South Sudanese fighting wrong war against Dinka tribe
10 min readBy Bol Garang
December 21, 2015 (SSB) — South Sudan is a world youngest nation and a beautiful country in African Continent who gained its independence on the 9th July 2011 after 21 years of longest civil war in Africa, which overheads 3-4 millions people lives in the Country. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement, known as (CPA) was signed in Naivasha North-west of Nairobi Kenya on the 1st of January 2005 established the civil war, which gave Southern Region of Sudan six years of self-determination and offered rebel leader Dr John Garang de Mabior a position of the first Vice President of the government of National Unity in Khartoum under Omar Bashir and also he becomes the President of Southern Sudan government in Juba.
Therefore, after that period of autonomous, Southerners were given a choice according to CPA policy to held a referendum to determine their final status whether to be alienated from the North Sudan or remains as United Sudan. Hence, when Southerners held referendum in January 2011, preponderance of them votes 98% in favour of separation from the old Sudan; this is how South Sudan became independence country. Moreover, South Sudan is one of African richest country with oil productions, mineral resources, uranium, water, wildlife and fertile land for agriculture. It’s a land to indigenous African tribes whom their ancestors had maintained for a very long period of time from European and Arab invaders during humans immigration seasons.
This country, South Sudan is homes to 64 tribes who have African common norms and values amongst them Dinka, Nuer, Azande and Bari speakers are the minorities. During long civil war in the country all these 64 tribes of South Sudan amalgamated hands to liberate their country from the Arabs who came to the country some century’s back unnoticed. Nonetheless, those four major tribes revealed above have huge contributions compares to others during struggle although all of the tribes contributed. Well, all of them had liberated this country but after the independence, the Nuer commenced rebellions in the region of Upper Nile where they’re the majority against the government led by President Salva Kiir Mayardit from the Dinka tribe.
The Nuer asserted that Dinka tribe had mismanagement country resources; they spoke of nepotism, and discrimination against other tribes. The Nuer sustained that prominence until Riek Machar the Nuer influential man was scorned as Country First Vice President under Salva Kiir Mayardit in the mid of 2013. A movement which fuelled the prevailing fire and before Riek was removed, he was engrossed to takeover the leadership of SPLM under Kiir Mayardit, he indicted Kiir as failed leader and he incited that SPLM party has lost vision and mission because of Kiir Mayardit as an illiterate leader. When Riek Machar was off in his high position and hasn’t been given another position, he thought of more campaign and by any main to challenge for the presidential election, which was supposed to be held in 2015 against the incumbent president Kiir Mayardit.
When President Kiir Mayardit understood that Riek Machar has recruited a group consists of army generals and the senior SPLM politicians who have the same interests as him. He becomes concerned of his position; he got a thought to kick them out in the country by any possible ways. All along, the incumbent President Kiir Mayardit refused to holds a SPLM Party convention. Convention is a gather of high profile members of the SPLM Liberation Council, National Political Bureaus and high profile members sit to discuss and pass SPLM basic documents, code of conduct and manifestos, elect secretarial positions including the party chairperson, which is held every five years. When Riek Machar group included Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior; the wife of founding and father of South Sudan start chitchat about those disputes. His Excellence, Mr President become more aggravated, he sat down with his inner group to discuss the complications. Therefore, after their several conferences in days, they accomplished by coming up with a coup as a best option to be made against and announced it on Riek Machar and his group that they have made a coup. Since they have studied that the western and some of the African countries have rule out recognition of any coup attempts thus, they thought this would be the best chance to fight them or force them to exile.
Consequently, in December ever year Christians in South Sudan always feel excited to towards the festive seasons of Christmas and New Year. They primed themselves; they do everything they could to welcome the birth of Jesus Christ the Son of God and New Year in happiness. Nonetheless, that wasn’t the fling in the mid of December 2015 in Juba. The Kiir Mayardit administration made a coup and announces it on their controlled Television known as SSTV that Riek Machar and his group had made a coup against the government. Therefore, The 15th December becomes sorrowfulness day in the country, it becomes a day South Sudanese were caught by fiend acts, since country gained its independence from Khartoum Muslim rules. When soldier loyal to Riek Machar from Nuer heard the stories of Juba massacred against their tribe, they start defections from government positions in the whole of Greater Upper Nile region.
Therefore, few days later when Riek Machar left Juba to Bor capital city of Jonglei State which Peter Gatdet forces loyal to the former Vice President captured it and killed thousands of innocent civilians after his defection. Then, Riek went on air and announces his South Sudan Resistance Movement (SSRM/A) against the Dinka government. He went underground mobilizing all the tribes of South Sudan to fight Dinka tribe and its government. Hence, occasionally our South Sudanese people don’t think twice and indeed there’s something erroneous with them in their respective regions or villages. Therefore, when Riek preaches some nonsensical information into their heads. Our South Sudanese tribes in Greater Upper Nile and Equatoria regions went on and declared to be fighting against Dinka government because Dinka tribe has ostracizes them. Honestly, they’re belligerent an iniquitous war because rebellious against Dinka, as tribe won’t let them win the victory since there’s no Dinka government. What I know, it’s a government of 64 tribes of South Sudan who were marginalised by Khartoum regime for decades before their independence.
