Tougher Mediators are Good Mediators, IGAD Mediators Rock It!
By John Adoor Deng, Australia
August 11, 2015 (SSB) — The cry of all innocent South Sudanese who are subjected to unbearable consequences of this war, is that it must stop immediately. It is a baseless war as echoed by President Kiir Mayardit in his speech during the reception of Former Detainees in Juba. Ironically, it could be said that President Kiir has all the tools to stop this war that he correctly referred to as a baseless war but instead chose to spectate it like a guest watching fighting rams. However, it is a common understanding that spectators rarely solve conflicts but fuel it as they bit the bumps of the fighting rams. As an executive head of State, recognized in the negotiation, President Kiir like a really father would have swallowed pride over minutical differences and give peace a chance in the country.
This brings me to the main focus of this article. In the first place, I must confess that the current mediators, mediating negotiation between SPLM- IG and SPLM IO in Addis Ababa are men of integrity, brought up in, I suppose harmonious societies, where rules of law speak louder. In my view, the mediators are doing an excellent job in trying to mediate excessive power driven groups and entities fighting for personal gains and interests. Unlike these protagonists, the mediators think much about the fate of innocent children, old men and women sleeping under trees, persecuted by merciless mosquitoes at night in their hiding swampy areas, fearing to be kill by their South Sudanese sons!
The mediators think more about the resources from the international community being wasted to feed hungry scattered and hard- to- access civilians. These resources would have been used to build roads (like Nimule-Juba road); hospitals, schools and meet other human needs as defined in the Maslow Hierarchy. I was amazed this week, seeing demonstrations replete with young people, women, and members of civil society plus politicians calling down IGAD just for providing a working paper on peace negotiation. I read the recent published Proposed Compromise Peace Agreement, in my view; it was fairly drafted and of course subjected to negotiation by the two warring parties. Why should people demonstrate against a working initiative that aims to bring peace to the country? Did these people (demonstrators) read the document before going to rallies? Were they incited by politicians? Do people of South Sudanese especially these demonstrators want peace? Or they want so and so of their own in positions?
I am perplexed by these level of comprehension and remained confused on why we people of South Sudan daily portray a negative image of our country to the international community. If 53% is taken by SPLM IO in terms of appointing public servants in Upper Nile for three years only, would that be a big problem compared with the ongoing devastating war? Where will SPLM IO find people to lead great Upper Nile? Will they not come from within Upper Nile people? On the issue of demilitarization of capital cities. I thought that people would match to the streets, celebrating the demilitarization of major cities. Oppositely, I was amazed to see people calling for the army to remain in the cities. Are you people not sick of guns shooting randomly each day? Are you not sick from every day abuses on the streets? In an Ideal world, the army forces are barracked far away from the vicinity of the public. The primary aim of the army is to protect the nation from external threats and not to mingle in suburbs areas with guns undisciplined.
The IGAD countries have no interest apart from facilitating peace to South Sudan. After all, interests are matters of bilateral relations between countries. However, countries always attach interests with stable countries. If South Sudan remains in war, it is a fact that nobody will any relationship with South Sudan let alone interest in South Sudan. Just as there is nobody having interests in Somalia except the fighting Al-Shabab, so will South Sudan be if it fails to restore her lost glory. One is amaze to see how some politicians act in relations to the process of bringing peace to South Sudan. The recent scenario of Dr. Elia Lumoro’s delegation of political parties to Addis Ababa remain a laughing stoke! The political parties allied to the SPLM in Juba were allowed to head to Addis Ababa whereas the rest of other political parties seen to express neutral positions were not allowed, these parties include SPLM-DC led by Dr. Lam Akol. Upon their arrival at the mediators’ venue, Dr. Elia delegates were told to return to Juba immediately or face the full force of the law in Addis Ababa. The mediators insisted that the invited political parties must all attend in totality, and that they must not accept a sorted list of political parties by one partner in the negotiation.
Seriously embarrassed, Dr. Elia‘s delegation returned to Juba and called for a removal of mediators from the peace talks and suggest that the negotiation moves to Tanzania. There is much to learns from the deportation of Dr. Elia‘s delegations. Firstly, it is clear as of now that IGAD plus is a force to wrestle with, they are no longer soft entity to allow mediocrity and manipulations to have a weight at the expense of the lives of innocent masses. Secondly, South Sudanese like things to be done in a hard way, so IGAD has learned to do things hard ways for South Sudanese so as to come to term with realities. Thirdly, the IGAD plus countries have run out of patience, for example, many signed cease-fires have been dishonored. Fourthly, IGAD members have lost trust on South Sudanese leaders who rarely stand on principles of good governance. It has to be noted that the world has rallied to rescue the innocent masses. I, therefore, believe that tougher mediators are good mediators, and current IGAD mediators are rocking it right.
The Author is John Adoor Deng, a member of civil society in Australia. He can reach by email: dengjohn780@gmail.com
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