South Sudan Plummets into Atrocious Civil War with itself
7 min readSouth Sudan Plummets into Atrocious Civil War with itself
-Australia Country SPLM Chapters-
President Salva Kiir government of South Sudan is exceedingly losing control over management of the country and the looming civil mayhems between the Dinka majority mostly loyal to president Kiir, and Nuer second majority mostly loyal to former vice-president Dr Riek Machar.
The South Sudanese people had been very inquisitive and nerve-wracking with the President Kiir’s government and entire managements of the country resources, the alarming deaths of civilians and endemic insecurity, which shook the world in mainly Jonglei state and the rest states in the last two years. The virulent corruption among government officials, and deceptive practices that nurture tribalism and nepotism, and the unhappiness and disagreement within the SPLM party, the party loyalists and army officers and mainly the obvious disagreement between President Kiir and former vice-president Dr Riek Machar on the constitutional powers of the president, and the over policy structures and directions of government, which led to the sacking of entire cabinet, including dismissing Vice-president Dr Riek Machar and other prominent executive members of the SPLM party and the National Liberation Council (NLC) which oversees SPLM party policy structures and future directions of the government
The South Sudanese people got their independence at last after they fought the longest and devastating civil war in history. Since South Sudanese got separated from brutal regime of Umar Hassan Bisher of north Sudan, the people of South Sudan have high hope for peace, stability and begin to build their own lives once; and expect the government to set the precedent of building infrastructure, provide health, education, security and promote growth and development in human and resource sectors to all South Sudanese regardless of ethnicity, religion and political affiliations
The current crisis in South Sudan was triggered by the current government led by President Salva Kiir. The current government has managed the crisis very poorly and naively, and persistently sabotaged the status qua and the capacity of Dr Riek Machar and his SPLM team of former ministers and Party senior executives. The government of President Kiir failed to see the weight of the crisis and how detrimental it could become, if not handle properly, but the South Sudanese people new, if the government failed to manage and resolve the crisis within the SPLM party, there would be dire upheavals in the country; on the other hand, Dr Riek Machar was increasing gaining confidence from the South Sudanese people that he might bring hope to the people than the current situations, but Dr Riek Mashar and his team, it didn’t cross their thoughts that the political crisis might turn into tribally fuelled political crisis because he led a team comprising of all south Sudanese, including Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior, Dinka by tribe and a wife of the leader of SPLM/A, founder of South Sudan and architect of Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which granted South Sudanese their independence late Dr John Garang de Mabior, is among the team led by Dr Riek Machar; neither the Nuer nor Dinka in Juba, Bortown or Jonglei, Unity or Upper Nile states, had any concerns that the political crisis in Juba would come haunt and slain them in their homes.
On the night of Dec 16th 2013, the government released a press stating alleged coup from the forces within the South Sudan army loyal to Dr Riek Machar, attempted the coup but failed and the government forces loyal to President kiir has taken the control, and members of Dr Riek Machar’s political camp had been arrested, and there was no further resolution,
However, the public outcry in the same week intensified and the UN reported over 10000 civilians, who are Nuer by tribe ran for their lives into the UN site for protection in Juba, and the alleged report that the president Kiir’s guards targeted the Nuer people in Juba, and that led to anxiety among all Nuer in all corners of the South Sudan and in the army, and turned against Dinka and started revenge killing, and whole chaos in the young nation when off the tangent and the situation is very difficult to rescue because the anger fuelled by tribalism is catastrophic, and the peaceful resolution is complex,
Nonetheless, the situation could be rescued if the following measures and put place with immediate effects:
The government has to cease fire immediately, and stop attacking other opposing forces and allow UN Peace keepers to come and protect the civilians, the casualties are mostly civilians, and open the doors negations in the army with generals and governors who shifted sides and let them protect the civilians as well in their controlled areas
The government of President Kiir has to take responsibility and publicly admit that there had been mistaken communications among the army generals of presidential guards and some people might have been killed through those tragic communications breakdown; the South Sudanese trusted and believed in the track records and performance of President Salva Kiir and as a good man as well, but perhaps he didn’t have right people around him, who can set the legacy of their president and link him to common people, but the president got people around him who inflict greatest damage to his legacy and governance, and detached him from common people facing ordinaries life challenges across the country
President Kiir has the solution himself, and if he allows transparency, and accountability to the folks who facade in his presidency and abused powers, and take the law into their hands, if the president distant himself from those gangs and appeal to the wider communities in South Sudan, or even say sorry, to those women, men and children who lost their lives in those tragic events, and talk and address, the ‘White army’ and express his commitments to resolve the crisis, that is how the president of the people, for the people and by the people can approach complex issues in his country. The White Army emerged because the South Sudan government did not engage these youths in education, and recruitment into national army and civil police units as part of their employment and replacing their security roles to the Lou Nuer community with national army security forces to protect civilians
President Kiir’s has to speed up the peace talk and power sharing with Dr Riek Machar and then come out to public, side by side and a sign of peace, and the people will heal and calm down, though Dr Riek Machar and his SPLM party team move was miscalculated, untimely and enormous political faux pas; the President Kiir was very clear in his decisions and the only option for Dr Riek Machar and his team was to mould his political party, get it register and launch campaign through it as democratic platform for change, but crying over spilled milk and stalking the government in power was an incompetent call of judgement and lack of political mobilisation skills
President Kiir government has to change the language, stop sabotaging a tragedy, stop name calling, for instant revels, terrorists, criminals or anti Garang de Mabior or even unnecessary and unconnected piecing up of 1991 civil unrest to the current situations, all these are irrational and incompetent strategies of pacifying the people who had once fought together, side by side for their liberation, and to be treated fairly with dignity and equity
The international community, UN and African Unions, close friends of South Sudan would come and help establishing rule of law, democratic constitutions and democratic government structures and systems, that will in itself guide the government and other democratic institutions on the land,
The government of South Sudan must cease unlawful arrests and detention of senior or junior government officials or citizens who peacefully disagree with the way President Kiir government is managing the affairs of the country, surprisingly, South Sudan is counting records high among countries whose human rights conditions are in menace, the long term detention without trial is undemocratic, unlawful and serious abuse of human rights, it is appalling how the presidential guards and national security have raped the constitution of the roles of judges and magistrates, to the extent of reciting over the verdict of putting innocent lives into death.
The president is a beacon of kindness, love and reconciliation for his people and nation, and would persistently explore all options to restore trust, peace and unity among his citizens, we trust President Kiir and his entire government will restore trust peace and unity among his people,
In God eyes, we are all equally both intelligence and foolish, and as Confucius famously put it that ‘to be wronged is nothing unless you continue to do wrong and continue to remember it’
Kind regards
- Peter Thuch
Australia Country SPLM Chapter Secretary Gen,
and leader of SPLM Chapter Western Australia,
- Catherine wani
Australia Country SPLM Chapter Chairwoman,
and leader of SPLM Chapter Victoria Australia,
- George Aguer Deng
Australia Country SPLM Chapter Vice-chairman,
and Leader of SPLM Chapter South Australia,
- Dr Matur Garjok
Australia Country SPLM Chapter Executive member,
and leader of SPLM Chapter New South Whale, NSW Australia,
- David Kuel
Australia Country SPLM Chapter executive Member,
and leader of SPLM Chapter Tasmania Australia,
- William Deng Manyok
Australia Country SPLM Chapter Executive member,
and leader of SPLM Chapter Australia Capital Territory, ACT
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