SSSAK: Stop This Imprudent & Wanton Killing along Nimule-Juba Road
8 min readBy South Sudanese Students’ Association in Kenya (SSSAK) and its affiliate leaderships: South Sudanese University and College Students’ Association in Nakuru (SSUCSA-N), and South Sudanese Students’ Union in North Rift & Western Kenya (SSSU NR & WK)
Re: JOINT CONDEMNATION TO THE NIMULE-JUBA ROAD INCIDENCE
June 10, 2017 (SSB) — With tears, grieves and sorrows; South Sudanese students’ leaderships on behalf of the students in Kenya, are sending our sincere and heartfelt condolences to the families, relatives and friends of the victims who lost their dear lives along Nimule-Juba road on 6th and 8th June, 2017 which took away the lives of many young people including Mabor Abut Mathiang (aka Emma 47) and our beloved sister, Noritah Emanya who was a fourth year student from Kampala International University, Uganda. We are equally sending our condolences to the families and relatives of those who lost their innocent souls before through the same route and through Bor-Juba road where the life of our dear brethren including John Chol (aka Johnte) from Moi University (Kenya) among other deceased.
Power struggle robbed us of your sweet souls and knowledge-reserves meant for the development our beloved Country. Juba is becoming the “Golgotha” of South Sudan, anyone leaving or going to Juba on the road seems to be ‘half dead’ before arriving to the destination. Where and how on earth is everyone expected to use the airplane? We are becoming zero class in the Country we fought and voted for! This war robbed us of everything including your lives, economy and our own glory and that is why we are turned the World’s laughing stock.
As students and youths, we feel that we belong to our newly founded tribe called SOUTH SUDAN; we need to speak with one voice against our enemies-the power wrestlers. Therefore, in unison; we condemn the recent killing along the Nimule-Juba road with the strongest terms possible. It is pathetic, filthy, inhumane, heartless and painful enough to watch anymore in silence. We are touched and psychologically stung by the issues that are bedeviling our Country in our watch especially the target killings of innocent civilians who have no reason to die but supposed to be protected by the government or the opposition supposedly the alternative government as it is in the case of other Countries.
We cannot be on akimbo while the terrorists are busy extirpating, exterminating, annihilating, decapitating and butchering our innocent people. The worst atrocities are committed by the road terrorists and none is ever ready to condemn leave alone bringing any to book. Today you can hear it is ‘unknown gunmen’, tomorrow you can hear it is rebel, and we cannot understand if the live of South Sudanese is becoming a “toilet paper” in defense of power by the government and in search of power by the rebels or oppositions, we have lost the nation to egocentrism and status quo!
Where are we heading as a nation, obviously to Gomorrah or Sodom? We are in a country where more than 10 people die and nobody is there to condemn! A Country where those that broadcast inhumane and barbaric incidences are viewed as criminals more than the killers! A Country where youths are told to be the future of the and yet they die earlier than those telling them to be the future! Something appears hard to grok in relation to this so called targeted attack/killing, why is there attacks always when there is a pressure from International Community?
For example, the attack on 9/4/2016 happened when the United Nations Security Council members were about to visit South Sudan and the recent attack happened when the Monday’s IGAD Summit is looming? Where is exactly the problem, why is the attack timed? Is somebody ‘remote controlling’ the live and death of our people or what is happening?
While cursing and condemning the goons and perpetrators of the recent killing along Nimule-Juba road and the killings along all the routes to Juba, we will not just stop there but blame the following institutions and organizations as well:
- Government of the Republic of South Sudan. We feel that government can be utterly blamed for the wanton failure to protect the innocent lives of South Sudanese. Our government is in protection of power to an extend it forgot the protection of the civilians. What is the role of the government if it cannot provide security? Any government that is defeated in the provision of the security is unworthy in its mandate. Worse still, the government never gives a proper condemnation of the people dying every time everywhere in the Country unlike the way they respond to anything touching the power. Does it mean that people lives are nothing in our Country?
- Opposition forces including the violence and non-violence. Worldwide; opposition forces are considered to be the alternative governments hence can do and say what the government has failed to do. If the oppositions especially SPLA-IO (as they admitted) is responsible for the killings then, are they worthy being an alternative government? If other opposition forces are not in blessing of the vice, why are they (opposition forces) failing to condemn incidences of the Nimule-Juba road nature? If SPLA-IO (bush splinter group) is responsible as quoted by East African Newspaper, then; is it not a confirmation of terrorism since the same spot had been a scene of civilian maiming? If you intended to attack the government; attack as many government garrisons as you want than attacking the innocent students coming back from school and some business young men and women trying to make their lives and got nothing to do with the government of the day in J1.
- Citizens of South Sudan especially the youths. South Sudan citizens deserve to be blamed for failing to understand that politicians are busy polarizing us for their interests. What have Dinka politicians done to you and your children because you came from the same tribe than having exposed you to death in defense of power? What have Nuer politicians done to you and your children for you are from the same tribes than having exposed you to death in quest for power? What have Zande politicians done to your future and that of your children than having taken their children to good schools abroad under government scholarship and left you uneducated? What have Toposa politicians done to you and your children for you are from the same community than having left you to die of simple diseases and they keep going to India with their families for treatment? What have Shilluk politicians done to you for you are from the same community than having exposed you to starvation? All youths from all the so called tribes must wake up and embrace their new tribe call SOUTH SUDAN to curve these politicians who are busy building their dynasties out of our ignorance…wake up right now and save South Sudan from sliding! The Country is wailing and crying for help from the attack of the merciless hungry “warlords.”
- United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC). However much we think that the two organizations are trying their very little best, we are equally extrapolated that they have fallen short when it comes to High-way target killing. There is no single day they ever condemn or gave the comprehensive report on what is happening along these roads; whoever is responsible: whether the rebels or government-those atrocities suit those of the terrorists and must be condemned as such. We task the JMEC to work with the necessary institutions to find out what is happening and give a neutral and impartial report on the same. In organized setting, we thought that there is nothing much to call human right abuses than what is currently happening.
As the 65th tribe called SOUTH SUDAN (students and youths), we are urging our colleagues, compatriots and comrades in Uganda, Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan (Equatoria, Upper Nile and Bahr el Ghazal regions) and across the globe to condemn this vices and never accept to succumb to the interest of the enemies of our co-existence who think that power is sweeter than our lives.
They are comfortable and stronger when they see us divided as per our tribes, they are in comfort zone when they see us butchering the innocent ones of our own and they are tapping further at least to see revenge or genocide (God forbid!). Let’s not appease the evil, let’s stand as a nation and we will pass the trial. As students, we must take our role right away from here to do more research and expose those responsible for such atrocities whether they are in Fangak, Nimule or outside South Sudan.
Wail not my Country, God and students are here for you!
Here undersigned are the three SSSAK leaders and the three from each of its affiliate leaderships in the regions (Kenya):
- Aliandro Lotok- President, SSSAK,
- Garang Majok Aruai-Vice President, SSSAK,
- Tito Awen Bol-Secretary General, SSSAK.
South Sudanese University and College students’ Association in Nakuru:
- Deng Nyuon- Chairperson, SSUCSA-N,
- Biar Atem- Deputy Chairperson, SSUCSA-N,
- Gabriel Awan Deng-Secretary General, SSUCSA-N.
South Sudanese Students’ Union in North Rift and Western Kenya:
- Daniel Makur Nhial-Chairperson, SSSU NR & WK,
- Ayii Buol Ayii-Deputy Chairperson, SSSU NR & WK,
- Patrick Mawut Deng-Secretary General, SSSU NR & WK.
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