Juba—Nimule road killing: Is peace accord a fake one?
By Philip Thon Aleu, Juba, South Sudan
August 3, 2017 (SSB) — In 2014, when I relocated from Nimule to Juba to look for job – but had my family in Nimule, I was a frequent traveler on our country’s only paved road. Today, I rarely visit Nimule these days because the route is almost a death trap.
This leads me to question the recent pronouncement on SSBC-TV of a peace accord with rebel leaders who claim responsibility for attacks on Nimule—Juba road. Was it a fake deal?
I wasn’t, however, convinced that a peace agreement can be negotiated in hotels without involving the foot soldiers and be very effective. The rebel generals – now part of the SPLM-IO in Juba, never went back to their comrades in the bushes to inform them about the agreement.
What I saw on SSBC-TV was them being decorated and promoted to ‘generals.’ I never saw their visit to their soldiers in the bushes.
This bothers me a lot. Do we have leaders who care really about the innocent civilians? If we do, why didn’t it cross anyone’s mind that such agreement – and ending the war and attack on Nimule – Juba, should not be conclusive without field visit? Unless we are living in denial, there is no peace that does not involve the ground troops.
Such an accord only exists on papers and it is not helpful.
There are millions of South Sudanese who just want to live in peace. They want to travel for business, visit families during holidays and relocating from one town to another for better opportunities. Not everybody is interested in being a politician. We want to live our lives in peace.
What we need from politicians is the protection of basic rights: the right to life. Signing an agreement that doesn’t protect our rights to life is devastating and heartbreaking.
Maybe leaders ought to take a break and think about South Sudan after their tenure. What will you be remembered for? A great leader is not a man or woman who accumulates wealth out of leading the people. S/he is that individual who leads the poor out of poverty, who provides security to the vulnerable, who help the lazy to work hard and realize their potential.
What exactly are you leading the people for? This is the question that must come to the mind of a great leader.
But signing the agreement, parading people on TV and making the pronouncement that no more attacks on the highways, only to be proven wrong in a few days, is unfortunate.
© PTA
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