Statement by Justice Ambrose Riny Thiik during Freedom Hall Meeting
Republic of South Sudan, Jieng Council of Elders
Monday August 17, 2015
STATEMENT OF JUSTICE AMBROSE RINY THIIK – CHAIRMAN, JIENG COUNCIL OF ELDERS MEETING AT FREEDOM HALL, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
August 24, 2015 (SSB) — Members of the Jieng communities in Juba: Elders, Women and Youths: young men and women who have come to this Hall in response to our call, I welcome you and salute you all. I thank you ever so much for your attendance. The occasion has been described as Jieng cultural day. This message is true to the extent that some of us in their speeches will certainly talk about our cultural concerns alongside our traditional dances and songs which we are now enjoying in this meeting.
We will certainly hold cultural events, lectures and workshops subsequently when we shall be ready and on the road to developing our cultures such as our language, our traditional law and customs etc. At the moment, we will have two or three knowledgeable persons to talk on some aspects of culture. We will also have one or two members of our women and youths to address you.
However, we all are aware of the serious situation our country has been facing during the last twenty months since December, 2013. We know the particular dangerous situation now facing us as we speak. Our immediate future appears to hang on what will happen in Addis Ababa today and the subsequent days ahead of us. The people calling the shots in Addis Ababa are foreigners, the so-called international community whose attitude against us is well-known to us all, led by Troika, among others.
We are also targeted here at home. We are acutely aware of what has been happening to our people here in Juba and on the roads out of Juba to Yirol, Western Equatoria, Yei, etc., where massive loss of life is reported on a daily basis during the last several months.
The Jieng are also targeted in various ways in the social and other media where we are called all sorts of names such as ‘council of devils’ or that the Red Army Foundation is a government enterprise sponsored by the Jieng Council of Elders to support the President and is financed by the Government. This is pure fabrication. Another name calling is that we are called “Joint Criminal Enterprise” (JCE).
Sadly enough some of these detractors are actually members of the Jieng Communities.
There are those who are ignorant of the fact of what we do or of our objectives; and others have sinister motives.
It is for these reasons and more that we will have three main speakers: Hon. Bona Malual who will tell us, among other things, the targeting of Jieng at home and out there among the so – called International Community. The two co-chairs: Justice Ambrose Riny Thiik and Hon. Joshua Dau will talk about the Jieng Council of Elders, how and why it was formed, the objectives and what activities it has tried to carry out in its life time hitherto.
The order by which these speakers will address the meeting is the business of the master of ceremonies, Hon. Joseph Lual Acuil.
The Jieng Council of Elders came into being in the second half of 2013 when Riek Machar’s campaign for power went into high gear in the run up to the cabinet reshuffle in July 2013. Some of us had already been working as Greater Bahr el Ghazal community leader’s Council. Riek Machar’s vicious campaign sent shock waves to many Jieng Communities as it took the tone of and reminiscent of 1991 massacres of the SPLA Jieng soldiers and officers in the Nuer land and our people in Bor.
1. We quickly came together, at first, as concerned citizens or Elders from Upper Nile and Bahr el Ghazal regions. Our first objective was therefore to promote awareness among our communities in the neighboring states to the Nuer territories, for self-protection and survival.
2. After the attempted coup of 15- 18 Dec, 2013 and when the G-ll joined Riek since their 6th Dec. political rally. We became concerned about the future of the elected constitutional government. Thus the upholding and support of the constitutional elected government became our second objective. This meant that we should link up and work with other communities of Equatoria and Upper Nile regions. Together with Equatoria community Forum we floated the idea of jointly working for building an internal Front against the rebellion. See the resolutions of July 18th, 2014 of that meeting.
3. The increased foreign intervention around the peace negotiations, coupled with American call for UN Trusteeship and Regime change in South Sudan, led to our third objective of fighting to uphold our independence and national sovereignty.
These are the three objectives around which we have been working during the last twenty months or so.
What did we actually do during this period?
We held meetings from time to time whenever there were issues of concern pertaining to war and peace. If we arrived at certain decisions or worries we would seek to meet any member of our Government or any highly placed person to inform him/ her of what we think as suggestions for consideration.
When Governor Clement Wani Konga invited us and wanted us to meet with Elders of Equatoria on July 5th, 2014, telling us that Juba was full of fear, rumors and strange stories, we accepted and about forty (40) of us met with similar number of Elders of Equatoria on 5th July, 2014 at Aron Hotel.
The meeting ended with a press statement which, according to the Governor, it reduced tension in the city. Both the Vice President, James Wani Igga and the Governor, Clement Konga, telephoned me separately to thank me on behalf of Jieng Council of Elders. We held another three day’s meeting on 15 – 17th July, 2014 at Dembesh Hotel which came out with 18 resolutions.
We met again with Equatoria Elders. That was after we had met twice with Mundari Elders about a month ago, concerning the insecurity in and around Juba town and on Juba/ Yirol road. These meetings have not yet been concluded.
We have also been holding meetings since last year with Nuer and Shilluk communities in Juba.
In July 2015, we were invited by former President Daniel Arap Moi of Kenya through his African Institute Foundation to go to Nairobi to meet with Nuer Elders Council associated to Riek Machar’s rebels. Ten (10) of us attended and held about 4 days meeting where President Daniel Arap Moi gave his opening and closing speeches.
Some of the ten rebels Elders might have visited Juba to attend the independence celebrations if things had moved as we had tried to advise. It was an exercise which could have been more fruitful had things moved correctly. Most members of that group are now sympathetic to the group of rebel officers, against Dr. Riek Machar.
Other areas of our activities are what we tried to do in attempting to address the crisis in Lakes State. We conducted a two-day meeting with the citizens of Lakes in Juba. Our action attracted the Government attention and some members of the Government went to Rumbek and attempted to resolve the issues. Once the Government became involved, we took off our hands and stopped there for the Government to play its role.
I have to mention that we do not have no other agenda or another objective against any community in South Sudan; nor do we have any Jieng particular interest than working for our Country’s National interest and the common good of all our people in this country. We all acknowledge and are committed to the fact that this country belongs to all of us and together we should build it to be a strong nation. We have no tribalism agenda.
It is with the same commitment and enthusiasm that our communities worked so hard with untold sacrifices to liberate this land. By reason of our numbers and high level of commitment, as shown by our people during the last war of liberation, we take full responsibility for the survival and the success of this Country.
As for you, young men and women of our communities, I have to tell you that the challenges facing this country are immense and your role is on the line; as it has always been the case in these circumstances in the past. May God Almighty give you courage, strength and zeal to stay ready to defend your country and your people.
God bless you all and bless our country.
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