How Dr. Riek’s two atrocious massacres of 1991 and 2013 help shaped the past, present and future of the Republic of South Sudan.
6 min readBy Mama Junub, Juba South Sudan
In the year 1991, an estimated number of one million people were killed. The three counties of Duk, Twic East and Bor were severely affected. Reportedly, women, elderly and children were brutally and systematically killed by Nuer armed men loyal to Dr. Riek Machar. The massacre of Civilians in the above mentioned three counties is said to have been politically motivated by Riek’s divergences with Dr. John Garang; a man from Twic East County and at a time a leader of the Sudan People Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A). With limited information documented, the 1991 Massacre of Duk, Twic East and Bor counties is seen, contended and referred to by, intellectuals, elders and members of the three counties as the worse killings of civilians in the history of the Republic of South Sudan. Yet the mass displacement of civilians from rural to urban areas that had happened at a time exposes not only the dark side of the massacre but also significant and positive scar, that have helped in shaping the current and possibly the future of South Sudan.
Despite thousands of written human rights documentations and media reports, international and national observers tried to scrutinise the cause of the two massacres and non-stoppable divergent views within the previous Bush-SPLM and the current one. However none of the warring group should it be on rebel side or government has decent answers to most basic question such as why did tens of thousands of citizens join hand with Dr Riek Machar; the rebel leader to kill their fellow citizens, in 1991 and why did Gel-Weng cautiously name as Tiger joined hands with government troops to kill their fellow Citizens, the Nuers. Though such questions will forever and for a while remained unanswered, the memories of the atrocities committed by both sides will not only enlighten the difficulties, suffering and losses faced by both sides, but also ‘natural and unnatural significance changes’ that have occurred in the state’s social, economic, and political institution just after 1991 massacre.
South Sudan Social Reform in Post 1991 Era
The 1991 massacre has helped socio-culturally reform South Sudan especially among Dinkas and Nuers. Given the fact that the two communities were more culturally devoted to their traditional way of lives such as cattle rearing for men and young boys and women with housework and gardening for both men and women, major cultural developments are seen improving.
First, children are being able to go to school,.
Secondly, women are making “history with their newly vital role in politics and civil society and are no longer confined to positions of influence at home”
These cultural improvements come following the 1991 Massacre when Dinkas and Nuers were force from rural areas to the secured places such as camps and towns which enhanced their chances of going to school and be educated.
One may disagree that before the 1991 massacre there were intellectuals among South Sudanese communities especially Nuers and Dinkas. However, education at a time was not taken as basic needs for social, cultural and economic development especially in villages where the massacre took place. Families who managed to send their children to school were either from town or those who have their relatives in town. Education was not expanded to rural area so was the development. It was post 1991 era when Nuers and Dinkas scattered to all over the places in neighbourhood countries looking for affordable live when they begin to grasp education as necessary for their children and a primary basic needs for child development.
Understanding “how and why such a transformation occurred offers not just an opportunity to celebrate” social transformation following 1991 Massacre among Dinkas and Nuers but an insight of how our traditional way of lives has downplayed development in rural areas. If the current white army and Gelweng were educated at early age and taught how to individually live in harmony with each other with acceptance of differences and diversity, South Sudan would have been a better place a decade ago.
Looking back beforehand, majority of South Sudan tribes had “traditionally drawn distinctions among themselves based on socioeconomic status and occupation”, but the 1991 Massacre forces both communities to “treat, their differences as immutable ethnic characteristics and issued national identification accordingly”. A death-defying intention between Nuers and Dinkas was polish by their search of common interest: food and security which join them in one place called refugee Camp with one food Distribution centre, same primary and secondary schools for their kids and one food supplier, the United Nation. While desperately searching ‘for a more secure place in their adopted home’ men and women from Dinka and Nuer tribes found one common identity and spirit of brother- and sisterhood. Many young people who previously find their way from Refugees camp to places like Australia and America join hand in exile and participate in the development of one South Sudan nation either by returning home and work for government or help send their children, brothers, sisters and nieces to better schools.
Political Reform
Unlike 1991 killings, December 15 incident was a ‘process carried out by special units in the government between two tribes namely; Nuer and Dinka. However the conflict has shifted gears again on Riek’s side as leader of the rebellion. The question is: will this rebellion have significant effect on the republic of South Sudan just like the 1991 massacre? Socially, it can be argued that the 1991 massacre have already taught Nuer and Dinka tribes from rural areas how to live in culturally-diverse environment, the important of education and most importantly it has interrupt the negative sequence of traditional and cultural beliefs against women. Conceivably, South Sudan population is modernised; learning new ways of life that helps them stay updated in the contemporary modern society. Boys and girls are educated and well-informed to the level that one can help the whole nation.
Nevertheless, radical transformation of the political system is needed. Just like the 1991 massacre, it can be argued that the 2013-2014 Riek’s rebellion will have a slight positive effect on South Sudan political system. Priority to the 2010 election, South Sudan has been hit with allegation of corruption, nepotism and oppression of minority group. Some minority groups such as Equatorians are underrepresented in national government. This has instigated political turmoil and tension between minority and majority groups which give rises to the launch of David Yau Yau rebellion in Jonglei state. In addition, the Nuer tribe as the second largest group is situated by the same perception in a position in which some of them perceives national government as “Dinka Government” while other Dinkas are also grouching about the same glitches. For these reasons, December 15 incident that give rise to the birth of Riek’s 2013-2014 rebellion is forecasts to shape South Sudan’s political system either by good or bad cause.
The good cause is that the upcoming and future presidents of the state will cautiously use these past and present experiences to create strong inclusive government that will improve political diversity between the two and other tribes should it be on state or national level through federal system which give state powers and the central government with legislations as they previously discuss in the recent Addis Ababa peace talk and social media or by creating interim government that will give chance to other minority groups to be part of the government. In summary just like 1991 massacre, December 15 is predicted to engineer some significant political reform within the SPLM party that were repeatedly resist by Kiir’s Government and has been the centre of all political chaos in the history of South Sudan.
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