Conflicted National Identity: Am I fighting to be a Nuer, Equatorian, or Dinka?
9 min readAm I fighting to be an Upper Nile, Equatoria or Bhar el-ghazal, or am I fighting to be a Nuer, Equatorian, or a Dinka?
By David Matiop Gai, Juba, South Sudan
Dec 18, 206, (SSB) – A question of self-evaluation to all South Sudanese People: Are You Supporting National Dialogue or for War? But how will South Sudan be call if it is a regional government based on our regional affiliations. Why do I kill small populations of twelve million when the country needs high populations of one hundred and fifty million south Sudanese people to be? The reason why I ask such question is because South Sudanese are again creating more violent within the week of national dialogue initiatives announcement by the President of the Republic Salva Kiir Mayardit. It is not a surprise to me as South Sudanese citizen to ask such question. Its comes out of my heart to ask all South Sudanese people at home or in diaspora whether peace is needed now or they want to continue with senseless war.
I called it senseless war because few South Sudanese are disturbing the entire nation with visionless objectives, and plans. Visionless objectives because the split in SPLM always happened for power greedy and struggle like in 1991, 15 Dec 2013, and 8, July 2016 respectively are totally self-deceptions of claim transformation in government, but our political issues were cited in democratic systems of governance where powers vested in citizens through democratic means of a ballot box , not gun bullet. These objectives are still visionless until today because the war is basing on ethnic killing but where will a tribe take a tribe to in its geographical area? God is still watching and even prohibited it.
There is no capacity of a tribe to remove other tribe from the geography of South Sudan and replaced it with another tribe they say they like, and that I why I called it a war of senseless objectives, and destructives visions. For example if I kill other fellow South Sudanese to get power or the person is not from my tribe, while the country need more than fifty millions (50,000,000) people to assist me in development, I repeat then what am I fighting for? Am I fighting to be an Upper Nile alone, Equatoria alone or Bhar el-ghazal alone, or am I fighting to be a Nuer, Equatoria, or a Dinka? While we are already those people, then it is useless.
South Sudan is a populated nation with estimated total of 12 million people. About two-three million (2-3 million) South Sudanese are now destabilizing the country through liars, targeting killing, propaganda, hatred speeches, confusions, invitation of foreign troops as solutions, arm embargo, sanction, and whole world had made South Sudan as a universal students’ field for research, and internship class for getting more experiences than regarding it as a country with its people who have lives according to my own analysis, but 8 million people preserved to hold the country back to its integrity and dignity by not responding to how others are doing it at the courses of war.
To be specific, I wrote an opinion article about national dialogue on 11/12/2016, and published by Paanluelwel: South Sudan Blogger on 12/12/2016 and the President of the Republic Salva Kiir Mayardit call for national dialogue initiatives and forgiveness on 14/12/2016. The event on Transitional Legislatives Assembly was warmly received by Members of Parliament, citizens, JEMC, SPLM-IO, other political parties, and some citizens testified to me that when they heard the speeches of the president, they slept well that night, why because there are some rumours that come from the rebels’ sides.
Rebels called themselves loyal to Dr. Riek Machar who is now in South Africa propagates that Dinka have lunched seven thousands to slaughter Equatorians, and if they see failing that way, they again turn by scaring citizens that we are coming to attack Juba very soon, even Ugandan in country heard of that rumours, and why some citizen told me since they heard the speeches of the President, they slept well that night. The President called upon South Sudanese to forgiveness International community on their frustrations on how International Community is handling political issues in South Sudan, while the President pleaded particularly UN and America.
Contrary against Kiir called for national dialogue initiative and the on new events which took place again, and these are the serious matters that what make me to write this article because I am an opinion writer on social issues, political issues, conflict analysis, educational issues, and human related issues. The things which happen again in the eyes of International Community, and on the face of South Sudanese are the matters of my writing.
On 15/12/2016 at around 5:00 PM South Sudan local time, a heavy armed youths of Murle attached Jallee Payam, North Bor County, and killed 16 citizens of sub-clan of Koc ke Anyaar in Juet community. Those decayed were the same family because Dinka lived as section of forefathers. The number included children, elderly people, youths, women, and men. Four children of two families were abducted and taken away together with herds of cattle. As soon as we speak now, youths are pursuing after raiders, and the number of the dead will increase.
On the same day, a bongo bus Tata was travelling from Juba to Nimule. On the high way near Moli, the attackers were shooting at the bus and killed three people on sport, and took women and children into the forest. These people were from Greater Bor Community. What did the attackers do about them, nobody knows, where they are, or how did they died, nobody has knowledge about it, but people believed they were killed.
