South Sudan’s Fourth Independence Day of Sorrow
Innocent civilians being killed and displaced to refugee camps on the fourth anniversary of South Sudan’s independence day
David Mabior Atem, Winnipeg, Canada
July 10, 2015 (SSB) —- On July 9th, 2011, the Republic of South Sudan was declared the 196th country in the world, the 193rd member of the UN, and the 54th country in the continent of Africa. Republic of South Sudan is a nation that was fought and founded on strong values of equality, dignity, freedom of expression, rule of law, human rights, freedom of association, religion, doctrines of liberalism and pluralism, but has stumbled down the wrong path due to leadership crises.
The killing and displacement of innocent people shows the absence of leadership; allowing these unlawful atrocities which have swept the nation, proves the rulers are incompetent and undemocratic, corrupt, and greedy. South Sudan needs leaders who act as caregivers to our nation and can prove their leadership through democratic actions and make decisive and effective decisions to national benefit.
Leaders who help guide and develop our nation socially, economically and politically as way to make citizens proud of their freedom, by creating a welcoming environment which will foster inclusive developmental programs. Having a caring leadership come with the rule of law to protect citizens and their property, provide services and promote unity of purpose enshrined in the national constitution.
South Sudan is blessed with the gift of natural resources; unfortunately these resources are being depleted due to continuous extraction. The purpose of the independent state has been defeated. The overwhelming vote for separation through referendum has ultimately led to the killing of innocent women, children, and the elderly. In addition to the internal displacement of thousands of children and women who are confined in UN compounds and refugee camps in neighboring countries.
The challenges facing South Sudan are enormous and range from extreme under-development, corruption, hunger, poverty, HIV/AIDS, limited access to education, weak bilateral and multilateral policies, and poor infrastructure. As reported by the UN, “In the last 18 months fighting has displaced over one million people. To make matters worse, UN reports predict a major food shortage will cause a third of South Sudanese people to face starvation”.
The current peace negotiation in Ethiopia’s Capital has produced nothing. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has made several attempts to restore peace by bringing warring parties to the table, but all talks have ended in vain. The upcoming round of IGAD talks has been extended to the African Union, China, USA, UK, Norway, EU and the UN.
With the absences of Canada at the negotiating table, as a South Sudanese-Canadian it begs the question why Canada has failed to show its solidarity as a nation known for the “promotion of core values – freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, justice, development, humanitarian assistance for those who need it”.
Where is the Canadian’s philosophy of loving peace instead of war? I believe it is not too late for the Government of Canada to join the rest of the international community in bringing peace to South Sudan rather than supporting war in other regions. Being an international player is not a one-sided approach. Supporting imposed sanctions without direct involvement is the weakest way of being an international player.
Fellow countrymen and women, South Sudan belongs to all of us. Our dream nation guided by the rule of law, protection and promotion of human rights, access to education, health care, and security are unreachable due to leadership crises. South Sudanese will remain victims for years if we cannot put aside our differences, frustrations, and emotions. Patriotism and qualifications required for nation building is now replaced with tribalism, hatred and jealousy.
For us to sustain our achievement we should work together for national interests such as revising our ways of receiving, sharing and communicating with each other. Not reversing how we see and approach national issues will make us the enemy of our cause; forgetting that millions of lives and resources were scarified to achieve South Sudan’s independence, which we are now abusing and misusing.
South Sudan is a rich nation on earth, and at the same time poorest nation on earth due to mismanagement and corruption. It now tops a list of failed states globally; a nation that paid in millions of lives to attain independence.
I hope that our rulers will become leaders to lead South Sudan with the philosophy of R.E.S.P.E.C.T:
R – Responsibility
E – Education
S – Self worth
P – Positive attitude
E – Empathy
C – Confidence
T – Team
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David Mabior Atem is a South Sudanese Former Child Solider, Columnist and policy analyst from Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada. He can be reached at mabior4@hotmail.com
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