Peace and Reconciliation in South Sudan: Do Not Blackmail the President
6 min readBy Mayak Deng Aruei, USA
August 31, 2015 (SSB) —- The very moment President Salva Kiir signed the Peace Deal, those who appeared bitter should have taken chill-pills, relaxed and be thoughtful. There are outstanding issues that need citizens’ cooperation, efforts and well structured inputs to make the signed Document fruitful. All must know that signing the peace is one thing, but implementing what the warring factions have agreed upon and undersigned is another. Unlike previous peace Agreements/Amnesties that the Government of South Sudan had entered into with various rebels, the one at hand is very challenging, and will define whether South Sudanese are able to put their differences aside, have the will to live as one people, tribes side by side and live in harmony as God has put them in the LAND of SOUTH SUDAN. As the last weekend of August-2015 scaled down, South Sudanese made crucial contacts: some convened gatherings in East African nations and celebrities attended rally in the United States. Those are good gestures toward settling the senseless war. The peace as its meaning tells us is beneficial to all, and there should be nobody against the peace for the heck of protecting one’s job or position in the Government.
First and foremost, South Sudanese must reach out to our most venerable leaders who have made themselves vulnerable to gossips and tribal based hatreds (Councils of Elders on both sides of the political divide). It is of a great concern that South Sudan’s intellectuals around the world, and those in South Sudan put the interest of the nation above everything. Looking back to the last 10-years of the semi-autonomous Government, not much was done in term of creating a conducive social and political environment in the country. Instead, South Sudanese prepared themselves to destroy lives and properties. In these tough times, let’s find peace in our hearts and denounce violence in its entirety. We know that South Sudan as a nation is suffering from systemic failure, and the only medication for such paralysis is us, and us alone. It is too late for us to blame the dark-hearted who ransacked our country, exposed us to horrors, and through their political miscalculations.
At the present time, the whole situation is still very smoky and murky, but things will settle and citizens will realize the importance of coexistence. There are clear signs that both the President & the Rebels’ leader are willing to make peace a priority. The comprehensive cessation of hostilities documents that the two leaders have drafted, signed and sent out for circulations signaled their genuine intention to be abided by the terms and conditions of the CPA II. Taking the Document in face value, all speculations, and rumors about the two armies attacking their positions ought to be ignored, and citizens should call upon commanders on both sides of the conflict to stop the war immediately.
It was so heartbreaking to have witnessed South Sudan tearing itself apart over top governments’ positions, intellectuals instantly took sides, and followed their tribesmen on a journey to nowhere. Those who begged leaders to sign the peace, and those who prayed for South Sudanese to find peace in their hearts, it is your turn to encourage citizens to contribute to their nation-building. It was work of Devils or should be considered as work of evil spirits that led South Sudanese to fight themselves for close to two years. Despite those awful experiences, there is room for reconciliation, and all must join the march to our common destiny, the nation that South Sudanese always want to have. The war as we know is over, our prayers have been heard by our God and the whole world will stand with us if the signed peace Deal gets through as intended. The tears of the aging mothers have been wiped off, and voices of the elderly fathers have been answered. Sanctions or no sanctions, we need peace in South Sudan. We just need the damn peace in South Sudan; outside pressures and threats have no place in our hearts. Dump all the differences, let’s create more channels for real dialogues and peace corridors for business as usual.
In time of need, we turn to God, and beg him to give us another chance or at least give us what we in need in that particular time. The many years of hardships that noticeably went by were part of who we were, and what we wanted the most. Just a reminder to those who still remember the jubilations and ululations that the world witnessed when South Sudan was declared an independent State. The hard earned nation still has great opportunities to fix the ruins, and make citizens who they aspired to be. It is never too late, and it will never be too late for South Sudanese to put their bitter past behind, and begin a new chapter afresh. Blood for blood, eye for an eye is too archaic, and we should know better than that low grade custom of revenge after revenge. All of us have lost relatives, lost properties, and more sadly, caused a major setback onto our beloved nation of South Sudan.
Since our leaders (Kiir & Riek) have signed the Peace Agreement, let’s give them our full supports, and a chance for them to implement most of the provisions if not all. It would be a great shame for outliers, gunrunners & suppliers to wrestle their way in, and to reignite the fire for personal gains. The speculations being spread by fatty mouths who want the war to rage are baseless, and should be ignored altogether. This War is over, should be over, and we all need to work together to restore peace in South Sudan. A while back when President Salva Kiir and Dr. Riek Machar were strategizing on ways to win the war militarily, we the common citizens hunted ourselves online & in person. Step on that brake, and let’s mourn our lost loved ones silently. Any war is costly, devastative and it divide people very badly. Have we learned the lesson? Who want to live in a cage? The supper charged got some toxins to dump, and they got some fractured relationships to repair. Don’t ever-ever-ever create political nonsense, start fire and cause bloodshed. We have seen more than enough, and that should be it-:
In concluding this piece, let’s give real peace a second chance, and let’s reconcile with our brothers and sisters across South Sudan. All of us have paid dearly for South Sudan, all are victims of the ongoing political wrangling in the country, and all of us are the beneficiaries of the LAND of ABUNDANCES. The best way for us to heal those deep wounds is to call upon all concerned South Sudanese, and our neighbors who have been touched by this war, and for all to find common ground to let the past be past. Spitting fire around the clock, and fighting fire with gasoline is not the way to build a stable country. Think bigger, think wise and be considerate all the times. South Sudan is blessed with resources, and it is too big to accommodate all of us, the inhabitants of the LAND of Honey and Milk.
The author is Mayak Deng Aruei, a Doctoral student in Organizational Leadership: Organizational Development. He can be reached at kongor.da.ajak@gmail.com
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