as he disclosed that in an interview with the “Guardian Journal”.

Here is the extracted statement by none other than Dr. Riek Machar from The Guardian Journal through an interview conducted in Rieks house in Juba by Simon Tisdall,
www.theguardian.com, Friday 5 July 2013 01.40 AEST :

“Simon Tisdall in Juba”

“Head lines”:

“Riek Machar, the former rebel fighter ready for a new battle
South Sudan’s vice-president has ambitions to topple his leader and transform his country”.
“In his interview with the Guardian, Machar was highly critical of Kiir’s record as president and urged him to step down, thereby avoiding a leadership contest. But he also made plain that he was ready for a fight”.

This is an evident that Riek has plotted his failed coup d’état attempt with pre-meditated guilty mind on the night of 15th December 2013…
Furthermore, to back up my claim above, we got two elements that prove that Riek committed the Coup d’état beyond reasonable doubt: these are prohibited conduct and guilty mind which is expressed as “actus non facit reum” and “nisi mens sit rea”.

Actus reus refers to the act that attract liability, the conduct that is the basis of offence. The mens rea refers to the notion of a guilty mind, that is, the criminal state of mind that must be proved to have accompanied the conduct of the individual.

The prove of guilty-criminal-mind “mens rea” is unequivocally apparent in the interview from Riek’s own words where INTENT and KNOWLEDGE consciously and willfully uttered, hence, the statement serves as a prove of “objective state” of mind that is so rare as a display of one’s own exposure of “criminal mind” as “opposed to subjective state of mind” which is always inferred-out from accused own words simply because intentions are latent unless confessed or materialized by disclosure as the case in the extracted interview. This is in addition to Riek’s own deeds and actions willfully-cared-out physically on the night of 15 December, 2013, that is characterized by “Criminal-Conduct” provoking a situation by firing-a-lethal-weapon, shooting-comrades-in-arms followed by an attempt of over-running the garrison at “Qaiada” as well as “Circumstances” such as moving to over-run the other garrisons of New-Site and Bilpam within Juba town almost simultaneously that same night…The “Consequences” of the above stated (Circumstances) surrounding an attempt to take-over the garrisons within the capital city Juba, the seat of the government of South Sudan on the night of 15th December, 2013, as per the intentions so far expressed in the extracted interview above, they would only had amounted in the toppling of the president as a “Consequence”, if it wasn’t resisted, curbed or deterred…Something that any reasonable person could had foreseen.

Whether who was involved in the coup d’état apart from the two who fled to the bush together with Riek Machar, is a matter of a court to decide based on the evident that might be presented against anyone of those accused or the defenses that the accused might produce within the court proceedings …based on the presumption that all the accused are innocent until proven guilty…

This is needless of defining the apparent public confusion between indictment and verdict…and unprofessional media emotional noises around this matter.
But to shed more light to possible & reasonable Scenarios for the course of the political detainees (court-case), if the case was continue.
However it is important that all must make a very important distinction between: Pre-trial indictment and fair trial court proceedings WHICH INVOLVES:
The institutions of justice and carrying on of legal proceedings against a person in accordance with judicial standards of due process and just and fair judicial standards, of both pre-trial phase and trial phase.

Including testing or examining the gathered evident against the accused and its nature… With, presumption of innocence to the accused, the accused legal right to silence, right to a fair trial and right to a legal console.

And more importantly the element of prove beyond reasonable doubts…Lack of which may lead to an outright judicial acquittance or vindication, based on the legal maxim known as the (benefits of doubts for the accused), that tantamount to the dismissal of the charges and the case altogether.

Or alternatively, the accused be proven guilty through court proceeding and subsequent verdict proving the commission of a crime by the accused. This requires the following:

That the accused has pleaded guilty.

Or that a tangible material evident has been produced by the prosecution as a sufficient proves beyond reasonable doubts.

Coming to the case of the Four political detainees the court has not reached any verdict condemning the Four for commission of any crime nor did the court acquitted them for being innocent from commission of any crime….

A very important fundamental fact that surround their release is the fact that the case contain political nature that is associated with national security, national peace and well-being, as well as the president discretion constitutional powers pertaining to his right to achieve national interest through national reconciliation and peaceful settlement to the political crisis in the country.

The other important point that need to be careful observed is the fact that the victims of this crime are South Sudanese public and their interest of peace, security, order and stability including their immediate ultimate inalienable rights and freedom from fear of extermination, rape and forced displacements…That is the jeopardy and injury that the South Sudanese public has suffered and continue to suffer.

Other national interests that has been compromised whether the Four are parts or not, are:

1/ Set-back caused for the country in pursuing its progress towards nation-building that cement and forge common national-identity for South Sudanese people and therefore, creating harmony and embracing diversity among the national community different groups…
2/ this is not to mention the fact that Riek have counter-acted this democratic process by trying to forcefully grab the leadership through the guns-barrels, something that can never be buried by distortion of facts surrounding the events.

3/ impediment to national social-economic development and physical infrastructure present and future.

Therefore, if the decision to withdraw the case and stops the court proceedings (without inappropriately and inaccurately jumping on pre-mature conclusions that the Four were proven guilty or that they were proven not guilty “empty propaganda” that is not supported by any substantive facts of judicial standards), for the Four political detainees is aimed at serving the public interest in bringing about the peace through political oversight not “judiciary” verdict , however,  the decision so far should be seen as compatible, with judicial justice goals, “behind penalization objectives”, which aim at preserving and restoring public peace through justice, that the recent presidential decision is trying to achieve through other disciplinary approach which is “alternative justice through reconciliation conferencing ” that achieve justice through confession, remorse and forgiveness (pardoning), peace and reconciliation per se…

Furthermore, those who might think that it is not just for the (Four accused) in the case that the court might have to find them innocent from commission of any crime or those who may argue that it is not fair for the victims of the crime (specifically the South Sudanese public who might have lost their loved ones) in the case that the court might prove them guilty of committing the charges set-against them.

However, reasonable answer to that will be, the accused got every right to sue an individual or institution if they have any valid legal claim after the court verdict and consequent vindication or a-quittance from charges labeled against them reached through court verdict. And the same apply for the South Sudanese public the ultimate victims of these crises.

Coming back to Dr. Riek’s “democratic” revolution of twenty first century that aim to change legitimate democratically elected government through tribal insurgency without any substantive and procedural democratic procedures and principles that is characterized by summary extermination of innocent civilians based on their background including his own tribe dissidents who are butchered without any regard to international law and international humanitarian law principles of engagement in the battlefield…

How would any average and reasonable individual equate that to the simplest procedural and substantive democratic principles…?
Which entail in essence, that the leadership is not grabbed by the use of bullets but should be earned through free and fair democratic contestation process by ballots that is compatible with the principles of equal citizens, equal universal democratic rights, respect for inalienable natural-Devine-rights and freedom of choice that is free from intimidation, terrorization vandalism, “gang-thuggery”, victimization and gross-blood-carnages targeting the citizenry based on their back-ground and extermination of dissent clan-fellows…As well as, public incitation of hatred against certain fellow-citizens groups.

