Will the Revitalization Forum Salvage the Situation in South Sudan? – Part 1

Would the Addis Ababa Revitalisation High-Level Forum Meeting Provide Tangible Outcome?

By Hon Arop Madut Arop, Nairobi, Kenya

A young South Sudanese girl poses with the flag of South Sudan

December 18, 2017 (SSB) — This week, all eyes are turned to Addis Ababa as representatives of the international community, regional, continental bodies and South Sudan representatives of various stakeholders are converging in Addis Ababa, Ethiopian in the effort to revitalize the Agreement for the Resolution for the Conflict in South Sudan. It is expected that how to silence the guns and move the war-ridden nation forward toward sustainable peace, will top the agenda of priorities of the Forum dubbed HLRF.

As usual, opinion is divided among South Sudanese populace. There are Pessimists on the one hand who believe that what is taking place in Addis Ababa is just a public relation exercise and they give reasons. One of the reasons they give is that regional interest may hamper unanimity among the regional bloc. The optimists, on the other hand, are of the opinion that given the international community involvement and the hardships the people of South Sudan are experiencing; both the conveners of the Forum and South Sudanese stakeholders may find it expedient to re-adjust the August 2015 agreement and implement it. As a long time keen observers of South Sudan politics, I thought it necessary to examine and float some ideas that may guide the Forum through thin and thick.

If the members attending the High-Level Revitalisation Forum (HLRF), in its current endeavors, were to succeed to persuade the warring parties to agree for the secession of hostilities, the next move would be how to finally silence the guns by the declaration of the permanent ceasefire. The Forum will then move forward and design the type of transitional arrangement that will manage the affairs of the state throughout the timelines set, which is already laid down by the HLRF, in its recent press release. Hopefully, the silencing of guns is expected to set the ball running for the execution of what would move the country toward sustainable peace and the installation of a credible democratic government that would steer the ship of state safely ashore against the inherent storms ahead.

Prospective CHANGE AND INTRIGUES in the Republic of South Sudan

By Junior William Deng, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Anyanya one freedom fighters

December 18, 2017 (SSB) — It’s normal that change occurs in any institution of governance, it’s the only and positive way for goal appraisal. Leaders are changed and given new roles whether familiar or unfamiliar with their new assignments. This creates innovative spirit and competition for greater output. Management theory tells us that change has two parts:

1. Evolutionary change. It is sometimes called transformative change, it tells us that change takes place at slow pace particularly in parts of the institution in question. It’s slow with itching effects but because evolutionary change takes place in an established system where all parts, customs, rules and regulations, law, and resources have been stable and effective but were not efficient to meet the requirement for the rapidly changing management system in the world.

From Cairo to Entebbe: Will this be the final round of the SPLM Re-unification process?

SPLM-IO (Riek) agrees to participate in the IGAD-led High-Level Revitalization Forum

Nuer community in the Diaspora criticize Riek Machar for “grooming” Angelina Teny

Pan-Africanism: The Quest to Know Our Place in Human History (Part 1)

By Thiik Mou Giir, Melbourne, Australia

 

December 18, 2017 (SSB) — Without understanding our past very well, without acquiring adequate knowledge of our own history and, without sufficient attempt to see the world from our own perspective, the best visions and the best ideologies, Constructing Our New Identity (CONI) being one of them, will be doomed to suffer the same fate of frustration that met the visions and the ideologies that came before them.  As the result, we will continue to depend on other people for our survival and we will continue to see the world from another people’s perspective.

What could have happened to people, like us, who seems to be depending on other people?  The glaring answer is that they could have been brainwashed and they could have been lied to and for so long.  What, then, is the status of people who are like that?  They are simply a mentally enslaved people.  They are people to be taken advantage of, people to be exploited.  They walk around in the midst of other people thinking that they are free, but they are not.  They are among slaves of 21^st century in Africa and everywhere else.

Gogrial State Youth Union in Juba Elect a New Youth Leader

Press statement: Gogrial State Youth Union in Juba Elect a New Youth Leader 

December 18, 2017 (SSB) — On the 17th December, 2017, the youth of Gogrial State in Juba conducted their election at Nyakuron Cultural Centre to elect their new leader after the steering committee headed by Simon Machuar resigned with all their members, the elections was attended by the Community elders and a thousand of Youth from Gogrial residing in Juba to votes for their leaders. The election was contested by the two candidates William Wol Mayuol and Achuek Mabior Achuil.