The third point is on the 16/12/2016, on this day the International community whom President Kiir said south Sudanese citizens should not say nothing about them went on air for the whole day in BCC News broadcasting lies testimonies when hearing south Sudan president called for inclusive dialogue among the south Sudanese people. Yes in fact there are number of incidents that are recorded, but those records of yesterday are propagandists’ records. Records of massive killing like cutting with pangas, and all parents killed shouldn’t have emotional feelings, and remembrance feelings?
When people ran to Uganda as refugees, the first community who ran to Uganda in 2013 were Dinka community from Jonglei, where heavy fighting was erupted in 2013, followed by Upper Nile citizens, and Bentiu. Does UNHCR not have records and how they receive people as refugees? Communities from Bhar el-ghazal and Equatoria did not experienced such hazards of war unless internal displace camps, and 8, July 2016 when propagandists started spreading liars again across Equatoria, for example when I came from Uganda, I got South Sudanese journalist interviewing a woman from Maddi community of Pageri payam, that why are you running away, what is the problem?
She frankly said, “I don’t know, I see neighbours running away so I start to run also, and she was laughing”. When I reached to Nimule I got Pastor William a friend of mine standing in his home compound and he told me he wants to take his madam to Uganda, the rebels are threatening to attack Nimule and people did not sleep at night”. I said fine.
Those were reason for South Sudanese running to Uganda last year and this year, but inside Uganda, the stories have changed directions. You hear faults accommodation of full liars that villages are burned down, massive killings, women raped, girls raped, and so forth, but those are the things which I oppose. I call them means of survivals to get UN foods because if you go to other country without proper reason, you cannot get aid assistant.
And finally, President Kiir is trying to covering International Community who have upper hand in cause of South Sudanese suffering, our anger will not just go like that because we are human being, we have brain, we know things, we analysed things, we judged matters, and we know where the problem is. Yes the international community provides assistant aids, one may not deny that, but they are not protecting peace and willing to resolves problems in South Sudan once and for all. Whenever you see them sitting in New York, they add more fire on our political conflict.
Two, when they hear you conducting conference on 14/12/2016, then on 15, and 16/12/2016 they began talking ills against South Sudan government especially the outgoing Secretary General Banki-Moon, and I quoted him, “South Sudanese leaders betrayed citizens, says UN chief” and the whole world betrayed young nation South Sudan”. What I know as a mediator or somebody who want to bring two or more people together in peace, you don’t take side or criticized the way I see those of Banki- Moon are doing. You act as a mediator opt to bring peace through win-win methodology.
Three, when they heard President Kiir calling national dialogue, they putted records of killings, raps, liars, to provoke South Sudanese emotionally, psychologically, and mentally. Instead, they would have supporting this step of national dialogue, because majority South Sudanese are seen as welcoming the initiative in wholehearted, they choose new direction. But now my question goes President Kiir, the way you see them and I have analysed their actions and plans, are they friends of South Sudan or enemies? I am asking this Mr. President because I used to solve issues, and I have realized that these friends of yours are running other business.
To International Community: I am much concern about the lives of all South Sudanese people, and the one seat which leaders grumbling around it caused loss of more lives. The evidences of my concern about South Sudanese citizens are cited in my articles. I have personally lost 16 family members in South Sudan wars. I have lost 13 family remembers in 1991, and 3 family remembers in 2013. The children of these families have terrible memories of their parents, but I am taking care of them, in term of education, food, health, and clothing and I didn’t dream one day to revenge against those who killed them.
I believed the dead is forever gone, and revenge killing cannot bring them back alive. Therefore, my articles always created awareness of danger ahead, restore hopes, encourage spirit of unity, gearing toward forgiveness, rebuked wrong doers, pave ways to peace, resolve issues amicably, embrace one another, advise leaders, and finally I advised JEMC, and all partners to peace in April 2016 before Dr. Riek arrived in Juba, and is my advised not true in July 2016?
My question to you is, is it how International Community handle international affairs or it is just only in South Sudan? And if it is so, how will UN prevent third world war not erupt again?
To South Sudanese at home and in diaspora: the tittle of this article belongs to you. Are you all for national dialogue or war? Please open your eyes and see. What are you doing as South Sudanese by killing your fellow countrymen/women for an easy thing called seat of one person. The war which you spread people have given leaders chance to sit in power for long time.
In 2015, election would have been conducted, and these leaders would have gone. Therefore, if we chose peace and go along national dialogue, we will solve number of things seem impossible to possible, and that all my message. God bless South Sudan.
The author is a co-founder of mental health care organization. He can be reached at david.matiopgai@gmail.com.
The opinion expressed here is solely the view of the writer. The veracity of any claim made are the responsibility of the author, not PaanLuel Wël: South Sudanese Bloggers (SSB) website. If you want to submit an opinion article or news analysis, please email it to paanluel2011@gmail.com. SSB do reserve the right to edit material before publication. Please include your full name, email address, the city and the country you are writing from.
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