One is totally unable to logically discern how would all that conscience-shocking-barbarism and savagery “Kujur-cracy” relates to a democracy.

Nonetheless, Dr. Riek have also set-back South Sudan in its progress towards nation-building that cement and forge common national-identity for South Sudanese people and therefore, creating harmony and embracing diversity among the national community different groups…

In state, as a leader that dreams to be in a front-seat of the South-Sudanese affairs and therefore, being expected to articulate his democratization vision for South Sudan as well as formulating a vision of a common-good-future for all South Sudanese, he miserably and at will self-degenerated himself into some-what bloody-thirst indiscriminate killer on the bases of back-ground and targeting of his own fellow-tribe dissents in inhuman-savagery manner.

Hence, eroding the basic tenets of social-fabric that has always been there between South Sudanese national-communities, groups and individuals, cross-tribal-migrations, inter-marriages and social rapports between different peer groups among South Sudanese irrespective of tribe.

Building of a national-state as well as advancement of democratic principles are not pursued through undemocratic means, especially when there are so many options and lack of circumstances that justify the doctrine of necessity…Simply because when you have a choice then you lose necessity defense.

Thus, democratic-inclusive-state that is based on, equal-citizenship with equal-democratic-universal-rights cannot be built through deliberately disseminating phrases “inciting” hatred against certain citizen groups or other national community individuals…AS WELL AS THROUGH waging TRIBAL INSURGENCY against the nation-state and pitting national-communities against one another…As such one failed to find any democratic-related-project instilled in Dr. Riek, undemocratic based political rhetoric. But indeed, what is palpably apparent is Riek’s own personal-political-ambitions leadership-mania quest wars…

Therefore, I sincerely call upon the “silent millions” genuine South Sudanese compatriots to vigorously advocate and lobby for peace, restoration of confidence, peaceful co-existence among our national communities, reconciliation and national healing processes… We are one national community, one people and compatriots-forever in common-shared-destiny and common-shared-fate…No South Sudan without Shilluk, Blanda, Anyuak or Zande, Nuer or Latouka, Dinka, Baria or Nyanguara, Jur Lou, Indogo or Koko etc.

Let’s embrace our diversity, OUR COMMON FUTURE, OUR COMMON GOOD THAT LIES IN THE POTENTIAL HUMAN RESOURCES OF OUR DIVERSE NATIONAL COMMUNITIES, LET US CHERISH FORGIVENESS IN LIVING LEGACY OF our GREAT LEADER NELSON MANDELA WHO MANAGED TO FORGIVE THREE HUNDRED YEARS INJUSTICE AND GRAVE INHUMAN TREATMENT AND ABOVE ALL OF THAT MANAGED TO UNITE THE VERY DIVIDED PEOPLE OF SOUTH AFRICA ALONG COLOUR AND RACE LINES TO BECOME AN INCLUSIVE DEMOCRATIC RAIN-BOW NATION LEAVING THE PAST WITH ALL ITS PAIN BEHIND THEIR BACKS BY WALKING TO THE FUTURE WITH LOVE AND TOGETHERNESS IN-SPITE OF ALL OF THAT….

Let’s learn from “People of Rwanda aftermath-of-genocide-era who emerged very much Rwandans than they being attaching themselves to their “accidents of birth identity-backgrounds” being born into Tutsi or Huto lineage is none of anyone of them choice and cannot be made as something that should justify self-annihilation as one people of one common destiny and fate.

These experiences are African-home-ground solutions to the tensions borne-out-of-diverse-African-Communities and societies.

There is no way that we unleash-the-barbaric-hatred, dark-side-of-human-nature egoistic self-centred-mania too-far-too-long in the path of self-destruction through the abominable vicious cycle of revenge and avenge against our own fellow human brethren of sisters and brothers, fathers and mothers, grand-fathers and grand-mothers, children and babies sick and disable…

It was Dr. John owns words that once said: If we used the maxim of an eye for an eye will all be blind….

Therefore, the way forward is to cherish forgiveness, peace, and national healing process….And acknowledging the fact that those who have been slain are South Sudanese and those perpetrators are South Sudanese… And that the war is wagged against the South Sudanese…The victims are the average South Sudanese…So we are the victims and the monsters in this savagery carnage.

Malong Muorwel…The author can be reached through e-mail: mmmal_2012@hotmail.com

SOUTH SUDAN’S STRATEGIC PEACE PLAN

SOUTH SUDAN’S STRATEGIC PEACE PLAN: A PROPOSAL OF WHAT SHOULD BE DONE TO END THE CONFLICT IN THE COUNTRY

BY AMER DHIEU

INTRODUCTION

It is clear that no one is going to win this current war. It is clear too that the more we keep fighting this war the more we lose lives of innocent citizens, elderly people, disables, women and children. It is also clear that this war is not just killing our people through bullets but also affecting our national economy, our international image, our regional cooperation and most importantly it is adversely dividing our national army and general public.

Our nation has already fallen apart. It’s weakening. It has lost more than what it has in hand. The JUSTICE, LIBERTY AND PROSPERITY in our National Anthem have become meaningless. We are not practicing them. The hatred is taking its toll on South Sudanese communities.

They say in international relation that “war is the last resort” but to us it was the first resort. The question is: what is our last resort? What should be used as last resort instead? In my perspective, we have given war a chance, now let’s give peace a chance.

This proposal is a personal view of what should be done. You might disagree with me, but I encourage you to pen down your proposal too. Not that the government or rebel will use it but IT will give few people who will come across IT an idea of where our failing state should go next.

VISION

You tell me. What else is the vision of peace strategic plan? It is simple: restore our national harmony, integrity, peace, justice, liberty and prosperity. Erase the stain of hatred, conflict, bloodshed and division. Bring back the confidence we lose in our government ability to sustain peace in the country.

MISSION

The mission of peace strategic plan is to seek:

Stop ongoing war and urge leaders on both sides to come to the negotiating table

Restore our national peace

Strengthen our national economy

Restore our international image

Help sustained our regional security and cooperation

Provide South Sudanese citizen with a safe place to call home

Encourage our 64 tribes to live in harmony: the spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood

BACKGROUND

You ask me who is the enemy in South Sudan? I won’t tell you it is the rebel. I won’t even tell you it is the government. The enemy is the uneducated population, the enemy is the tribalist, the enemy is the divisionist, the enemy is the uncivilized, the enemy is the poor, the rich, the homeless, the millionaire, and the business people.

All these people do not know how to live together. They don’t know how to live in harmony. The Poor don’t know how to beg the rich; the rich don’t know how to give to the poor. The Nuer doesn’t know if Lotuho is a brother and a sister living next door in the same land. Murle doesn’t know if a Dinka and a Nuer also need cattle to survive. The Government and the Rebel don’t know if they are fighting for one position—be a leader and serve South Sudan’s people best interest. The whole country lives in a “DON’T KNOW” environment.

