Justice Abel Alier Kwai: The Obama of the South Sudanese Political History (Part 1)
6 min readBy Awuol Gabriel Arok, Juba, South Sudan
February 8, 2018 (SSB) — Abel Alier the Co. chair of National Dialogue appointed in April 2017 by H.E. the President of the Republic of South Sudan was Born in Bor, Jonglei Province of Upper Nile Region in 1933, Abel Alier as he is popularly known across Sudan was one of the first Southerners to enter the Law Faculty of the University of Khartoum, receiving his LL.B degree in 1959 and his master degree at Yale in 1965.
He was one of the South’s representatives at the round table conference of 1965; Abel Alier was the Secretary-General of the Southern front at the time of its dissolution and had represented Bor South in the Constituent Assembly. Appointed to the Nimery government in May 1969 as a minister of housing, he served as minister of works in 1970 after Joseph Garang’s execution. Alier was appointed the minister of state for Southern Affairs in 1971 and many Southerners were relieved.
Alier was a man many Southerners trusts at that time, he evidently won Nimery’s trust and respect and on 13 October 1971 he was appointed as a Deputy President of the Republic while retaining his Southern affairs portfolio, noted for his powers of reasoning and his reasonableness Abel Alier has always had the interest of the South at heart.
He tends to be moderate in all matters and in 1972 Abel Alier was appointed to the interim government in the South making him the President of High Executive Council (HEC) until 1978 when he was replaced by Joseph Lagu from 1978 to 1980 and again as President of HEC from 1980 to 1981.
During the period of 1972-77, the government concentrated on building institutions, establishing systems and economic policies which were reviewed and made more perfect time after time, training institutions such as Juba Multi-purpose Training Center, medical pieces of training centres, fisheries and veterinary schools, seed bulking and distribution centers and rural development institute were built.
The University of Juba was inaugurated in October 1977, hence meeting the long-standing demand by Southerners to have a University in the South which was made at the Round Table Conference of March 1965 in Khartoum.
Abel Alier has never exposed his inner bitterness to those he worked with, Molana Abel was a hard rock surrounded by many sickles of political engagements.
Abel-wal, as he is famously known among the folks of his home province of Jonglei during the 70s and 80s, was a blue flame of pride to many, his mental ability and stableness did not sway him away from his people nor close in the gap of trust and believe between him and the Khartoum regimes.
Due to his statesmanship Abel Alier was sent by the government as head of government delegation to peace talk in Addis Ababa and for sure that trust and deem in him resulted into the signing of the Addis Ababa Peace Agreement in February 1972, while Dr. Mansour Khalid signed for the Sudan Government, Ezboni Mondiri signed SSLM of the Anyanya movement.
Having managed well his tactical hunts Abel Alier was seen by Khartoum regime as the only bridge that can connect the disgruntled and isolated Southern region, he kept them guessing and hoping that thing will be fine until the breaking of an iceberg in 2011.
In his book Too Many Agreements Dishonoured Molana Abel put on the test meter on the resolution of Juba Conference 1947, Round Table Conference of 1965, the immediate peace he brought in 1972, the Koko Dam talks of 1986, Addis Ababa talk of 1989, Abuja talks of (1992-93), IGADD talks of (1993-94) and the Khartoum Peace Agreement of 1997 between SSIM of Dr. Riek Machar and Sudan government.
Abel Alier was exposing the centurial characters that he and many others have been trying to manage with wisdom and composed judgment.
Alier has never shown political arrogance to his opponents, he is such a leader and a servant to all.
Abel Alier is a great worker and walker and is immensely admired across many lines of professions, religions and ethnicities, Abel Alier as an internationally respected Judge, a human right lawyer was a judge at the Permanent Court of International Arbitration in The Hague.
His love for the people of Southern Sudan during his leadership and particularly after the peace that he initiated is evidently manifested by massive form of developments, it was during his time that many schools both primary, secondary and University such as the University of Juba were established.
His leadership from 1972-1978 is rated by many as the most peaceful and developments oriented period in the history of the Southern region of the Sudan.
Abel Alier was the chairman of the committee that investigated the plane crash which took the life of Dr. John Garang de Mabior in 2005. During the historical April 2010 general elections in Sudan, Molana Abel Alier was the chairman of National Election Commission and was appointed by H.E. President Salva Kiir Mayardit in April 2017 to Co-chair the National Dialogue together with Hon. Angelo Beda.
Abel was a gift to Sudanese he was neither disowned by Khartoum government nor by the SPLM/A movement, he was an icon of hope and peace among the Sudanese, he was a connecting factor just like Obama the 44th President of United States of America,
Both have humble backgrounds and are symbols of hope among the oppressed and marginalized populace, Abel and Obama broke the centurial beliefs in circular leadership; where racism dominated social, economic and political spaces in America and in Sudan where Arabs never considered a Sudanese from the Southern Region fit for the highest position in the country.
Abel-wal legacy will lives long among the Sudanese and in the history of Sudan, may the Lord Bless Molana Abel-wal Alier with many more years and be South Sudan symbols of harmony and unison.
Awuol Gabriel Arok, a Writer and a Poet, has a Bachelor Degree in Social and Developmental Studies from the University of Juba, South Sudan, he is the author of the unpublished book ‘‘The Wisdom Horn’’ and an Initiator of ‘‘Your Tribe is My Tribe’’ and ‘‘Giving Heart Foundation’’ initiatives. He can be reached via his email Address: jjmkamzeearokson@yahoo.com
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