An Open Letter to the Adult Children of President Salva Kiir & Dr. Riek Machar

By Mayak Aruei Deng, USA

March 4, 2015 (SSB) —  The beautiful history of the Republic of South Sudan that many martyrs have died for has been tainted at the last part of the long struggle. There is no crucial time than this, and all of you must come out of your hiding and share the pains with your country-persons. It had been a terrible year of senseless war, your dads are equally responsible for the ongoing conflict in the Republic of South Sudan.

This letter is directed to you because South Sudan has been run by your fathers, and any future moves that you will make will be scrutinized by South Sudanese, especially your educated age-mates who witnessed every bit of the conflict. I personally don’t know how many of you are out there, but you should be handful of you.

To the readers, this letter was written in both first person and third person tone because it is a letter and a message to children of Elites the South Sudanese. Just tune the wires and enjoy the glitches!

The fate of South Sudan is very uncertain, and all citizens are rambling to find a viable solution to the stalemate caused by tribal hatreds. At the forefront are warlords, and who have been known throughout the liberation struggle as key holders to peaceful and stable South Sudan. What does not adds up though is their disconnection with realities of the modern State.

In your independent capacity, all of you(readers and kids in question) are presumed to be politically conscious and should be reading South Sudanese’ minds around the clock. Getting to the bottom of all the unfortunate events in South Sudan require heavy weight political and social Machines to refuel for a day-long hard labor.

There is going to be time where you will recognize the importance of South Sudanese and their togetherness. The slaughtering of many innocents by the opposing armies has diminished our nation’s capacity to accelerate needed developments or heal the wounds. Any person of a sounds mind would be compelled to ask for forgiveness from the citizens, and for peace to take its course.

There comes the need for concerned citizens to let people think of individuals who can change the political landscape should they choose to be part of the equation. But, being wary of you is something legitimate, and well entertained by supporters on both sides of the political spectrum.

An African proverb/saying in Kiswahili goes as follows: “mtoto ya nyoka ni nyoka.” You may turn out to be like your dads, and we(South Sudanese) have rights to know you and be very ready for discomforts that you may cause.

Diverging from the pinpointing, some people will be asking this question: what does Kiir & Riek’s political rivalry and it subsequent arms race has to do with their children? Well, their children are grown up, and their fathers’ political Goldmines are their lifetime treasuries. So, they should be part of whatever is going on in the Republic of South Sudan. Had South Sudan been ruled responsibly by their dads, they would have slide into highest seats with little or no resistance from the general public.

And for that reason, South Sudanese want to see what they(kids) are capable of, especially in time like this when most citizens, flailed by the war are out of touch with nationalism. Their(kids in question) busy lives should not make them invisible from the general public views. Who told them that children of nation’s leaders are to be off political radars? Unfortunately, something is terribly wrong with children of elites in South Sudan or may be Africa in general.

For the most parts, some of those kids are busy with foreign born partners(exotic lovers), and Kiir and Riek’s children have been involved in that same episode. However, that is not the theme of this article, but it has to be touched because their political future centers around what they do now, and for sure records is very loud in that regard. But, let’s have mercy on them and try to have them on the good side of the nation’s history.

Next to the an unmarked graves of all martyrs, you(kids) are the light or should be the light of South Sudan. You know/should know very well that South Sudan was won after enormous sacrifices, and some children whose fathers perished fighting successive Khartoum based regimes have not be given the benefits their fathers died for.

Mind you, this is not an inherited throne, and should not ring in your minds as such. There are so many twists that take place in all corners of life, and some unnoticed events may carry huge political prices. I am still wondering what you make of your juniors(young boys across South Sudan) being made to fight unnecessary war? It is very true that your fathers have made lots of sacrifices, and in the name of the Republic of South Sudan minus the ruins they have inflicted on the new republic, and as of recent years.

Knowing you only through the incidents laid above(marrying foreign nationals and causing troubles at your families’ Mansions) raises some questions as how you would be regarded comes that time? If President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and President Barrack Obama of the United States of America are using social media to get their political messages across, then why not you? But hey, it is your choice, if you want to be hiding forever, then it’s your choice & you definitely owns it.

The major concern as we go through the many catastrophes caused by the two leaders(Kiir & Riek) is how to get citizens back on track. There is no doubt, everyone know that leaders comes and go, and their legacies, bad or good remains part of nations’ histories. And for sure, President Salva Kiir and Dr. Riek Machar are not exempted from the repetitive nature of the world’s politics.