The purpose of this Strategic Peace Plan is to let this DON’T KNOW, KNOWS through the strategic peace plan. But how? Teach Nuer how to say “loi edi” in Dinka? Or to teach Kakwa how to say “male megwa” in Nuer? None of these is the strategic peace plan.

STRATEGIC PEACE PLAN A: DEMILITARIZATION OF SOUTH SUDANESE CAPITAL

You know how they mark around civilian’s suburbs in Juba with those ugly long guns. You know how the put army on high alert when there is disagreement in parliament. You know how government officials send their guards to haunt down people they have argument with.

Objectives:

Move all military barrack out of Juba to Buma.

No use of army personal guards either by government officials or other insecure citizen.

No use of a gun in civilians occupied suburbs.

PLAN B: COMPULSORY PEACE TRAINING IN ALL TEN STATES

Emmanuel Jal once said, “If there is any place in the world where people are most hungry and thirsty of education, it is South Sudan”. Not all educated people are wise. That is my belief but all educated people know how to construct something from nothing. It cannot always be something good but it can be peace from war. Peace training can give them skills to live in multicultural and diverse country. It can help them accept each other’s differences and embrace it.

Objectives:

Cut national military budget by 10 percent and use it to build training centres in every county and Payam of all ten states.

Peace education must be a compulsory subject throughout primary, secondary schools and colleges. May be universities too.

STRATEGIC PEACE PLAN C: RECONSTRUCTION OF SOCIAL ORDER

We know in South Sudan the rich are going richer and poor are getting poorer. There is a huge gap between these socio-economic classes. Rich families are easy to gain public recognition, access quality health care, clean water, likely to get job than their poor counterparts and living a sustainable lives.

Objectives:

All equal before law policy must be put in place.

Provide funding for local Job agencies to help unemployed people find jobs.

To provide job training for unskilled person

Department of Human Services to provide social security/welfare to support the poor and the unemployed person.

Each adult being given 300 pound and a child with 150 pound every monthly.

INTRODUCTION of effective taxation systems to pay for public schools and healthcare system

STRATEGIC PEACE PLAN D: EFFECTIVE FORM OF GOVERNMENT.

Now this is where big problem is. If we don’t have very effective form of government we don’t have effective rules and laws governing the entire population in the country and whole nation will be like a flock of sheep with no shepherd. People can steal, people can kill, can be corrupt, and can do any illegal things imaginable because there is no effective government to enforce rules and regulations. Effective government consists of transparency in the system, it consists of democratic system, it consists respect for human rights and dignity, it consists of keeping law and order, it stands as a shield and source of every human needs and all living creatures in South Sudan.

Objectives:

To have effective government we must have effective and brainy technocrats behind every board member. To achieve this, it would be prudent for President Kiir not to run in the forthcoming general election. He should hand over the torch to a younger, educated and ‘brain-active’ candidate, whether from the SPLM ruling party or other parties or even an independent candidate, so long as that person would turn back the clock to doomsday of our beloved Republic.

2015 cabinet must not include old Folks, especially those who have been in the cabinet before. They have spectacularly brought South Sudan to its knees. They are too rude and too corrupt. Cabinet must be made up of those with long vision, not short vision. Those who sees light ahead not “Dhuluma” Because if the cabinet members sees darkness ahead they only do things that will take country to darkness.

New military recruitment must take place and government must provide funding to send them abroad for Training. When they are fully trained they can come back and the current military can be put on reserved. This is because the current one only knows how to follow their bosses, how to protect (or advance the interest of) their own tribes instead of the nation. They don’t know that their main priority is, which is to protect the nation against foreign invasion and state sovereignty not the tribe.

System! System! System out of all must be adjusted. System in all aspects. From work places, supreme and magistrate courts, in all public services. It must be fair, Democratic, transparent, equal and accessible by all persons living in South Sudan.

Government must first serve the interest of all citizens before theirs. No child must be left homeless, uneducated and unnursed with care. That’s the ideal that all government officials must live up to or else they will risk being thrown out of office in no time by the general public whether they were democratically elected or not.

RECOMMENDATIONS

All media companies, bloggers and news editors must preach message of peace and development. All academicians, political analysts, activists and intellectuals must provide South Sudanese with new knowledge and strategies everyday on how to rule and keep the country going forward, not BACKWARD.

CONCLUSION

we have clearly read who is the enemy in South Sudan and to reduce those enemies we must immediately implement these strategic peace plans or any other plans you might comes up with. The responsibility to implement it is on your and my neck. We are the poorest and must learn how to beg the richest. We are the richest and we must learn how to give to the poorest. I am the Murle and I must know you the Nuer or Dinka also need your cattle in order to survive.

It us all who live in the environment of “don’t know” and it’s us all who need to live in the environment of knowing. GOD BLESSES SOUTH SUDAN!

What Does Dances Tells Us

By Heskey Dzeng

If I look back, I shed river of tears, I recalled innocent people, who have vanished curtly in this senseless war of money and leadership. I do not see contentment in me, oh my God! but I wonder why madness and foolishness driven us off to did inhuman thing, celebrated released Dr. Majak D. Agoot with emotional dancing in eyes of thousands who have lost their loved, what did it tells the greater Bor community in whole, it even discolor our integrity in South Sudan in one way and another way.

I was upset when I seen people dancing, in such an archaic manners with all sorts of provocative folklore, while in Juba and other towns, there is no day that pass without bad news and even funeral tents. As we are still mourning for our people, what did it means really?

Is Dr. Majak better than 2007 innocent civilians we have lost in Bor and more other to lose or estimated 10 people who have killed in South Sudan since violence broke out? Did that Lhor Jieng/leng/bull will bring them back to alive, if yes then it is good news and your ‘leng’ was blessed

Obviously, People dance when they are happy, when people are not mourning, when people are not homeless but now what did this means? We should have to share a pain with those who lost their beloved. I think we are the generations that a Nuer believed prophet Ngundeng talked about ‘they will die while laughing and dancing, so this is us.

Well, give me a break, I am not against released of Dr. Majak D Agoot, I’m so thrilled for his freed with other comrades Pagan Amum, Oyai Deng and more others, because their freed will contribute to much for peace or how to get peace and stability back in South Sudan which is an edge of collapsing, but that cannot moved me [you] to dance.

So if we were genuine enough, we could welcome Dr. Majak home with exhilaration. Showing our sentiment, glee or elation inside, but not through beating a drum and jumped up and down, singing offensive songs, but devil misled us, oh God help!

Put it simply, for those who decided that, you have brought shame and verbal abuse to your son first and then to Bor community, it does not make sense, celebrating with drum and songs while forgetting thousands of civilians’ massacre in the Country.

While our people in Twic East, Bor South and Duk Counties are on run, are homeless, suffering at swamp areas. Denies camping in Equatorian lands, and even no single day passed without mourning and funerals, while our lands is warzone, let’s think twice.

Although, Dr. Majak D Agoot was detained of false accusation, we should not celebrate with dancing and beating of drum, slaughter of cows, this is foolishness that makes us to done such spiteful thing.

