The fallacies of the 20th July demonstrations in Juba, South Sudan
4 min readBy Daniel Bol Majok, Cape Town, South Africa
July 20, 2016 (SSB) — The timing and the purpose of today’s demonstration is wrong….we have families who are still mourning their loved ones killed in the recent clashes. They have not even identified and give them an Honourable burial, many of them must have been hurried in a mass grave by Red Cross.
What do you mean “UN MUST GO?” Does it means the UN and its humanitarian agencies such WFP, UNICEF must pack and go at this critical moment when the government lacks the will and capacity to assist, leave alone delivering the required services to, the needy/displaced people in the country. Where are these people going to get food, medicines, shelter in this crisis and beyond? Ignore my ignorance and tell me the services the government has delivered to our people since independence? Issuing us with ID Cards and Passports?
Begging the USA government to tarmac Juba-Nimule road? Stealing the 70% of the taxpayers’ money to tarmac the roads in Juba? Ballooning the dollar-pounds exchange rates through corruption using proxy Bureau of Exchange and fake auction process at Central Bank? Or was it through skewed procurement processes to supply government institutions including the army: what I call institutionalized corruption? What is it?
It is also unimaginable to talk of pushing forward with the implementation of the peace accord when we are going to have same armies in the same city when the root causes of their clashes earlier this month are not unearthed and resolved. How is the government of “National Unity” going to guarantee the non-repeat of the deadly clashes between the SPLA (IO) and SPLA (IG)? Is it not reasonable to deploy a third force to act as a buffer between the two?
And my departure from the third force to be deployed is this: I don’t want this third force to come outside the already existing 12,000 armed personnel of the UNMISS. There is no reason for bringing in AU/IGAD forces. They have never succeeded anywhere under the AU/IGAD banner.
Although UN Peacekeeping mission has its own shortcomings, it is the better option and opportunity to the government to arrest the fears of its peace partners, especially in its “effort” to push for the return of Dr. Riek and hopefully the return of the self-exiled members of the SPLA (FDs). AU or IGAD forces have never succeeded anywhere before and they should NEVER BE ALLOWED INTO OUR COUNTRY!
It’s not an invasion stupid! If the presence of foreign troops in our country is what we call “invasion”, then we should have defined the deployment of UNMISS forces in 2011 as an act of invasion. These forces are from more than 10 foreign countries. Why are we not calling them “invading forces?” And why didn’t we demonstrate when they were being deployed. Why didn’t the SPLA (by the combined forces of the current SPLA (IG) and SPLA (IO)) fight them. Why didn’t the then politicians mobilize the Citizens to demonstrate against them?
When did we learn the art of free and peaceful demonstration? Is the government genuinely supportive of free and peaceful demonstrations? Will they give demonstrators the same protection if they demonstrate tomorrow about the looting in Nehalem Market, raping of women and loss of lives and property in Juba, Wau, Bor, Malakal, Rumbek and other towns of South Sudan where many lives and properties were lost? Will they give the same protection when people complain about the unpaid salaries? I believe you know the answers to these.
That is why, in my humble opinion, these demonstrations are misguided!
The government is covering its own service delivery, possibly criminal responsibility and governance failures by pointing an accusing finger on another entity (ies) that have no primary responsibility in South Sudan.
If you believe I am wrong and misguided, forward your informed rebuttal devoid of all tribal prejudices and political inclination
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