Letter to President Kiir: Stop the target killing of civilians in the Equatoria Region
7 min readBy Luka Geng Geng, Wau, South Sudan
October 14, 2016 (SSB) — Mr. President, with deepest frustration as I pen you this letter, I would like to begin the outset by sending my heartfelt condolences to the entire families, friends and relatives of the brutalized members of Dinkas whose lives perished in cold blooded war on the main streets and jungles of greater Equatoria region under the hands of merciless Equatorian youth against Dinka.
Back to the point, this letter is to appeal to you to do something fast and if you are already doing something to redouble your effort or to re-focus your compliance with the saying that; stitch in time saves nine. This is a matter of grave concern you should know. The recent sadistic brutal murdering of innocent Dinka on Yei to Juba road and Juba-Nimule road are very disheartening not only to the families of deceased but equally to all Dinka communities across the country. Why would Innocent Dinkas people be killed on regular basis? You ought to know the answer to this question and come up with the solution.
Mr. President, as I will continue to address you here, first and foremost you should know that I am an ordinary citizen with only a pen to communicate with you; as a result, I am obliged to deliver you this piece on open medium but I want to assure you if I had an opportunity to convey this message privately, I would not have hesitated to do so. Moreover, this is not the first time I am writing an open letter to you and if you don’t like it then pardon me; I owe you truth, nothing but the truth.
Since you are the only custodian of Dinka people constitutionally and all others tribes in South in south Sudan; I would like to state clearly to you that “what has been happening at your watch is a clear indication where the state failed not only to protect and ensue the constitutional, legal and traditional rights of tribal people but instead it sponsored crimes against tribal people”. May it not be written in the pages of history that south Sudan became a warlord?
In this open letter, I would want to question your knowledge about the root cause of what is going on now in the country. Did you know why hating Dinka tribe that much? It is because you are president who comes from Dinka while others tribes are not happy with your ruling; this is fact not a case, and so it is what you should know best, Nuers and Shilluk tribes have already demonstrated that to you which can also best prove my point here.
We believed that will it be too late though you might come up with whatever the solution. Do you think that being Dinka born president, your tribe mates could be killed while you and your government are tied lipped because you come from Dinka tribe? Is your presidency enough for these lives lost? I don’t think so. On daily basis, innocent Dinkas people are being target and cornered everywhere on the streets and jungles of Equatoria region creating a sense of insecurity yet your government couldn’t come up with a clear-cut solution to that.
In several occasions, we have seen that brutal killing of Dinkas has become a frequent occurrence and irrespective of whatever intervention your government will make thereafter, its persistence does nothing to engender faith in your government system’s ability to secure justice for the victims and the entire members of Dinkas living in Equatoria region whom I think are in the pecking order of heartless organized group against Dinkas.
Remember, as a chief servant of the nation or president you are like a pilot of an aircraft flying in turbulence. Turbulence times bring out the best or worse of a pilot. We can no longer blame the turbulence on past enemies of South Sudan at this time though some figures within your government still points their fingers at former rebel leaders to be behind the killings. Believe me or not, this time the buck rest at your desk if you fail to live up to the hype and hopes of million people across the country on the current situation because all believes that providing security for civilian is the primary responsibility of the state.
Mr. President, you need to know that even if we live in a country were almost everything is devalued including our local currencies, we wouldn’t accept our lives to be devalued, and in particular as Dinkas we are always calm, not known for the killing initiating characters but lethal on revenge if resorted to as the only option, something which I believe the same government of yours now dragging foot on the current brutality will sweat on it so much sooner or later. What the Equatorian brothers are doing against Dinka may turn bitter soon if Dinka tribes may respond to it. But why would you want Dinkas to revenge before your intervention Mr. president?
By writing this letter, I am neither inciting Dinka youth nor advocating for the Dinkas to rise and revenge but rather I want your serious intervention and that of your government Mr. President. I want you also to know that others non Dinka tribes across South Sudan are not happy with your ruling which is the chief Dinka is hated that much. Mr. President you also know that you made us too weak in defending your government against your harsh critics because what we see sometimes with your government weaken our defend strategy. It could be wise for your government to be sensitive to such situations where the blood is poured. Everyone wanted to your intervention at this situation.
In my personal point of view, the kind of interventional measures I would like your government to take is responding to such incidents by coming out with a high level judicial inquiry, legal action and fixing accountability on the brutality and cruelty killing of innocent Dinkas and ultimately to strongly condemn this act of crimes against humanity which is also tribalism by its nature.
And if these ideas are not helpful in this particular situation, you may go as far announcing the state of emergency in the states like Yei and apply exactly the same formula which was used to solve the problem in Wau state. Coming to Wau now you will really feel that the formula was really helpful in a situation were no body was expecting its quickest recovery owing to rampant killing which was practiced in Wau.
Mr. President, I wonder what kind of leadership is your government tries to run, in other countries, it is not surprising to see the heads of the state coming out to strongly condemns and sent out condolences not even on the killing of less than two civilians but only in some occasions where only life threatening acts has been committed. Why is it too late or too hard for your government to imitate such noble leaders? What will justify your silence in the ongoing killing of innocent Dinka? I will never understand!
In conclusion, I would like to urge the transitional government of national unity for immediate intervention to halt the ongoing onslaught in our country for the current trend may lead our country towards tribal warlord which we don’t expect to exist in our beloved nation. The current situation must end with a well calculated political solution. A restoration and consolidation of full protection of civilians which is well within the power of your government Mr. President can indiscriminate the horrors of brutal killing of innocent members of Dinka tribes.
The current insecurity created by some individuals with tribal ideologies may send our country to trash given the current situation in the country. However, my big fear is that we face a prospect of losing another generation of South Sudanese to conflict and misery should all the tribes be engaged in the ongoing killing of members of tribes ……..up to here I rest my point.
The author of this piece is 6th year medical student in the University of Bahr el Ghazal; Wau. For contact, he can be reached at lukageng@gmail.com/0956661661
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