If we were smart in mind, we can do event without dance, just to advice him and encouraging to work for peace and stability and to forget what happened to him.

But now we added salt into injury, how will the one who lost his/her beloved, brother, father, mother, sister and cousin in this politicians’ war feel. How will observers, who understood our suffering, quote us? We needs to reasoning thing first.

This is what Nigerians called Abomination; simply you have brought abomination to your clan and greater Bor. Now you have opened all the windows to all useless people [s] to throw insulting words to us [Bor Community].

All in all, it is work of foolishness and madness, instead to cry with those who have lost their beloved and comfort them, we did opposite, and instead to crying with those who are crying, mourning with those who are mourning and joins them in their huts and console and strength them; we are even making them weak and lament deepen, it is so shame.

More so, it was not right time for any person [s] in Dinka Bor [Bor Community] to beat leng [drum], but time to comfort and console our people because this violence has put us into square one. We better to comforting widowers, widows, and orphans and wounded of this senseless war but it is shame, shame, shame to forgetting earlier what happened in our land and to our people in Bor.

Yes we should be happy but not extend to dances.

In God we must stand with victim [s]

Heskey Dzeng @2014

 

Book Review By Brian Adeba

Book Review

 

A Poisonous Thorn in Our Hearts: Sudan and South Sudan’s Bitter and Incomplete Divorce by James Copnall

 

 Published by Hurst and Company, London, March 2014.

By Brian Adeba

In his exhaustive and perceptive book, among the first to assess the birth of South Sudan in 2011, author James Copnall argues that Sudan’s bitter divorce is incomplete. On many facets, (economy and culture) the fate of the Sudans is intricately linked in a labyrinth of relations that are difficult to untangle with a political decision inked at a negotiating table in a foreign capital.

The devastating effect of the incomplete divorce is brought to life through characters whose lives have been shattered by it, especially along the border regions, home to some 13 million people. People like Abdelaziz Hussain, the half Arab Misseriya, half Dinka herdsman who bristles at the fact that he now needs a passport to cross into South Sudan to graze his animals. Or Garang Thomas Dhel, a southerner who defied convention and married a northerner, an Arab Muslim lady; but now wonders how to sustain that love in the face of the new artificial border between them.

What appears galling, Copnall argues, is the fact that politicians from north and south are deliberately oblivious of the intertwining socio-economic fabric of the two countries to the extent they push for policies designed to bring the other entity down. Case in point is the confiscation of South Sudan’s oil by Khartoum in December 2011 and South Sudan’s shutdown of oil exports through Port Sudan in early 2012. Both decisions were catastrophic to both countries’ economies. This example typifies the fact that both countries need each other economically; South Sudan needs Khartoum’s pipelines to export oil and Khartoum needs the oil to flow to generate revenue from pipe rentals.

But Copnall takes extreme care to let readers know that despite the commonalities between South Sudan and  “rump” Sudan, these similarities may be superficial, for still waters run deep. Ancient legacies tied to Arab enslavement of people from South Sudan, political domination of Sudan by the riverine Arabs, and colonialism serve to stymie notions of a common destiny. This is best captured by a quote, (from which the book takes its title), by Al-Tayyeb Mustafa, a journalist and uncle to President Omar Al Bashir, who described South Sudan as “a poisonous thorn in our hearts.”

Basing his assertions on interviews with many Sudanese and South Sudanese from various walks of life, Copnall argues that if this generation fails to build bridges between South Sudan and Sudan now, the possibilities for such a feat become highly unlikely in the future. In particular, Copnall makes the point that the next generation of South Sudanese, the bulk of whom grew up in Kenya and Uganda, may have little in common with their counterparts in Sudan in literally every sense of the word, since they speak English and Kiswahili and are philosophically more drawn to East Africa rather than the Arab world.

Touching on the secession of South Sudan, Copnall brings to life the grim reality that independence did not result in the desired outcome—improved livelihoods for South Sudanese. While there are tangible and positive dividends for South Sudanese, such as increased enrollment in primary education, overall, the state is largely absent from the lives of millions of South Sudanese. Service delivery, for example, is non-existent in almost all sectors and most human baseline indicators are in the doghouse. Copnall however cautions against blanket blame on the government. He cites a plethora of issues—pervasive inexperience, corruption, and nepotism—behind the government’s poor performance.

In the context of the conflict unraveling in South Sudan, Copnall makes the rather prophetic observation that post-independence South Sudan is an exact replica of Bashir’s oppressive regime and may possibly be headed for a head-on crash with itself in the future if affairs remain as they are. From having the same secret intelligence building as Khartoum, to stifling media freedoms and chocking democratic pluralism, Copnall argues that the SPLM couldn’t be more similar to Bashir’s National Congress Party (NCP). Just as oil bred a kleptocracy in Khartoum prior to South Sudan’s independence, Copnall stresses that a similar scenario is also unfolding in Juba. The country’s new oligarchs are living large at the expense of millions of South Sudanese. This has fostered resentment and rebellion in oil producing sections of the country.

Looking to the future, through the eyes of various people interviewed for the book, Copnall argues that the status quo in leadership style needs to change in both countries. With regard to South Sudan, some expressed fear that the dearth of democracy meant change will come through violent means, channeled via ethnic lines.  The December 2013 shootout in Juba testifies to this fact.

Over in Khartoum, Copnall, a BBC journalist who spent three years covering both countries, asserts that the biggest threat to the Bashir regime will originate from within the NCP. But that, he argues, is unlikely to change the fundamental characteristics of the regime.

Brian Adeba is an Associate with the Security Governance Group in Kitchener, Canada.

Pagan Amum on BBC After his Release

 

The former secretary general of the South Sudan Liberation Movement -SPLM, Pagan Amum has been speaking to the BBC after his surprise release last week. Amum together with three other leaders had been on trial for treason, related to the events of last December that sparked off the current conflict. He says is not bitter. He used his time in prison to reflect, meditate and pray for #SouthSudan. “We’ve emerged from prison full of love for all, including those who jailed us”. He spoke to journalist Mading Ngor in Juba.

President Kiir’s Speech after Releasing the G4

Dr.Jok Madut Jok: “The speech I wish my president could deliver in the parliament and broadcast widely.

“To Naath who lost their relatives in Juba and Bor, to Jieng who were killed in revenge, to all the citizens of this great nation, all of whom have been immeasurably affected by this four-month old conflict, I apologize, that i did not do better in protecting you, that our country and its government has fallen short of the its utmost duty, the duty of protecting every human life and property…

But what has happened cannot be undone, and the people who have died cannot be brought back…It has been a lost to all of us…but more wrongs cannot right the past wrongs… please don’t take any more life.

I have just ordered the release of political detainees in an attempt to open a new page. I only have exactly one year left in office before the next elections. Whether i will run for a second term or not is irrelevant, but you will all get a chance to elect the leader of your choice and if i run again, you can choose to send me home at that time. But now let us sit and reconcile, it is clear no one can decisively win this war.

