April 25, 2024

PaanLuel Wël Media Ltd – South Sudan

"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.

Why Machar has no hope of removing Kiir from power by force any time soon

2 min read
10 years ago PaanLuel Wël

But whatever President Kiir’s shortcomings, Dr Machar should know better than to attempt to ascend to power through the barrel of the gun. Such a move is certainly not tenable currently, and not in the foreseeable future. It can only beget a long-drawn bloody ethnic conflagration. Like in Kenya where political power is essentially a struggle between the Kikuyu and the Luo, with the other tribes merely allying themselves with either, in South Sudan, it is a game between the Dinka and the Nuer. President Kiir belongs to the majority Dinka group, while Dr Machar is a Nuer, the number two ethnic grouping. South Sudan’s other ethnic groups include the Nilotic Shilluk, Madi, Bari, Lotuko and Toposa. In the mix are also the minority  Azande and Balanda, the inhabitants of the Western Equatoria region. The Dinka dominate the military and the government and formed the core of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army that spearheaded the Southerners’ struggle against subjugation and domination by the north.  During the struggle that spanned several decades, the Dinka were consistent and paid the heaviest price. Dr Machar and his Nuer forces played opportunistic games, teaming up with either Khartoum or the SPLA, depending on expediencies of the moment. It will be remembered that in 1997, Dr Machar signed a deal with Sudan President Omar Bashir, and Khartoum was able to construct the 1,500km pipeline from the oil fields in Unity State to Port Sudan in the north. The pipeline was then used exclusively by Khartoum to exploit South Sudan’s oil resources.  Dr Machar had way back in 1991 bolted from the SPLM/A together with Dr Lam Akol, a Shilluk, accusing the liberation struggle leader, Dr John Garang, of dictatorship and human rights violations. It is the above reality that makes Dr Machar’s ascendance to power by force a near impossibility. The Dinka can simply not fathom one of their own being overthrown by a Nuer.

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PaanLuel Wël

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PaanLuel Wël is the founder and editor-in-chief of PaanLuel Wël Media Ltd, a news website that covers news, opinions, analysis, history, culture and literature of South Sudan and the world. Founded in July 2011 by PaanLuel Wël to create a platform for free expression and constructive dialogue, the website features articles from various contributors, including columnists, commentators, poets, authors, activists and academics. PaanLuel Wël believes that media can play a vital role in informing, educating and empowering the people to participate in nation-building and social transformation. He also believes that media can foster a culture of dialogue, tolerance and diversity among different communities and groups, and hopes to inspire and mentor the next generation of South Sudanese writers and journalists.

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