The two candidates were call upon by the electoral committee to presents their manifestoes to the General Assembly and after that the electoral committee declared the polling open and 554 voters voted. The votes were counted by the electoral committee in the presence of the elders and state Government representatives plus the Agents and the score was as followed:

South Sudan: Who Is A Bad Leader?

By Daniel Juol Nhomngek, Kampala, Uganda

KiiRiek

December 18, 2017 (SSB) — It has been a while since I wrote about the relationship between leadership and politics. To begin with, I must make general statement that all leaders are politicians but not all politicians are leaders. It is this fact that I am able to conclusion that leadership and politics are so interconnected or intertwined that any person who purports to have interest in politics but ignores the aspect of how leadership and politics relate is like being on a wild goose chase since he or she is not able to understand what makes a good leader.

The relationship between leadership and politics is that politics is used a ladder by the leader to climb to the realm of leadership. Therefore, one cannot talk of leadership without thinking about politics. However, the difference between politics and leadership is that politics is just a game played by leaders to push their agenda through while leadership is the truth behind politics that people voted for.

Could the Lord baptize South Sudan’s economic saboteurs comes 2018?

By Awuol Gabriel Arok, Juba, South Sudan

December 18, 2017 (SSB) — South Sudan’s economic has been torn down by the conflict that began four years ago in Juba, currencies dealers and their associates had put their big mouths deep into the country monetary pot and have gulp down as much as they can and as of today the country is left with wider economic gap, as they were busy erecting up umbrellas of victimization under the intensive heat of Juba City, our once valuable currency terribly got soaked in the exchanging hands of crafty umbrella boys.

After an abuse and exploitation of the country currency by the outlawed money dealers, the currency has disappeared into unknown crack hole through the black money pot of the infamous Currencies dealers.

Without being spared by their careless dealing the umbrella boys are becoming the sacrificial lambs of their own blooper. Though majority of the Umbrella boys have never attended formal education, their practical knowledge about petro-dollar and how fuel can be converted into dollar have propelled them to change gear of their trade and have shifted their business to Roadside Bottle Petrol Stations along the major roadsides in Juba and other big cities of South Sudan.

Juba Critique of the Pre-Forum Report on the High-Level Revitalization Forum

THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH SUDAN, MINISTRY OF CABINET AFFAIRS

The Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU)

Office of the Minister (17^th December, 2017)

December 18, 2017 (SSB) —- This is the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU) Critique of the Pre-Forum Report on the Conduct of the High-Level Revitalization Forum for the Parties to the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (ARCSS), IGAD Council of Ministers, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 17^th December, 2017.

The Preamble

The TGoNU takes the opportunity of this 59^th Extra-Ordinary IGAD Council of Ministers meeting of the 17^th December 2017, to register its sincere appreciation to the IGAD Heads of State and Government for their concern and commitment to restore peace, harmony and socio-economic prosperity to the people of South Sudan.

The decision of the IGAD Heads of State and Government proves that the implementation of the ARCSS is in progress, contrary to the conclusion of some stakeholders as came in paragraph 107 of IGAD Special Envoy’s Report on page 28 that ‘the ARCSS failed because of lack of compliance/enforcement and accountability mechanisms. Shortcomings in the timely implementation of the ARCSS are in the main due to lack of funding.

REVISITING THE MEANING OF THE ANYA-NYA MOVEMENT

By Mangar Amerdid, Juba, South Sudan

The Anyanya One freedom fighters

December 18, 2017 (SSB) — One of the first manifestos issued by the Anya-Nya in 1963 read as follows: “Our patience has now come to an end and we are convinced that only the use of force will bring a decision…From today onwards, we shall take action…for better, for worse…we do not want mercy and we are not prepared to give it.”

In order to fully understand the movement, it is pertinent to know how and what the connotation, Anya-Nya stands for; according to Joseph Oduho, the name Anya-Nya was adopted at a meeting he convened in September 1963. Fr. Saturnino had earlier suggested ‘Pan-African Freedom Fighters’, but endorsed the new name when it was conveyed to him in the bush. The origin of the name is as follows.

In the 1930’s, there occurred in Madi County a very serious outbreak of poisoning by Madi witches. The poison was made from snakes and rotten beans, and was given the Madi name ‘Inya-Nya’, which was corrupted to Anya-Nya in the Lotuko language.

IGAD Communique on the High-Level Revitalization Forum