The only win that should count to you is a peaceful settlement of this nasty war. Once again, i am sorry for everything that has happened, for i am the president and i take responsibility for everything that has happened under my watch, whether i have done it personally or not.”

Pagan Amuom: Two Times Lucky in the Web of South Sudan Politics

By Malith Alier, South Sudan

It is 25 Apr. 14, the day when Pagan Amuom, the former SPLM Secretary General and three other coup suspects are released from detention in Juba. The etiology of their detention is directly traced to last December attempted coup against Salva Kiir led government in Juba in the Republic of South sudan. Though this coup was denied by the world and continued to be denied by the accused, they have gone down in history as those who have been detained and put on trial for a mutual self annihilation stoked by SPLM party members who run the government in a rebel manner.

With the rebellion suspected ring leaders in the bush and those caught red handed released, the rebellion is now a poison chalice to the people of South Sudan who have perished in great numbers since first days of the contention. The world, who have been advocating for the release of eleven detainees have finally got their wish fulfilled. This may not necessarily be in the interest of the country as many thought. These very people have been recycling in government without apparent interest of the country at heart. Billions of funds disappeared without trace on their watch but chose no action in the interest of the country. The group of 15 super rich which was later expanded to 75 were identified but left scot free.

Pagan Amuom is a veteran of both Anya nya two and the SPLA. He is one of the Garang Boys as opposed to Salva Kiir Boys of which is Dr. Majak Da’Agot. The two camps of Garang Boys and Kiir Boys do not naturally blend as part of the same SPLA party. This is probably as a result of disagreement between Garang and Kiir in 2005 on how to run the affairs of the SPLM and indeed those of the country. Here, it’s worth mentioning that Dr. Riek Machar has his own boys such as Taban Gai and the rest of those who swung between the government and contumacy (rebellion).

Pagan is a seasoned politician full of oratory skills unlike his peers in the SPLM party. He fluently speaks English and Arabic during political rallies in Juba and other cities. He modelled himself on the late Dr. Garang who was able to make up persuasive ancient stories some of which are extracted from the Old Testament and linked them to the current situation in the Sudan. On one occasion he audaciously stated that Rumbek was the Garden of Eden and human kind originated in South Sudan.

As a veteran of Anya nya Two and the SPLA, Pagan is not new to controversy in former Sudan and now South Sudan. He was among the unfettered critics of the Bashir and his regime. On one occasion while he was a minister in the Office of the President in Khartoum he called the government of which he was a minister a criminal regime which has lost direction. He was known to be a basher of GoNu or Government of National Unity while Sudan was still united.

Pagan Amuom was elected SPLM Secretary General in 2008 convention in Juba. The term of office of the SG and his team is eight years after which another election may be arranged through a national convention. However, the SPLM defaulted to hold its national convention in 2012 because of loggerheads among its organs like Political Bureau and National Liberation Council. This is one of the geneses of the current crises that have spilt over in to bloodshed. As the top party Boss, Pagan Amuom got involved in corruption allegations related to US Dollar 60m released to the SPLM by Sudan Government for initial establishment of the government of Southern Sudan. The former Minister of Finance Akuin Chol went to court to sue Pagan for defamation disappearance of US Dollar 30m. These court proceedings put a spot on the role played by the government and the Chief Justice who walked on the court while the case was being heard. There was a public outcry for the quick acquittal of pagan of all the charges related to the financial scandal.

That government protectionism of the powerful SPLM SG fast disappeared when he decided to challenge the SPLM chairman, Comrade Kiir in leadership contest along with Riek Machar and Nyandeng Atem. He took campaigning to the media and social gatherings to the annoyance of the chairman and supporters. He was therefore, put on a high level investigation by a committee headed by SPLM deputy Chairman, Wani Igga. He was also gagged and put under travel ban pending investigations.

Pagan Amuom defied the Chairman by refusing to appear before the committee. The only thing he did not attempt to do prior to December 6 news conference by the group of disgruntle former top government officials was to talk to the media and travel outside Juba. He sensed that the security might arrest him. During the NLC meeting on 14th and 15th of December pagan did not attend but his dismissal from his post was tabled as recommended by the investigation committee. No sooner has the two day conference ended than the conflict eruption engulfed Juba and spread far and wide.

Pagan Amuom is finally out now, but the decision is his whether to join Riek Machar or to be part of G7 or form a forth group of G4 if they strike an agreement among themselves.

The international and national campaign to free Pagan and the group has borne fruit and he is indeed a two times lucky in South Sudan contemporary politics. Out of corruption charges and attempted coup, his fate will now depend on further actions he may choose.

Freeloaders: A Formidable Force

By Alier Ateny

Freeloaders: A formidable force. (2^nd edition)

Many people have talked and written about South Sudan, the youngest nation in the world, just 2 years into independence but already qualified as a failed state, and sooner or later might as well qualify as a rogue state. This article will highlight the reasons why those in the system right now would not accept a change but will fight tooth and nails to maintain the status quo. This discussion will be based on the following topics (i) The ghost names on the pay lists (ii) Unqualified army of public servants (iii) family members getting salaries for free (VI) and of course the corrupt ministers and generals. Are these people interested in a change? The essay will argue the contrary. This is called cracking the code; some thorny topics will be brought up in this essay. Please read it.

South Sudan’s Political, social and economic system was set up to fail

Many analysts have argued that, South Sudan was doom to fail due to lack of a pre-plan or a blueprint on how the country could be run comes self-determination or independence; if South Sudanese had considered this in advance, they would have started by nominating a credible Joshua with true leadership attribute and a clear roadmap of where he or she is heading the nation to. People of South Sudan did not go to war in 1983 just to change their masters, they wanted to live in a country where government would think and care about their wellbeing; they wanted to live under a government different from that oppressive government of Khartoum, that is, government of the people by the people for the people, however, not much has changed, South Sudan government imported the very system that took the people of South Sudan to civil war. Corruption is still prevalence in its worst case, government critics are still being arbitrary arrested, forced to exile, or killed, media still under government control and use as a propaganda tool instead of promoting peace, love and unity, opposition parties still being menaced, and so on. Another despotic system being practise by South Sudan government is what I would refer to here as ‘’jungle politics,’’ they adapted it and used it during the entire period of the North-South civil war, for example, the culture of ‘’Musadats and Muhimats’’. Musadats means material assistance of any kind used to be given to generals and their families only, those assistances could be food, clothing, money as well as other vital services. It was an obligation for those generals to have certain number of people assigned to their houses as domestic workers and managed by their wives and children. Muhimats were sort of nutritious foods like liver, kidney, heart, pancreas, intestines and other special foods being prepared for the generals at the frontline. Such privileges were not opened to everybody, you have to be a general, or a family member, or a close relative in order to benefit from Musadats or Muhimats. If you take a look at our current system right now, you would realize that, it is just but a prototype of that culture described above. Most if not all ministers in the former and current GOSS government are the very generals who know none other than war and that culture of Musadats and Muhimats. They have put their family members or close relatives as the civil servants in public sectors, majority of whom are not even qualified staffs, because merits is a thing of the future not in their world. Those relatives who are not given any positions can still earn salaries every single pay day through the ghost lists, some Diasporas are beneficiaries of this kind of corrupt system either directly or indirectly, it is not a surprise to others including myself why some diasporas behave like Hitler’s Youth here in the west.

