Let Unknown Gunmen Remain Unknown
By David Mayen Ayarbior, Juba, South Sudan
August 26, 2015 (SSB) — As usual, a sizable number of readers might, without reading further, infer from the title of this article that it is calling for the “un-known gunmen” who have been attacking police stations across South Sudan and laying ambushes along highways not to be apprehended. Of course, the viewpoint here is that all agencies concerned should work day and night to apprehend and rehabilitate these young men before they unknowingly turn South Sudan into another Mexico or Colombia.
Of course, South Sudan has not yet reached that level, but we must be cognizant of the fact that for insecurity to set base in a country and entrench its presence it takes less time than most of us would think. As a country, we are evidently well into that path since the time when a few militaristic politicians decided to “challenge” the government in which they had been part and parcel until a couple of months before staging a violent attempt to overthrow it, for lack of a politically correct and less partisan description.
Sensible to where our country is today, many pundits have correctly indicated that a miserable state of “to be or not to be” could be seen and smelled on the near horizon. Indeed, the most optimistic or chauvinistic of us confessed that we have been brought to the brink of a situation that might spiral out of control, sooner than later. This is all because of the current man-made environment of mutual hatred that is consuming every bit of what makes us citizens of one country who were supposed to work together for its prosperity, no matter what.
Whether good or evil, militaristic young men (gunmen) of South Sudan are currently fast increasing in number and the “un-known” among them are slowly making visible their presence on the current stage of carnage where political interaction has gone wrong. Slowly, but surely, their numbers might increase given the state of unemployment which characterizes every country that is caught in civil war and strife.
When economist state that war is a very expensive enterprise it is an understatement. What is often overlooked in that assertion is that war’s “expensive” character is not exclusively measured in terms of finance, but from the more important element of destruction of a country’s social fabric. It damages the investment climate in the country and, consequently, leads to a constant state of poverty and lack of opportunity which is insulting to human dignity. And, in absence of better alternatives, it leads to a level of frustration that makes the gun an attractive means of livelihood.
There are people who may argue that the government is or will be soon in control, yet even the United States cannot control crime when small arms have proliferated in society. Once the level of crime increases and more frustrated young men become gunmen as a mode of survival, it normally takes an independent live of its own far away from the politics of the day. Even if in the short run the state deals with the apparent political leadership behind this destructive phenomenon, these gunmen will have created independent pockets of criminal syndicates that are only motivated by economic gains.
Attaining genuine peace is the only first step and way out of this predicament into which our very rich country has been forced. It goes without saying that pace is the one and only prerequisite of peace-full existence in a country. Yet, the real government undertaking against these frustrated young gunmen go beyond mere signing of peace and may not be characterized by running after the unknown, but attracting the known to remain in society and engage in constructive activities.
As human beings, we have a surplus reservoir of energy that makes us physically more productive at certain age groups, specifically during our youth. That surplus energy must come out in many ways, including through arts, sports and a spectrum of blue-collar jobs such as railway and road construction, factory works, and many more. Such activities enable young men to be the most supportive groups to their families.
Nevertheless, when a state is unable to provide an environment where its young men engage in productive and income earning enterprises, no matter the justification, the end result is not disputable. Hence, let the unknown gunmen of this extremely rich country remain unknown by making peace reign and alternative employment available. There is no magic formula to that end.
David Mayen Ayarbior, BA Econ-Poli.Science (KIU-Uganda), MA International Security (JKSIS -University of Denver), LLB (University of London) – dmayend@yahoo.com.
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