South Sudan: Don’t Tribalize Everything

By Nhial Bol Aken, Juba, South Sudan

Nhial Bol Aken is the former Chief Editor of the Juba-based Citizen Newspaper

August 3, 2017 (SSB) — When I cautioned fellow citizens not to waste their time on tribal politics it is because all our 64 tribes that formed this nation are victims of the current situation. I wrote this article, the story of “domesticated monkey” in good faith and not in support of any group.

The argument is simple, we are victims but for some reasons of misinterpretation in the usual way of ethnicizing my argument, the choice of getting our country out of the current crisis is in our hands. IGAD or western countries will not provide any solution to the crisis we are in.

The fact of the matter is that we are divided and atrocities of 2013 and 2016 justified these divisions among our communities but the question is how do we get out from these divisions? Will the solution come from the mediators or we can craft our homemade initiated solution?

SPLA to SSPDF: What does the changing of the SPLA name mean?

By Philip Thon Aleu, Juba, South Sudan

August 3, 2017 (SSB) — Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) has to be called South Sudan People’s Defence Force (SSPDF) according to the Command Council. This is the first time the South Sudanese army will be reflecting the name of the world youngest nation. There is the mixed reaction from devoted supporters and members of the SPLA – a name synonymous with the liberation of South Sudan.

To proponents of the SSPDF as a name for the national army, this was long overdue. Some members of the society think otherwise, claiming the decision is wrong and will erase the historical name of the liberation army.

But given that Sudan, the northern neighboring country to South Sudan, is fighting insurgents called SPLM/SPLA-North, maintaining SPLA as the official name of our army was diplomatically insensitive in my view. We are a country and ought to put South Sudan First! Since 2005, a lot of militia have been integrated into the SPLA – proper and many things have happened.

LOCKED IN THIS ROOM, WE ARE NOT FULLY FREE

By Thiik Mou Giir, Melbourne, Australia       

Thiik Mou Giir 

 

August 3, 2017 (SSB) — I have been told, again and again, that all South Sudanese, wherever they are, will continue to be divided along their tribal lines and their political entities as long as those who caused these divisions are still in power in Juba.  They have also pointed out to me that the only way for my vision to be realized and to be accepted is when those in power are removed.

“Tackle the problem from its roots,” they said.  The implication of this statement is that those in power in Juba are the ones who are guilty of causing the communal fragmentations everywhere.  I do not quite agree with this allegation.  The root cause of the problem, the problem that has divided our communities, stem from the hidden and open activities of all parties who are involved in the armed conflict.

No single group of people, who have taken up arms and fought this far, could have possibly maintained their innocence.  All armed forces to the conflict, the government and the armed opposition forces, and those who support them, whether they accept or deny the blame, have wrecked South Sudan and the communities within South Sudan and in Diaspora.

Juba—Nimule road killing: Is peace accord a fake one?

By Philip Thon Aleu, Juba, South Sudan

A bus ambush along the Juba-Nimule Highway on August 2nd in which five died and 13 more wounded

August 3, 2017 (SSB) — In 2014, when I relocated from Nimule to Juba to look for job – but had my family in Nimule, I was a frequent traveler on our country’s only paved road. Today, I rarely visit Nimule these days because the route is almost a death trap.

This leads me to question the recent pronouncement on SSBC-TV of a peace accord with rebel leaders who claim responsibility for attacks on Nimule—Juba road. Was it a fake deal?

I wasn’t, however, convinced that a peace agreement can be negotiated in hotels without involving the foot soldiers and be very effective. The rebel generals – now part of the SPLM-IO in Juba, never went back to their comrades in the bushes to inform them about the agreement.

What I saw on SSBC-TV was them being decorated and promoted to ‘generals.’ I never saw their visit to their soldiers in the bushes.

The Bankruptcy of Oil Finance in the Republic of South Sudan

By Khurthii Manyuat, Beijing, China

    

August 3, 2017 (SSB) — The political and military system in the Republic of South Sudan are based and totally depends on oil revenues which mean the decline of oil revenues is directly responsible for the financial crisis that threatens the functioning of such an expensive system.

The financial crisis has created a large number of arrears of wages for soldiers and other arms of government institutions. Because of the financial crisis, the government has failed to perform on the incorporations of the rebels and the government’s commitment to reconciling many arms groups’ mutinies.

After the death of founding the father of South Sudan, many rebels emerged and got adopted to be a bribe to peace and reconciliation. Therefore with current financial situations, the government is handicapped and unable to substitute the rebel-bribes equation. The financial crisis to which its monoxide is being smoked by south Sudanese resulted from the decline of oil production.