Is change possible in South Sudan?

Yes, change is possible but not without sacrifice, either from within or from without, whether now or in the future. All we need in South Sudan right now is another revolution, both in thinking and in the way we do things as well. But people should not forget that these bourgeoisies’ class and their cronies are not sleeping at all, they will do all they could to make sure that corrupt system goes nowhere, they call it do or die situation, they are there to stay as they often sing, ‘’SPLM is here to stay’’ they chant. Those who attempt to change that status quo are vilified and branded as enemies of the nation, because these looters know very well that any change to the status quo will certainly come with a serious nation building, and this will definitely affect them in one way or another. For example, national resources will be channelled into important national projects, ghost names will be screen out of the national pay lists, corrupt individuals will be held accountable and unskilled staff will be replaced with skilled ones. Put it simply, the whole system of corruption will be scraped and replaced with system of accountability, transparency, economic and social justice; and rule of law, in nutshell; an effective and efficient system.

Spy in the sky;

As mentioned above, beneficiaries of this corrupt system are doing all they could to make sure that any mindset different from their own is curbed and stemmed out through undercover spies who are tasked to look for underground reformists and those who might be saying things against their corrupt deals or government. This is how some citizens end up in exile, they have been forced to flee their country for their own safety, good example are gentlemen like Jon Pen Ngong, Deng Mading Chaui and ****others, these gentlemen are a few example of the victims of force exile, not to mention those who have already lost their lives like Isaiah Abraham and many more. The following was a speech by Isaiah’s daughter in his funeral.

The heartbreaking speech from the 14-year-old Aluel Isaiah Abraham: I believe my father was killed because he wanted a better South Sudan and I am not afraid to say that…my father’s passion for South Sudan has left me without a father, left my siblings without a father, left my mother without a spouse.

Isaiah Diing Abraham Chan Awuol, the first martyr for the Freedom of Expression in the Republic of South Sudan.

Open hostility towards civil societies and nongovernment controlled media is promoted; freelances and columnists are censored and/or arrested. There is also issue of brain washing and indoctrination, vast majority of these elite’s class spend most of their times with destitute trying to brain wash the population and save face the corrupt ministers, such that people don’t get to question the system and what they do. When people are starving to death, they use their government controlled SSTV and preach the opposite that people’s lives have now improved under the government of His Excellency. When there is inter-communal conflict, they would be like; our people are more united now than ever, and so forth. Those undercover spies can also be found in many different roles wearing different hats, for instance, in ostensible peace and reconciliation forums, and the so call public awareness about the cause of the conflict, as well as other glittery jobs like state’s human right group, they are just moles in those roles; their actual role is spying for the government. Church is another institution which has built a fishy nexus with this corrupt elites, as oppressive governments always do, our government cleverly use religion to numb people’s minds not to question any wrong doing, they are taught by the religious leaders not only to fear God, but also their authorities, a purer political-religious indoctrination, I like to call it ‘’poli-reli’’ indoctrination or politics and religion indoctrination.

This is a 21st century

You might have heard this before or yet to hear this common excuses from South Sudan regime, oh America wants our oil, oh they wish us fail, oh international community this, international community that, yet they failed to understand that this contemporary world is interconnected, hornbill’s problem is not hornbill’s alone this days, it is world’s problem politically, economically, and humanitarian wise. And when the world begins to focus on the details, Juba regime begins to startle and start attacking the world because they know the devil is in the details, their blame game attack has extended even to the ghosts of the dead people. For instance, their stooges have started blaming none living soul of the then ebel leader Dr. John Garang, that John Garang’s spirit is haunting mighty Kiir instead of cockroach Riek, another name in their black list. All these scare campaign and propaganda is nothing other than acting out of guilt, many authoritarian regimes have used it before but to no avail, legends of this act like Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin did not benefit from it, Gaddafi and Saddam tried it too but look at their demises, Assad is using it but will not appreciate the end of the game either. In addition, Kiir regime must know that this is a 21^st century, time of fascism and dictatorship is long gone; this world is a different world all together, international community cannot sit on their hands and allow this very young nation to descent into lethal path right in their watch, there would be no reasons of establishing UN and/or International community after all. South Sudan’s problem is a world’s problem in many aspects, humanitarian wise, global economy and global politics, South Sudan is expected to contribute positively in improving lives of it people and not engage in a thuggish behaviour to the detriment of masses. Who is now feeding, sheltering or catering for the general wellbeing of those South Sudanese displaced by the conflict? Not South Sudan government, nor the South Sudan rebels, it is the same international community which our government is trying to sell short to the very population they came to rescue. The message these corrupt elites should pay attention to is this; many dictators have tried before and could not succeed, why do you want to learn from your own experience and not from other person’s else’s? This country is supposed to be a very lucky country because of the era of her birth; South Sudan came at a time when globalisation has eliminated the miseries of isolation. We don’t have to go back and start from the rudimentary, we have mature democracies who are more than ready to coach us on laying foundations of a true democracy, strong economy, harmonies social and/or cultural co-existent, and use their advance technology to improve our economy, yet our government got us the very opposite. Once again, I remind our leaders that, there is hardly any room for dictatorship in this century, play your cards responsibly or somebody else will do the job.

About the Current conflict

The author of this article was in the middle of it all, when the conflict started last year especially in Bortown and all the way to the rural areas I saw it how it happened, which means I have witness the nature of this conflict first hand. When we came back from the hiding, we found the whole town literally littered with human bodies, there is no justification for the death of these innocent people whatsoever, whether in Juba, Bor, Malakal, or Bentiu. I join the whole world in urging and challenging both Kiir and Riek to do the extraordinary thing, to stop the blame game, ring up each other and agree to put down weapons for the sake of the people. You are just as good as the other if you keep on engaging in point scoring while people you claim to love continue to die, please do it for your people. If you don’t do that, then you two are fighting for your individual interests and not that of the people of South Sudan, I know both of you are peace loving people, none of you had intended this large scale war to take place, I personally blame it on your naivety, so please come back to your senses, your people can still forgive you regardless of the thousands who have already lost their lives. There is still a room for forgiveness, it is not too late to stop this conflict now because the more this conflict continues, the more damage to the country, and therefore, the more love lost. I expect the government to take a lead in bringing this war to an end, because you should not start something you don’t know how to stop, stop denying anything and to think responsibly if you want to be called government of the people.

