Thomas Hushek: President Trump appoints new U.S. Ambassador for South Sudan

Biography of the Incoming U.S. Ambassador to South Sudan, Mr. Thomas Hushek

New US Ambassador to South Sudan, Ambassador Thomas Hushek

August 4, 2017 (SSB) — Thomas Hushek serves as the Acting Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO).A career Foreign Service Officer, Mr. Hushek most recently served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Mission to the International Organizations in Vienna from 2013-2015.

He also served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassies in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, (2006-08) and Kolonia, Micronesia (2002-04).

He has had several assignments in or focused on Afghanistan, as the Director for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement in Kabul (2012-2013), the Senior Civilian Representative at the Herat Provincial Reconstruction Team and Regional Command West (2004-05), and as Afghan Refugee Coordinator in Islamabad and Kabul (1999-2002).

Mr. Hushek’s early diplomatic postings included Khartoum and Moscow.At the Department of State in Washington, Mr. Hushek has served as Director for Europe, Central Asia, and the Americas in the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (2010-12) and Director for Central Asia in the Bureau for South and Central Asian Affairs (2008-10).

He also served as Afghanistan/Pakistan desk officer (1997-99). Other Washington assignments include the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.

Mr. Hushek has degrees from the University of Wisconsin and Columbia University. He is a native of Wisconsin.

Does President Salva Kiir find Dr. Majak Agoot Atem suitable for the presidency?

By Deng Kur Deng, Pennsylvania, USA

Deng Kur Deng, AKA, Raanmangar, lives in Pittsburgh, PA, United States

August 4, 2017 (SSB) — As you look into our problems in South Sudan—you must be prepared to understand the complexities that come with these problems. Paying attention to one problem at a time has its dreadful consequences as a number of individuals who are willing to change patterns of violence within the country for better remain unrecognizable in our political system. This means there is plenty of room for more suffering of the people when we allow good citizens and leaders of our time to mold with knowledge and strategies to solve our problems.

In fact, these are many of the reasons why South Sudan is overwhelmed and slow at addressing nascent problems as they rise because rooms are left unattended for more suffering due to those who were cast aside for the wrong reasons. There have been fallacious arguments assembled regarding renowned politicians of our time, but we are doubly aware of some of these arguments are factually inaccurate.

Now, to answer the question of whether President Salva Kiir finds Majak Agoot suitable and qualified for the presidency, of course, the President is aware of how well equipped Majak is to rescue the country based on both his backgrounds in the SPLM/A and his understanding of our current social issues.

The next question should be, why do President ignore Majak from succeeding him when he knows Majak is the best option so far within the perimeter of the SPLM/A? I will leave this question here for the President and you to reevaluate with the country’s current political situation in mind.

Possible rewards of blindness and curiosity among the people of South Sudan

By Awuol Gabriel Arok, Juba, South Sudan

August 4, 2017 (SSB) — ‘‘Until we are able to identify our crops by their flowers we will be having problems of identifying our food crops.’’ It is a sightless pride and an open curse to identify ourselves in the far background of our bodily marks, environmental and genetically appearances.

It never cost anything regrettable to just give two words of ‘’thank you’’ as an appreciation for work of humanity, giving consent and suggestion where they fit is the unique character of mankind, human beings are simply human because of undisputed universal flesh, bones, and blood, only physical look that sometimes  bury the three and very important parts of human.

People of South Sudan have to accept themselves as just people of the Republic of South Sudan than to be loyalists of tribes, regions, government, FDs, IO-Juba, IO-Pagak or any other rebels groups in the bush and elsewhere.

South Sudan’s interest is above anyone’s interest

By Kuol Alberto Makuach, Juba, South Sudan

August 4, 2017 (SSB) — South Sudanese have wide-ranging experiences. Due to the long war, a lot of things happened to the South Sudanese and these mottled involvements have some bearings on the current problems. Among the South Sudanese are those who went to the refugee camps and some possibly managed to get resettled abroad for example, to the USA, Canada, and Australia.

