Why Riek Must Stop Building His Presidential Palace using Nuer Bones
6 min readBy Thomas G. Ngundeng, East Africa
April 22, 2015 (SSB) —- First of all, I must make it clear from the onset that I don’t support Salva Kiir’s government and I strongly believe that there is a strong ground that Kiir must go to the ICC to answer charges for orchestrating the killing of tens of thousands of innocent Nuer in Juba in December 2013, some of whom were my very close nephews and cousins. I will offer to testify when that time comes for Kiir’s trial that my slaughtered relatives were neither soldiers nor politicians but just innocent people who decided to go to Juba for better life. I was sick to my stomach when the killing started in Juba. I was in Kenya at the time, but all the same, I am sure that thousands of Nuer were killed in Juba, and that was the reason given by Riek Machar for starting an all-out war against Kiir and whoever supports him.
Now, while a short-term resistance could have been the solution, so long as it would stop Kiir from continuing his onslaught and expose his crimes against humanity to the whole world, a long-term protracted civil war would surely create a new dynamic of animosity between our innocent people way beyond what Kiir did. Moreover, it will be more undesirable when those who are going to suffer most are the same victims for whom the war is ostensibly fought. Thus, whoever is expected to compromise most in this case should be the one whose people are now in fire.
Given the argument above, Riek’s taking our people (the Nuer) from the frying pan to fire was not only because Riek was sincere about his outrage against the killing (that could be one of the reasons since no honest person accepted that including Dinka generals who testified against Kiir), but also because he’d seen that as a window of opportunity to topple the government using the already angry Nuer who would install him as a savior President. Once he has failed to do so in the short run, then doing so through a protracted war is not only unjustified, but selfish.
How many thousand Nuers have died because of the fact that the fighting is in our region? How many more thousand kids are going to die if Riek did not conquer Juba in the coming three or four months? This is my only reason for refusing to join Riek’s rebellion, but side with the innocent Nuer who are in IDP camps all over the country. I want us to prioritize the welfare of these innocent people who did not benefit from Riek when he was VP and will surely not benefit when he is VP again or Prime Minister. I know how they are suffering and fed up with the war (whether it is just or unjust is another topic).
Riek’s insistence on being the VP or Premier is stronger than his insistence on referring the case to the ICC. Riek should nominate someone like Taban Deng who is equally capable for the position of VP or Premier rather than himself if he is really sincere in claiming that he is fighting for the country, not himself. He wants to have MPs in State Parliaments all over the country, even where he is not popular. I would understand if Riek insisted that SPLM-IO is given 50% in Greater Upper Nile, but even in Warrap, Lakes, and Northern BeG?
All the other claims, Federalism, Debt, etc. are not of any importance to the Nuer victims whose future is being destroyed. They are political demands that might not find true implementation even if included in a final agreement. Where will South Sudan, a country of over 85% illiterate and %10 semi-illiterate Ministers and senior civil servants, get the qualified manpower to run the 20+ Federal States proposed by Riek, when we cannot even manage 10 states. We cannot even find enough qualified manpower for our pathetic bicameral Parliament in Juba, let alone those at state levels. Moreover, the fact that we could not build roads, hydro-power dams, schools, universities, and hospitals relates to our unnecessarily huge government and army payrolls- how much more are we going to lose if we create 20 states to be run by village folks who do not understand the art of statecraft.
All in all, if Riek is really a sincere Nuer and South Sudanese who have the interest of his people at heart, he should drop unrealistic demands, nominate Taban for VP, and work for the resettlement of Nuer IDP in Bentiu, Malakal, Juba, and the rest of the country. He should devote the rest of his life for the cause of taking Kiir to the ICC, reconciliation between the Nuer and Dinka who are just being used as fire wood by him and Kiir for cooking their presidential meals. He should rise above personal ambition in the interest of South Sudan. I am sure if he becomes wise enough and does that, the entire country will receive him at the airport as a hero and true savior.
The people of South Sudan are all fed up with Kiir (in fact with all of you), but we will accept peace even if Kiir (or any of you devils) is there, since the other alternative would be this chaos and wanton killings and raping of all tribes, in particular innocent women and children from Nuer, Dinka, and Shiluk. Let Kiir’s conscience and the ICC deal with him in the future, while our kids are going to school. Please, please, please, let our children go to school again. Their future is neither in your hands, nor Kiir’s, nor Pagan’s, Nor Nyandeng’s, nor Deng Alor’s, for you have all had the chance with over 30 billion USD (billion with a B) which you collectively squandered in less than a decade. This is what constitutes an even greater crime against humanity and the people of South Sudan for which they will never forgive all of you, so called revolutionaries. You should not be the same people who senselessly take the country from the frying pan to fire.
Even if the war has devastated our country, there is hope that its social fabric could be restored. Having been to Greater Bahr el Ghazal with a humanitarian NGO to deliver relief items to our Nuer IDPs in those areas, my heart was filled with sorrow at their sight, but I have seen hope in that our Dinka cousins who are not part of Kiir’s great conspiracy have provided them with a land and received them with hospitality. This picture made me think of writing this letter to Riek in particular (and Kiir, Pagan, etc in general) that do not create animosity when our common people at the village level want to leave together in peace. You fighting over power must STOP now.
Thomas G. Ngundeng is a humanitarian worker based in East Africa; He could be reached at Ngundeng3@yahoo.com
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