A rebuttal letter from TWIC East leadership in Kampala

SUBJECT: RESPONSE TO STATEMENT OF DECLARATION BY INDIVIDUALS PURPORTING TO BE REPRESENTING TWIC EAST AS ADDRESSED TO SPLM/A IO, DATED 25/10/2017 AND CONFUSINGLY 29/10/2017 AT THE SAME TIME.

October 31, 2017 (SSB) — The administration of Twic East in Kampala, has learned with shock the slanderous move by some individuals purporting to be representing the name of the community and defecting to SPLA-IO. Below are the individuals behind the statement in disguise of Twic East leadership in Kampala:

1. Thon Lual Har Cholweng.

2. Duot Manyok Joseph.

3. Manyok Mayen Gak.

4. Nyarwal Lonypiny Diu.

5. Majok Ngot.

As a legally serving leadership in Kampala, we condemn in the strongest terms possible the move of these unscrupulous individuals in their smear campaign of indiscriminatingly going beyond the scope of the community and using the current leadership as their basis of authority. The leadership has no knowledge of the above individuals and has never delegated any ofitst members to enter into such agreement with SPLM/A IO. Twic East community in her subsequent meetings has not and has never and will never insinuate to go that direction. Unless if the General Assembly through it leadership has decided. Which has not!

Besides, we condemn in equal terms the deliberate attempt by these individuals, the fault line of including Dr. John Garang Mabior’s family as a yardstick for determining the fate of Twic East. Not unmindful of the weight of Garang’s family in South Sudan. The family can not be use as a mobilising factor to justify what Twic East position is, unless if they want to say that Garang has left the button of rebellion to be detonate by his family at one point and Twic East should follow suit. Garang is a national figure and not the opposite as they portrayed. So, let Mabior Garang’s position remains his position and not of the community.

Moreover, Twic East has never positioned herself at a level of whistleblowers to gauge how Nuers or Equatorians were killed in 2013 to date. We wish to make it public that it is not in the dream of Twic East to takeover The role of Amnesty International or any other Human Right group. We are part of the suffering majority as a matter of fact and yearning for peace like any other community but that will not equate Twic East to such a level. Instead, we want an amicable solution and in that matter, IGAD is up to the task of bringing peace back and not rebellion as claimed by these individuals.

To point out their blunders on how they are trying to confuse the public, you will find in their position paper and as quoted “The people of Jonglei State have been misled by Kuol Manyang, Makuei Lueth, Steven Dhieu Dau the director of Kiir finance and Joshua Dau who is a member of Jieng Council of Elders that doctor Riek Machar, the Nuer community and the Equatorians are the problem of South Sudan.” surely, as a logical person, how can you mentioned leaders who are not from your community as the one misleading Twic East. General Kuol and Hon. Makuei Lueth are from Bor County and Hon. Steven Dhieu as well as Joshua Dau are from Apadang. How on Earth would one imagine them as the problem of Twic East?

Another contradicting information is in how they introduced themselves and how they short changed their stand in their last paragraph. “We are a joined team of Representatives from the marginalized Dinka community of Apadang, Twic East and all those Dinka suffering due to this current war of Salva Kiir and his Jieng Council of Elders….”. the elusive part is in them, going against their words of being Representatives and rather adopt a mobilisation voice when they were expected to fully endorse what the community send them to jointly posited. “We are therefore calling upon our communities of Apadang, Twic East and all the marginalized and suffering communities of South Sudan to join hands with the SPLM/A IO under the leadership of Dr. Riek Machar Teny to bring the much needed peace in South Sudan.” very incoherent and I’ll fated.

To add on, the position paper is giving two contradicting dates as it is seen on the letterhead and in their conclusive remarks. On the top-right of the paper, it was written on 25/10/2017 and in the end, it read 29/10/2017.  An established system of Twic East Calibre cannot make such blunders in their official papers and more importantly, all our official letters are stamped and signed by the chairman who is the face of Twic East in Kampala.

Without fear or favor, let it be known to the whole world that Twic East in Kampala through it ranks is not a party to that position paper. We need to assure the Twic East community that your duly elected leadership will not take unilateral decision without involving the community. We equally urge the community members to distance themselves from the dirty politic that are detriment to the course of the community. War is not our calling and this can be attested by how we coexist with our neighboring communities. Joining rebellion is a personal choice and never is it for the whole community.

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, city and the country you are writing from.