There is another group that remained in the country but within the liberated areas. This group feels closely associated with the liberation movement and finally, the other group was within the country but in places that were under the control of the government. Here, we are talking of those who remained in Wau, Aweil, Juba, Malakal and northern, central and western towns of Sudan.

The majority of these factions managed to return and converge in the country after the declaration that the war was over in 2005. South Sudanese truly loved their country that is why some left very luxurious life abroad and decided to come back home to support the nation building exercise.

Believe me, the race is heating up

Riak Marial Riak, Juba, South Sudan

August 4, 2017 (SSB) — Still I could sense that, this is depletion, hunger had caused many people to beg in the wake of sunlight, (fear and stability are brothers). I could see the rabble, a crowd of our men holding guns and attacking their mothers and their fathers Emmy and what is left of me than to numb, Robert concentrated.

As the rising sun stood out of the Neem trees in the sun city our faces glowed and penetrate through the dark walls to the inside of the snowy streets, we moved, jumped and seeing little children clapping and dancing to the sounds of gunshots and still, our ears did not abandon the weeping drums and the flutes.

The siren and night coming with the wind flaked us down and we also became snow, snow white or snow black was not our major goal to know but to move blindly in the wood touching hands and slapping the beaks and the feathers of birds and crying owls, going up the mountain to sing to the dancing igloos and clap to the jumping ibex, far there the sun comes and Imatong stood between the two proud lighters of the earth, the sun, and the moon. Should we go?

Gen. Lual Maroldit Deserve our Appreciation for Changing Tiger Division

By David Deng Chapath, Kampala, Uganda

fighting in juba, 2013, 2016

August 4, 2017 (SSB) —- The Tiger Division is the branch of the SPLA forces responsible for the protection and security of the President of South Sudan. This division is found in Juba where the president is. Since the creation of the Tiger Division, it has been in crisis due to corruption caused by mismanagement.

The mismanagement was not caused by the previous generals in charge of this division but due to internal infrastructural problems facilitated by mismanagement.

 The said mismanagement continued until May 2017 when General Lual Maroldit was appointed to head the Tiger Division. As I discussed in my previous article on the same topic, when he was appointed and given authority to lead Tiger Division, the first discovery he made was that there were many ghost names in the payroll.

Appeal by Gen. Paul Malong’s wife: Release my husband to seek medical attention

Open letter to the President of the Republic of South Sudan, H.E Salva Kiir: Appeal by Gen. Paul Malong’s Wife for her Husband Release for Medical Attention 

By Lucy Ayak Malek, Nairobi, Kenya

President Salva Kiir, Governor Paul Malong Awan (Blue suit) and Cabinet Affairs Minister Martin Lomuro (black suit) during the public rally in Aweil, NBeG

August 4, 2017 (SSB) — Mr. President, with humility and respect, receive my kind greetings. My name is Lucy Ayak, wife of your long time friend, comrade and commander; Gen. Paul Malong Awan, the former Chief of General staff of the SPLA. I find myself having no option rather than to use this forum to address you as my last resort since all other attempts to communicate with you have been circumstantially rendered futile.

As you well know Mr. President, a young country like ours, born out of a protracted struggle, many people (sometimes entire families and clans) have had to sacrifice their brothers and sisters for the cause of liberation. Many of your comrades who started the struggle with you are no more, but the Country will forever be grateful for their sacrifices.

As a wife of Gen. Paul Malong, along with his entire family, the situation we find ourselves in currently is purely precarious. I well understand that the struggle for liberation required the manpower to operate it, and to that end, I am a proud wife of one of our Country’s most decorated serviceman under your command and administration.

And to that far, I consider myself lucky since many in my shoes have been widowed and their children orphaned by the brutal war that has claimed the lives of their husbands/fathers (your fallen comrades).

NAS Press Release on SPLM-IO attack of forces under Lt. Gen. Kenyi LoBuron

NAS Press Release on SPLM IO attack on the forces under Lt Gen Kenyi LoBuron (PDF)