Something Weirdest Happened

David Aoloch Bion

——–

Something weirdest happened in land of Eagle

The men killed themselves in the war

The boys are too slow to grow

The women are pregnant with eggs of wind

 

 

 

Dr. Majak Agoot Atem on SBS Radio

Wäär ke pɛi ye nïïn 24/04/2014; ke bɛ̈ny ŋäär akutë lööŋ në akuma ëë Junup Thudänic ee bë cööt ke ye biän ben ka wäär cë kek luɛl në kɔc ke ŋuan kɔ̈u war ku bë luŋ jäl ke cë ber lɔ tueŋ. Kɔc juïc ke ye kɔckɛ̈ ake mac kek ke pɛië thiɛ̈rku rou ye nïïn 16/12/2013 në Juba. Yen mɛ̈nyden ee bɔ̈ ke ye biän ëë tɔŋ cë rɔt gɔl në akutë kɔc ye bɛ̈ny ŋäär baai gël ku ye tɔ̈ŋë ee jäl bë path agut bë kɔc lɔ luaiwei. Ku yen acïï mïïi në Juba be luel cë man adɛ̈ ke ye kɔckɛ̈ ake kɔr bïk bäny lööm në riɛr ku në thoŋden ke kɔc cë mac ëë ka yekɛ̈ luel yak e lueth acën kë cuk loi.

Not Kiir and Machar as Persons but Assumptions, Myths and Ideologists.

By Edward Laboke, USA.

For over five decades the people of South Sudan relentlessly fought for either a fair participatory and beneficiary share within the then largest African country the Sudan; or take her freedom destiny on her own hands. The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) provisions offered both alternatives; but the former vainly worked within the prescribed time period, thus giving room to the latter to materialize on July 9^th 2011.

Like any hard earned achievement, the independence of South Sudan as the 193^rd country of the global nations, was welcomed with jubilations not only by the South Sudanese themselves but also by various stakeholders who because of vested interests worked so hard to achieve this. In the background meanwhile lie a series of impending huddles: Sudan’s staunch interests, efforts and ideology to keep the country put; their campaign that independent South Sudan is ungovernable (which now proved true) and of course our resources; continue to be major destabilizing factors of the new nation.

For the sake of preciseness I would dwell mostly on the truth of independent South Sudan ungovernability. No wonder most if not all educated and sane South Sudanese knew and accepted this reality but continued to fight with the hopes and beliefs that solutions to such conditions would be much feasible than with the precarious north-south conflicts. Well, perhaps those optimists were wrong: conflicts are conflicts in that their results depend on their massive impulses at the time of impacts. Example one-day bomb in the city of Tokyo, Japan could have higher numerical casualties and property destruction than a week of similar bombing say in Juba, South Sudan. By this I mean the longer we drag this conflicts by targeting highly populated cities, the sooner we will find it hard to differentiate the casualties and property destructions from impacts of the 2o+ years with the north.

Our ungovernability shouldn’t be locked on the now Kiir-Machar or then Garang-Machar or even more Garang-Kiir as persons as many seem to think, but some keener looks should be sought from the ideologically existing assumptions and myths. The “born to rule” assumptions is no secret among South Sudanese especially those who lived the old 1972-1983 regional government. The “Ngun Deng mythical prophecy” is another that isn’t a secret too. These two are good ideological rivals personifying themselves in some leaders we see not only destroying the well being of our country today but did so also in the liberation movement (no need to elaborate). Whether Salva and Riek accept to stay away from the government, as many seem to call for now, the ideologies will live on and continue to haunt leaders subscribing to them. It’s though a gross mistake to generically assume that since these myths emanates from certain tribes then all the tribe subscribe to it. It’s also worth mentioning that the two rivaling ideologists gave birth to yet a recent one: who fought (contributed) the most in the liberation effort. This one whoever, is the stupidest assumption that doesn’t pay heed to the voice of scientific reasoning. It doesn’t recognize that 2 is 50% of 4 just as 500 is 50% of 1000. It tends to assign an alienable rights only by population might rather than citizenry. This as a brainchild of the two is equally dangerous for the wellbeing of South Sudan.

Another issue we tend to ignore is that there are miniature community conflicts all over the country that have the potential to threaten the stability of the nation, but the Nuer-Dinka one surpasses simply because the leaders involved represent the upper echelon of our government.  Whether the two major tribes in the country have some historical hatred among them rather than what I stated above, it’s high time the people of South Sudan rise above all these. We need dignity for our people and ourselves. We want to identify with the norms of civilized societies and abhor barbarism. There are real Moses among us who can help bring this to bear: a Nuer, a Dinka, a Toposa, a Bari, an Avukaya etc who does not subscribe to the mythical world that’s destroying the country. However, to fight the ideologies that have prevailed for decades if not centuries is an uphill battle that requires a total overhaul of our political system. Reforming all institutions and formulations and upholding of the national permanent constitution are key to this.

Conflict has erupted, lives and properties have been lost and destroyed and above all; crimes have been committed as per the UN reports. As usual justice shall prevail or have to be served. Dr. Machar and President Kiir should have sought peaceful political avenues to settle their differences than allowing un-lawful track perpetrated by their supporters take lead in the conflict. Whatever defense arsenal they have to walk free from this remains to be seen, otherwise somebody or some people must account for these. For these leaders, choosing to fight to the last breathe of their lives is worse than coming to terms with the reality, apologize to the people and allow them to learn from the mistakes as they choose a peaceful path for their country.

Finally, there is still time for both leaders to salvage South Sudan and themselves out of this quagmire.

1. Commit to serious political dialogue with the rebels and those detained persons for allegedly participating in destabilizing the country. Admitting faulty steps along the way and forming a broad-base inclusive government tasked with formulation of the permanent constitution, other reforms and elections amenities. This inclusive broad-base government should be regionally represented rather than tribally or party represented. By this I mean the 3 former regional provinces of South Sudan. Within the regional cohort there must be fair tribal balance.
2. As already called for by many (although I personally don’t subscribe to this), Kiir and Machar step aside and leave room for again broad-base interim government to take care of the country’s affairs. It would even make more sense if the Nuer and Dinka could accept to stay away from the presidency for the next 15-20 years. Leave the presidency to non Nuer or Dinka but serve other executive, legislative and judiciary capacities. We need genuine tangible reforms to avoid continuous deadly conflicts.

The Mighty G4 are Freed at Last!!!!!

By Mama Junub

Pagan Amum, former SG of the SPLM

NOW YOU CAN GO AND HANG OR FIRE SQUAQ AT YOUR OWN DICK INSTEAD: The Mighty G4 are freed at last.

The million dollar news was drop in a blink of an eye. After all the emotions from top to the bottom, it was the day some eagerly been waiting to see; some didn’t wish to live to see it. There was mix feelings all over the places.

But the feelings of shame and embarrassment were the saddest. Men in military uniform, youth in a plain shirt were calling for the death sentence of the G4 before the court trial. Some write terrible comments and some spoke nonsense to the media. At last there was absolutely nothing found for the G4 to be dismembered. They call for G4 death sentence. I call for them to hang their Dicks instead. The Mighty G4 are freed at last.

I remember the day when Mr DISHOUNARABLE minister of information rush to the media. His eyes were like a shape of a ball, childishly speaking about the coined up coup. Mr Dishonourable was in high emotion throwing words like filthy clothes. It was shocking to watch him on TV speaking with his thick Khartoum English.

