Culture of Revenge Destroys: A Call for Political Tolerance across South Sudan

By Mayak Deng Aruei, California, USA

May peace and reconciliation prevail in South Sudan!!

Friday, May 18, 2018 (PW) — “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy” Martin Luther King proclaimed. Having just concluded the SPLM/SPLA’s historic Day-May 16, I would like to encourage South Sudanese to reconnect with their past, recall the many wars they fought against the colonial powers, and against the successive Sudanese governments. The quest for independent South Sudan dated back to 1947, but the liberation struggle that started in 1983 gave birth to the nation called South Sudan. Freedom as it was the basis for five decades struggle cannot be realized until peace is every citizen’s Motto.

For record, war destroys good conscience, bankrupt countries, and corrupts the intelligentsias. In South Sudan, culture of revenge, vicious cycles of violence and cattle-rustling have contributed to political intolerance across the country. The nation’s founding principles have been suppressed; freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, justice and equality. Fear of unknowns, aided by deliberate obstruction of democratic governance has undermined South Sudanese collective efforts. Take your time and read the article in its entirety.  

The Toxic Politics of Ethnicity and Factionalism in South Sudan

By Mayak Deng Aruei, California, USA

July 17, 2017 (SSB) — Much of all that make nations great elsewhere appear gloomy in South Sudan. The very people who supposedly occupied the prestigious place in the history of the Republic of South Sudan have lost it all. The battle of what some writers afar called “contested legacy” of the independent South Sudan have been buried alongside those hurried away by conditions of arms struggle.

The foot soldiers who sacrificed their lives and treasures will remain as the Icons of the sovereign South Sudan for dignity and the pride of the people who saw no future in living as “second class” in their ancestral land. The celebration for the 6th anniversary was partially marred by the deteriorating security situation in the country as well as humanitarian crisis from the continuing power struggle within the ranks and files of the SPLM-in-Opposition.

As the country of South Sudan tear itself apart with the political double edged sword, the masses are left with only memories of the martyrs and old messages of the liberation struggle. It’s on this special note that South Sudan still live in citizens’ hearts and minds.

What are the implications for the sacking of Gen. Paul Malong Awan?

The End of Bullying, Harassment and Humiliation: The Sacking of Gen. Paul Malong Awan has changed the meaning of Mutiny and Rebellion in South Sudan

By Mayak Deng Aruei, California, USA

Generals Pieng Deng Majok, Paul Malong Awan and Malual Ayom Dor at the Bor Airport during the second liberation of Bor, 2014

May 14, 2017 (SSB) — At a very young age, children are told to remember the Golden Rule: “Treat others how you want to be treated.” The headlines for the news outlets in South Sudan, and in the Region of East Africa was about the sacking of the SPLA (South Sudan) Army Chief of the General Staff. For a country that celebrates nothing other than big names, the firing of General Paul Malong Awan caught millions South Sudanese by surprise.

The actual facts as to what transpired on May 9, 2017 can be traced to fundamental of security in the country. Adding to the fading trust among the high-ranking members of the SPLM & the SPLA, the 32 federal states are proving something else. It was a rumor until General Paul Malong Awan was relieved, his well guarded place couldn’t be infiltrated, all attempts thwarted and “he ran away to Yirol before handing over the office to the incoming Chief of the General Staff” according to the President.