Why a reunion with Khartoum is a hopeless endeavor, a response to Manyang Mayar
By Jok Mayom, Juba, South Sudan
August 14, 2016 (SSB) — With due respect to your citizenry opinion article brother Manyang David Mayar dated 13th August 2016 which you circulated in the media regarding the current trend the Country is going through and particularly the recent pressure resolution of the United Nation Security Council (UNSC) to send 4,000 third force to protect the civilians, a move you said is invading the Country.
In your opinion brother Manyang David, you said and I quote, “In the current situation where the region and the international community are hovering over South Sudan with their vast different interests, I am of a view that President Kiir and his government should consider taking the government back to Khartoum and those who want the power and the resources will go and get it”.
Dear brother Manyang David, you cited that re-uniting back to Sudan will make the Country strong and will not make it fall – “united we stand and separated we fall” this phrase is misplaced. You also misquoted our hero Dr. John Garang De Mabior whom you said he was for – a view for a strong united Sudan – than splitting the country into two weak nations.
Let me bring one of Dr. Garang (R.I.P) quotes to light regarding the South Sudan referendum, “I and those who joined me in the bush and fought for more than 20 years have brought to you CPA in a golden plate. Our mission is accomplished. It is now your turn, especially those who did not have a chance to experience bush life. When the time comes to vote at the Referendum, it will be your golden chance to determine your fate. Would you like to vote to be a second class citizens in your own country? It is absolutely your choice.”
First and foremost, you clearly stated and I quote from your article piece “a thief you know is better than the thief you don’t know” allow me to begin my citizenry respond too, to your article with a question, how have you forgotten the issues that Khartoum (Sudan) you are telling your government to consider and take her people who voted unanimously with 99% to? How possible is it to take shelter with the thief you know as you stated why not better say taking shelter with an honest person you don’t know if there is no other way the Country can depend it sovereignty. Sudan is our immediate thief and has not been so friendly since independent, a lot of reports are in records. You are like saying “Malesh Bashir” or “Sorry Bashir” for separation, very unbelievable brother, we should correct this and enlighten the uninform citizens.
You swore that “reuniting Sudan will not be far from mind” if the region and the west keep on humiliating South Sudan and creating more chaos in order to freely have access to our resources. This again is misplaced. South Sudanese leaders have a lot to do to protect the sovereignty and this is by implementing peace.
Of course, if you seem to have forgotten, in 2012, the Sudan government you are saying your government (South Sudan) should annex to it after the divorce one year after independent in 2011 was South Sudan thief of crude oil contributing to the oil shutdown and consequently leading to the economic crisis of the young nation.
In January 2012, South Sudan shut down its entire oil production of 350,000 barrels per day, the major source of the young nation’s milk and butter a day after Sudan started seizing southern oil to compensate for what it called unpaid transit fees, this move of Sudan was not friendly.
After the South Sudan shut down its oil production, Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir was quoted by BBC as saying “war was now closer than peace”, my brother Manyang and fellow South Sudanese, how can the government and her people decide to take up this bitter pills of returning back? How will the government tell the people to accept this?
However, some of your arguments are rightly placed such as the way the international community in the name of East African regional bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and United Nations, has been handling South Sudan political crisis since 2013.
Nevertheless, the IGAD, TROIKA, UN amongst others have made some progress by bringing President Salva Kiir and Dr. Riek Machar to the table in Addis Ababa-Ethiopia mediating the peace agreement, if their little interest was to be seen by the two warring leaders’ forces and then turn to accept the ceasefire and consequently accepting deal, nothing would have continued to this far.
South Sudan is almost getting matured, it’s now leaving its infancy and cannot be advised to throw away the baby with bathed water when the baby is about to crawl and walk on its own feet, the beautiful code of army (justice, liberty and prosperity), the flag (black, red, green and white colours) and the lovely national anthem are the prides of the young nation.
I am proud of our national anthem and don’t see it drop and we get back to Sudan again, rather if we see that there are peace partners who are not favoring us in mediating just and lasting peace, it is better we urge them to go the way we think peace can be achieve, in addition, our communities should continue to embrace peace and reconciliation as the peace agreement signatories dialogues the implementation process.
I am of the view that “No turning back, no turning back. We (South Sudanese) have decided to leave Sudan by voting for 99% separation” and that for our issues it is better to challenge our government to continue pushing for dialogue for the peaceful resolution of the conflict in the Republic of South Sudan through its Peace Accord inked in August 2015 by President Salva Kiir and Dr. Riek Machar. This will be a catalyst to block the coming of the third force.
The people of South Sudan expect the International Community to be a blessing by bolstering South Sudan problems in an honest manner that doesn’t undermine the sovereignty of the country in any way, by allowing the leaders to discuss their differences in an environment that is honest, impartial and free of threats and interests.
On July 9, 2011, the state of South Sudan was formed following a decisive and peaceful vote for secession from Sudan in January 2011. Several million Southern Sudanese in which you might be inclusive, casted their ballots in all 25 states of Sudan and eight other countries, voted unanimously for separation in the referendum for the self-determination of Southern Sudan mandated by the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) to decide on their fate of self-determination after years of brutal civil wars.
As an independent country, it is worth recalling the lessons learned from the referendum, the promise that it demonstrated for the Southerners to be free from grievances of economic and political marginalization, with power concentrated in Khartoum at the expense of other areas of Sudan, and economic development centered in the capital. Acute Marginalization in the South and, coupled with periodic campaigns of Islamization by Northern governments, led to political and armed resistance. This should not be allowed to happen!
South Sudanese in general should rest assured that the South’s call for self-determination began as early as 1947 and persisted through the next 64 years, through two civil wars between the Government of Sudan and rebels in the South.
I call upon my brother Manyang David and the entire people of South Sudan to hold hands together for the betterment of this beloved nation, Let us review the reasons for the liberation struggles as we think about our issues at this critical movement.
The writer is a concern South Sudanese living in Juba, reachable via email jokpmayom@gmail.com
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