In my mind are President Apollo Milton Obote and notorious President Idi Amin Dada of Uganda. They both reigned over Uganda, toppled themselves, and have been toppled forever. If you don’t catch up with your fellow South Sudanese, you will be looked/booked down as enemies of the State(South Sudan), and your families will be woes just like those historical/prominent families in neighboring Uganda. Do not let huge supports that your dads enjoyed across the nation galvanize your takes in the conflict.

As far as political maneuvers are concern, records revealed that there will be no stability under your fathers, and if you don’t speak up now, or do something that would distinguish you from your fathers, then the little they have done will be shattered after the war. You shouldn’t be hit hard, but your influences in nation like South Sudan is needed now, and you surely do need to get involve before the light goes off.

Believe it or not, President Salva Kiir and Dr. Riek Machar are about to sign a historic Peace Accord in South Sudan, but that would not solve, not even a single problem. Since the beginning of this week(first week of March, 2015), and as deadline is approaching, South Sudanese around the world are eagerly waiting to see outcome of the last round of peace talk. It should be noticed that level of mistrust is really very high, and that bitterness is likely to cause more unrests should the warring parties attempt to mishandle the remaining items of the Peace Agreement.

Moving downward, charming devils from the deadwood was a superstitious practice that saved some lives, but no longer make sense to the educated masses. Just like other fragile States, politics in South Sudan is too fluid, and uncertain to some to extents. Back to the physical world, there is no reason to prick you too hard, but beware that your native land is in serious political and military crisis.

Of course, there are other elites kids in the country, and whose parents are instrumental in the wrecking of the country, and you lead the way. As a nation, we are searching for the right medicine to treat our beloved nation, severely wounded at the course of installing illegitimate democracy. Here is how you can/should be instrumental: connect with South Sudanese youths around the world, discuss the way forward, organize charities works for the displaced persons in South Sudan, raise money for the desperate South Sudan children and have a delegation visit those children on your behalf.

There are lots of gears shifting going on in South Sudan, and I just wish some of you should be part of the whole wobbling in a better way. Be informed that South Sudan is very different now, there are many educated folks who are politically informed, and if you don’t do something now, then things won’t be on your side.

Lastly, it doesn’t hurt or should never freeze balls for me to throw out some friendly advices, even though I don’t know who you are and what your future preferences are. I only learned about some of you when it was reported that Riek Machar’s son(Teny) got married to a Polish girl, Kiir Mayardit’s daughter (Adut) married to Ethiopian national, a drama that sent some vocal Reporters to jails temporarily, and for talking about the President’s daughter exotic love.

In the midst of the ongoing war, Kiir Mayardit’s son(Manut) reportedly threatened family members in Nairobi, Kenyan police was called in & was booked in, later released when the whole thing went viral on the social media.

Now, you have learned the little I know about you as a private citizen. Again, waiting until your fathers finished with the wrecking of the nation or whatever they are doing to the nation of South Sudan is a terrible political drawback, and somebody got to give you a hint before the River dry up. Whichever the case, South Sudan is your country, and all of you should embrace Peace under all circumstances.

Also, remember that every generation has its elites, and you may be elites of your generation or be locked out completely. If there are folks who read or scan the net on your behalf since money can do almost anything, then let them take all issues as national agendas, and not act as personal defenders/spy agents!

Overall, SOUTH SUDAN is now a battlefield where regional and international players just want to settle their differences. The Reserve(Oil and rare minerals) that we have beneath the blessed Land invites woes to engage themselves, and far away from their homelands. If this article reach you by any chance, then you ought to consider finding exit strategies for your dads. They have done more than enough damage to the nation of South Sudan, and they should leave politics as soon as situation allows.

There is nothing personal here because I don’t know you, but positions occupied by your families in South Sudan make people to think about you, and in your hiding places. The reason as to why you were paired in this article is because every problem has two sides, and it happens that your fathers are the opposing sides of the ongoing conflict in South Sudan. When Southern Sudanese, now South Sudanese took charge of their nation/portion of SUDAN, your dads hit a jackpot, and wasted time touring the world of wonders.

With that being said, nobody is charging you with any wrongdoing, but your political future rests on what your fathers have done. Therefore, your voices, especially in critical time is needed or nobody will listen to you in the near future. Enjoy yourselves to the fullest, but remember that South Sudan need everyone input, and you should not be left out.

Cheers ladies and gentlemen!