DEAR REBECCA NYANDENG CHOL, STOP KILLING NUER PEOPLE.

“Gatkuoth, this Kiir’s bullshit is getting real; even the wife of late John Garang, a fellow Dinka, is up against him. Get me my spears and shield. Let’s go to war. Ulululuuuu!”

“Nyandeng was on TV earlier today, speaking for the Nuer. She said Nuer were targeted and hunted down by Gelbeny in Juba. She must be right. Man-Nyamaal, where is my AK-47?”

Rebecca-dit, you’re a national figure. Being the wife of late Hero John Garang, every South Sudanese knows you, have heard of you. You’re one of the few celebrated women in the country. I believe almost everyone adored you until the violence erupted, chopping off half, if not three-quarters, of your admirers.

Those on your side right now are mostly people of Twic East (your folks) and those that are fighting the government of Salva Kiir, particularly the Nuer community. They look up at you. You represent them. You speak for them. And this makes them take in whatever you say.

Your words sharpen the retaliatory spears and swords in them. When you tell the media that Kiir’s men targeted Nuer in Juba – “When they [Tigers] came in, they targeted massacring Nuer members. A lot of officials, administrators in Juba were killed. This is what literally happened” – it sent out war signals to the innocent Nuer youth on the ground.

I am not saying you lied. But you said the right thing at the wrong time. Such testimonial statements are good only during court hearings. Your statements were and are still instigative, inflammatory. You awaken the animosity, hostility and revenge in these innocent youth. You make them fight the loss-loss war. Actually, you kinda give them enough ropes to hang themselves.

Reports and statistics from reputable institutions and humanitarian groups indicate that many Nuer youth are killed in huge numbers in frontlines because their enemy is well-equipped and superior in every way. Armed with just spears, bows and arrows, machetes and sticks, the Nyandeng-inspired youth attack SPLA and UPDF forces. Suicidal, isn’t it?

Who suffers such an attack the most? Think about the confrontations between such youth and the government forces along Juba-Bor road in January. Think about the confrontations between such youth and the SPLA in Bentiu, in Nasir, in Malakal, in Leer.

Many people always try to provoke you into backing away from Riek ‘because he is the same man who tried to overthrow your husband’. I am not one of them. I believe in “There are no permanent enemies in politics”.

However, you should stop beating drums of war, of which you cannot dance to their beats; you never participate in any dance (confrontations). None of your birthplace folks’ are. You’re on your own. Twic East politicians are just there, hanging – at pendular mode. They cannot join you because I feel they have no love left for the monstrous chameleonic Dr Riek who destroyed Bor in 1991…and they cannot talk you down because you’re one of their own. Altogether, the youth cannot run to the bush to back up your verbal war.

All you do is go on TV and say whatever you wanna say and return to your house while the Nuer children you incite die of gunshots and wounds.

Besides, your son is there but doesn’t command any rebel force. He is on the safe side of the rebellion – peace talks. He’s in a posh Addis hotel where he tweets and facebooks.

Finally, I’m wondering what happened to the motherhood, womanhood in you. Women are known to be soft, especially when it comes to violence. Don’t the horrifying photographs of charred dead bodies of both soldiers and civilians touch you? Of course they don’t and that’s why you won’t urge your comrade Dr Riek to choose peace and compromise.

Tearz © 2014