It would have been better for them, those tribes, the Nuer and Equatorians to says that they’re fighting government of South Sudan who had marginalized its citizens includes the Dinka because there some of Dinkas anguish under Kiir Mayardit government in Juba, it could have make sense to other tribes including the Dinka and the anchorites’ in general. However, the Nuer claimed to fight Dinka government, how could Nuer fight Dinka, when they have high positions held by Dinkas in their SPLM-IO Party? How could they win this war when there’re Dinka soldiers in their side and the government side? That’s erroneous perception.
How could they win this war, when they have Nuer soldiers on their side and on government side? No way, t’s very impossible to win because they’re fighting themselves. The Nuer talks of marginalisation, how are they marginalised, when they have these powerful posts includes Speaker of the Parliament and thus many ministerial posts including Education, Health and etc.? Well, after, Nuer comprehended that fighting Dinka tribe or Dinka government won’t let them last long or wins the war because there’s no Dinka government then, they changed their tone. Currently, they’ll be having an upper hand in the Transition government of National unity to be formed within the coming months.
The Equatorians went down and mobilized themselves to fight the Dinka as a tribe because they articulates they’re marginalised, how are they marginalised, when many ministerial posts are held by Equatorians including country Vice President, the second powerful position in the Country, they have Cabinet affairs, Security in the office of President, the interior and etcetera? What shall be their benefits in this war? They’ll lost war, lives and properties, which were supposed to be prevented if they have followed dialogue with the government. The Nuer had lost many lives, properties, environment and all their belongings included cattle but they’ll be having a precent in the transition government. What about Equatorians?
These tribes have misinterpreted the point; they would have coordinates and channel this war to fight the corrupted government of Kiir Mayardit who had loots our resources for many years without development, a government who assassinates its young educated citizens for the fear of overhauling their positions. They would have battle the government who botched to provide needy services like transport, health, education, communication and agriculture. They were supposed to fight the government who should’ve hypothetically controlled all the guns and protect its citizens day and night from criminals.
They were supposed to fight the government, which had become unknown gunmen, when actually they’re the unknown gunmen in they country especially the security personnel. They were supposed to unite and fight the government who target certain tribes when, it’s their duties to equalises everything to its inhabitants. These tribes were supposed to bond and fight government who given out our land along the borders to our neighbouring countries for the sake of supporting them to remains in power. The borders between Sudan and South Sudan aren’t demarcated why because its trepidation of Khartoum intimidation to shut downs the pipeline of oil production or gives more support to the rebels as usual. Uganda has accomplished it mission on the bordering towns of Magwi County. Kenya is drilling our oil in Ilemi Triangle inside South Sudan. Someone may inquire, who give Kenya government right on Ilemi Triangle oil? Additionally, on the South-North Sudan border, the Panthou and Abyei have been given spontaneously to Khartoum government. Where’s our land we fought?
Our tribes would have juncture hands together to fight the government who contradicts our freedom, which we all fought from the Arabs. The freedom of speech, freedom of expression, the freedom of movement, the freedom to live confidently as a citizens of the country not like strangers, When foreigners came to this country they’re given high positions in the government jobs which were supposed to be the cakes of citizens. Furthermore, they’re being given much respect than the ordinary citizens who fought for this land of South Sudan. The East African Community is playing a dirty game on South Sudan but our leaders have failed to comprehend that we lost parents, siblings, internal and external families, friends and beloved ones because of this land.
To make it short, I want our South Sudanese tribes to unite and fight the failure government of Salva Kiir Mayardit not the Dinka tribe because there’s no Dinka government or country. We need to avoid our ideologies of being from this tribe or that tribe because our national identity is South Sudanese and we’re all South Sudanese outside there regardless of our inside tribes. We need to come together and fight the government who exterminate us, a government who repudiates our freedoms and right of being a citizen in the country.
I argue, our South Sudanese tribes to fight together the government who want few people to remains rich when orphans, war wounded persons, old persons, disable persons, breastfeeding mothers, infants and children are vanishing everyday because no services provided to them in the country. Our South Sudanese tribes need to come together with one goal to vote out or overthrow Kiir Mayardit government by all cost because the president with his inner team have failure the country vision and mission our people died during 21 years of struggle.
The issue of insecurity, transport, health, education, communication and agriculture would have not been the issues since our country is rich with minerals, oil, water, wildlife and fertile land for agriculture. However, our most important thing that needs to be tackle is corruption from these greediest officials. Our tribes need better understanding among themselves to solve these micro-violent within communities and focus on our country future. If we have peaceful coexistence and unity, we could have defeated those corrupt government officials in Juba. We’re not enemies, Dinka and Nuer are enemies as other think, they’re brothers and sisters. Equatorians and Dinka are not enemies, Dinka and other tribes of South Sudan aren’t enemies, we’re all South Sudanese only our politicians made us to hate each other for their benefit. Together we’re one.
“Knowledge, Unity and Understanding make living better”
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