CEASEFIRE CAN’T EVER BE RESPECTED IN SOUTH SUDAN NOT UNLESS THE YOUTHS SIGN AND RESPECT A CEASEFIRE ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA
7 min readBy Dut-machine De Mabior, Nairobi Kenya
February 11, 2015 (SSB) — As much as some of us who are in dire need of peace blame the South Sudanese belligerent groups for not respecting and adhering to the terms and conditions of the cease fire no matter how recent it was signed, we the youths purporting to be social media analysts have a bigger hand in making sure that our leaders respect the cessation of hostilities agreement. I will request that you go through my reasons of writing this peace tonight.
We think wrongly that our leaders are solely to blame for the skirmishes that have rocked the country this far, but my opinion seems to be diverging from that after having made a good analysis on how we use the social media. Indeed I may say that they are responsible for a few percent of why the ceasefire agreements are not followed and strictly implemented.
As I argue my case, I take in reference to the SPLM reunification document signed in Arusha, Tanzania. This document was meant to address the root causes of the intra-party disagreements that led to the Juba ‘claimed coup’ and subsequently the rebellion. This document restored all the SPLM structures dissolved in the decision of the chair person and cadres who had been dismissed from their positions. A few of us saw it as a way forward for peace indeed better than the Addis Ababa negotiations because it addresses what caused the divisions. And instead of us to take to the social media and appreciate the effort made by the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), the ruling party of Tanzania and the three leaderships for agreeing on fundamental issues, the next thing a number of us did was to start throwing words of disparagement to the document.
Indeed I quote Hon. MadutBiar saying “We shall stop demanding for the stepping down of the president”. Despite this condition of the agreement, a number of the rebel supporters believed that the document had confirmed the loopholes in the presidency and used it as the basis for demanding the president to exit; a decision I deem invalid after an agreement that bars that call was signed.
Mind you guys, politicians always work for the interest of their cohorts; RiekMachar had no choice but to demand for the stepping down of the president when he did his briefing in Nairobi because how else can he please those who follow his ideologies.
The youths in the government political camps talked hell too that the rebels be finished and evil should not be awarded. The government forces had no choice but to implement the expectations of their inner circles. Others dismissed the agreement as to much favouring to the G-10 and the rebels demands. Hopefully this is the same reason why the SPLM-IG had to revise its delegation to the negotiations in Arusha and replace those who were too ‘submissive’ to the demands of the other sides.
This is the act of irresponsible youths and blind followers of bad examples. As at now, we should support anything that restores peace to the tattered nation of South Sudan. No wonder the latest cessation of hostilities is being violated and we are still saying, ‘Good Mr. Machar’ and still others are like, ‘Brilliant Your Excellency!’ How will you call that if you do not joint me condemning it?
My second reference takes roots from the IGAD proposal of having two vice presidents installing RiekMachar as the first vice president and H.E James Wani as the third man in command in the country. As much as I don’t like the idea of neglecting Wani for Machar, the ultimate price for peace is not easy and someone has to pay it. If that man is James Wani for peace to be restored so that the suffering population is saved, then so be it. He once did that and he can make the decision to repeat and repeatedly repeat very now and again. It’s not upon the public discussion to decide whether Hon. Iga can or cannot. Remember, Jesus recommends that someone can forgive seventy by seventy by seventy-seven times and the man is eligible to do that. If he is the man to stop the nation from bleeding; then I will go for the idea. This does not tell that I am not ready to accept other resolutions.
The youth in the government camps took to the media dismissing a mere proposal, I do not know what a proposal means to others. But I will have to warn others that your writing which you may deem petty is the reason as to why our leaderships on both sides of the conflict cling to their barrels of guns as the only resolution to the stalemates in the country. They just want to serve the interest of their electorates in outdoing one another militarily that your expectations are catered for.
The third case refers to the detention of Hon. CholAruai, MadingAkueth and AleerLongar. This popular news dominated the media and I was personally hurt when I heard of this unfortunate incident. Thank God he acted in our favour and the rebels’ leadership was able to demonstrate oneness in minds of the none-involved fraternities. No Matter how much we hate each other, saying “THANK YOU” is a natural virtue of a humane human being that just comes automatically once you are accorded a favour. MadingAkueth appreciated the people who had taken care of them while in the rebels controlled area and the women who had done everything possible for them to keep them comfortable not excluding the rebels leadership for heeding the calls and the cries of many. This appreciation would be expected by anyone who cares to be humane. Indeed I was happy when I heard him appreciating those who had done well for them because I was included in disguise, yes, I prayed for their release and I don’t know about you!
Some people attacked their personalities as selfish people for thanking people who indeed ‘murdered’ so many civilians. As for me, I have to accept the decision to release the trio because killing more people has no space in our social fabric and dismissing a ‘THANK YOU’ means one has got no business even if the damn slaughtering of human kind was to continue.
If we are then blinded to the extent of not appreciating a good deed, then the country is headed to the darkest days of its independence. If we can never see a sense in whatever a politician beyond our political interest does, then that is what I call ‘sycophancy’.
Ladies and gentlemen who care to be responsible citizens of the country, South Sudan freedom of expression is not meant to provide unnecessary support in fueling the violence to bleed the country more. My calls to all of us tonight is that we become peace preachers on any of our gatherings, it’s high time we see realism in the fact that indeed we are the reasons why the ceasefire can’t be implemented. It’s totally irresponsible to blunder everything that comes forward in the peace talks in the name of protecting your preferred political patron yet your analysis pays less attention to the shivering-under-tress population in the IDPs and UN camps. Let’s have brains that push for peace than calling anyone with a dissenting opinion a rebel or a government sympathizer.
All I need is peace to be restored, yes meaningful peace, whoever among our leaders that pays the price for peace concerns me less because after all someone will have to do simply just that to have the needed peace and coexistence of the nationals.
The Author is student of Electrical and Electronics Engineering in Kenyatta University; Nairobi Kenya
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