"We the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, with so little, for so long, we are now qualified to do anything, with nothing" By Konstantin Josef Jireček, a Czech historian, diplomat and slavist.
Going to Khartoum for South Sudanese leaders has become a ritual, a hajj to Mecca, only that it is, unlike the hajj pilgrims, a Sisyphean endeavor, a desultory iteration to be undertaken in the hopeless hope that, somehow, sometime, Beshir would grant them a respite from their self-inflicted foresight.
‘Aye kocng’atakoon‘ because a mercy from the enemy is earned at the cost of surrendering that which one had hitherto hold dear to or, as in Mecca, a humble prostration.
The question, therefore, is not whether or not Salva Kiir would succeed to ‘persuade’ Khartoum to heed his supplication; rather, it is what President Salva Kiir is prepared to ‘trade off’ to have his prayers answered positively, and whether South Sudan would morally, economically and politically afford to submit to the ‘decree’.
At what cost should we be prepared to deal with Khartoum without necessarily impinging on our hard-won freedom and independence?
PaanLuel Wël – Founder and Editor-in-Chief of PaanLuel Wël Media
PaanLuel Wël is the founder and editor-in-chief of PaanLuel Wël Media Ltd, a prominent news and commentary platform dedicated to covering the news, history, culture, literature, and socio-political affairs of South Sudan and the world. Established in July 2011, the website was born out of PaanLuel Wël’s vision to create a space for free expression and constructive dialogue during a pivotal moment in South Sudan’s history.
Through PaanLuel Wël Media, he has cultivated a vibrant intellectual forum that features a diverse range of voices, from poets, authors, and academics to activists, commentators, and community columnists. The platform is rooted in the belief that an informed and engaged citizenry is essential to the project of nation-building and social transformation.
PaanLuel Wël is a passionate advocate for the power of media to educate, empower, and connect people across political, ethnic, and generational divides. He is committed to fostering a culture of dialogue, tolerance, and inclusivity and is deeply invested in mentoring the next generation of South Sudanese writers and journalists.