All in vain, G4 are not going to be hang as he wished nor being sentenced to death as his supporters wish. What is next for them to call for? They can all go to hell or shut up now. The Mighty G4 are free at last!!

Mamajunub@ 2014.

EXPLAINING THE CORRECT LEGAL TERM FOR THE RELEASE OF FOUR DETAINEES

By Gordon Buay Malek

Dear all,

The release of Pagan Amum, Oyai Deng, Majak Agot and Lol Gatkuoth has been misunderstood by so many people. Some misundeertood what the prosecution did and concluded that “they were acquitted”. However,there is something you need to know when people talk about “acquitting”. The four detainees were NOT acquitted. That word is not applicable here because they were not released by the decision of the judge after the conclusion of the adversarial presentations.

I want to make it clear to the people of South Sudan that what happened, to use correct legal term, is that the charges are STAYED. This is different from WITHDRAW. I explain the difference between the two below.

In most legal jurisdictions, the decision of the prosecutor to STAY or WITHDRAW charges means the government discontinues the prosecution. In both situations, once your charges are withdrawn or stayed by the prosecution, you don’t have to go back to court. HOWEVER, there is one important difference between charges which are STAYED and charges which are WITHDRAWN.

Stayed charges can be BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE within one year of the day they are stayed. You should know that if you are charged with new offences during the one year period after you have had charges stayed, the stayed charges could be brought back and the prosecutor can prosecute you on those same charges again.

If charges are WITHDRAWN, the prosecution of those charges is FINISHED and those same charges can never be brought back.

Coming back to the case of the four criminals, their charges were STAYED because of peace and international pressure. If they join the rebellion of Riek Machar, their charges will be REACTIVATED and they will be tried in absentia and sentence to death if found guilty.

I hope my explanation is clear to you guys.

Gen. G.B.

————————-

By Vigilio Wani (In Response to Gordon Buay

Nobody knows what type of legal system Cde Buay is talking about sound like Banana Republic legal system. There is NO such thing in legal system as STAYED charges, but there is stay execution and a stay of proceedings in the court system and they are granted by a court not PROSECUTOR in civil court not in criminal court. A stay of execution postpones the enforcement of a judgment against a defendant who has lost a case. In other words, if the defendant wins money damages or some other form of relief, he may not collect the damages or receive the relief if the court issues a stay. For example if you are delinquent in your rant and landlord brought eviction notice against you, you can go to court and file MOTION to stay by law judge will grant you motion to stay at most three months. Every other civil judgment is stayed for ten days after it is rendered. An additional stay of execution lasts only for a limited period, but a court may grant a stay of execution in any case in which the court feels the stay is necessary to secure or protect the rights of the defendant. I had an internship with court in accounting department I know this stuff.

A second type is stay of proceedings basically is the stoppage of an entire case or a specific proceeding within a case. This type of stay is issued to postpone a case until a party complies with a court procedure. For example, if a party is required to deposit collateral with the court before a case begins, the court may order the proceedings stayed for a certain period of time or until the money or property is delivered to the court. Also, a court may stay a proceeding for a number of reasons. One common reason is that another action is under way that may affect the case or the rights of the parties in the case. For instance, assume that a defendant faces lawsuits from the same plaintiffs in two separate cases involving closely related facts kind like army’s length. Say one case is filed in South Sudan Supreme court, and the other case is filed in Kator (B-court) in Juba assumed CES established its own judicial system. In this situation one of the courts may issue a stay in deference to the other court. The stay enables the defendant to concentrate on one case at a time.

With regard to withdrawal however, a lawyer or prosecution can withdraw evidence from the court if she or he is facing difficulty in proving it due to lack or substantiations of evidence or when witness refused to appear in court in this situation the party can withdraw evidence per judge permission. Basically when defendant left court she or he can not be prosecuted again on same charges due to status of limitation which protect defendant from prosecution from same case in the future in event new evidence emerged.

As things stand now the four (4) detainees are free men now they are in their liberty to do whatever they want in their life like any citizen with full rights granted to them by constitution. Cde Buay should stop misleading public with convoluted legal lexicon in other countries he could be charge by harassment and civil disorder.

Stay blessed

Vigilio

James Hoth Maai Nguoth on SBS Dinka Radio

Coming up on SBS Dinka exclusive interview few hours after he was relieved as South Sudan Chief of General Staff

“I have done my part and I will support Malong. The President has right to relieve me because Salva believes on Unity of our people. I believe in peace and our people have fought for decades and we have lost more than 5 million people to get our freedom.  I will thanks and urge our people not to used my relieve as propaganda to continue this war. I am always calling for the unity of people for peace to prevail so that our people can live in harmony in their own country”. Former South Sudan Chief of General Staff James Hoth Mai Nguoth

Listen here:

http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/dinka/highlight/page/id/331660/t/President-of-South-Sudan-Salva-Kiir-Mayardit-relieved-Chief-of-General-Staff-General-James-Hoth-Mai-Nguoth/in/english

Call Me a Coward

By Heskey Dzeng

I moved all around Equatoria, Upper Nile and Bahr el Ghazal regions

Hunting down really [an] enemy but not brother and sister [s]

I seen scores of corpses a years ago

As some died on my hand and others at encounter field

So that is enough; my eyes is suit

I cannot take gun at more

———–

Just call me a coward

My friends, colleagues and relatives were killed just to liberated you and I

And they did it, their blood cemented this Country, yep we got freedom two years ago

Now, I do not have friend, colleague and relative [s] to be kill again for sake of money and leadership and corruption

And I do not want to aim my gun on them

Just call me coward

I am not coward, but cowardice for love of lives

Desire for peace and stability

I do not want to be murderer/killer

I want to die in peace like my late dad and mum

————

Just call me coward

I am big, brave, heavy weighed man with 120 kg, I can lug RPG, hefty artillery like twelve and Ak47 all at one on my shoulder

I can even wrestle down Michael Sean, world super-power wrestler within second

I cannot even talk about Majok Jokriir [Jonglei] and Jeda [Equatoria], famous giant wrestler in South Sudan

I can bring trophy to South Sudan

Not trophy of bloodshed but trophy of peace

———-

Just call me a coward

I will not put on woman’s cloth

But remain as M or what you think

I will take refuge with woman, my wife and children

Soon I will desert you to butcher your tomorrow brother

And my wife would not get annoy, although women harrying at me

Coz she is mother of nation, mother of peace, not mother of bloodshed like your wife

————-

You can call me coward or woman but she will call real man

Simply I fought for freedom and I have won it

I have humanity; I am not fiend and bloodthirsty

I do not want to renew my life/soul with innocent bloods like Macharist, Peter Gatdet Yaak and Kiirist and more otherists

———-

Just call me coward

Though you call me woman, coward, stupid man, hyena and mores as you wish

It cannot needle me to take arm but vigor

And I will laugh at you

I do not care

———-

Just call me a coward

And if you give me a gun by force

I can shot you first

Then burn it

I just want peace and co-existence

Just call me a coward

——-

Heskey Dzeng @2014