The bloody politics of African youngest independent state
7 min readA bloody nose of South Sudan is a close to face brutalities that causes a trauma where minds and eyes fix oppositely to different direction against normal lives and country obligations of the citizens.
By David Matiop Gai, Juba, South Sudan
March 7, 2018 (SSB) — The facts about us: Bloody politics and our bleeding in South Sudan is too much; too many lives got lost; too many persons were in refugee camps, too many others were displaced, and it is our fault to finish up our small population less than fifteen million people and the so remnant of the Sudan civil war.
At the beginning it was our right to wage war against Sudan and to free ourselves from Arabs oppression: we were marginalized, there were no schools, no hospitals, no roads, there was no freedom, rights and equality were aborted, there was a restriction of worship, there was no proper sharing of national resources yet our region possessed the wealth, socio-economic was imbalance and that was the course of the middle, first and second Sudanese civil war.
But now, there is no reason for this bloody war and conflict; this war; it is defined as a senseless war; power hungry war; useless war; a bad war planned with poor mind and wrong analysis, a war without aims, objectives and vision; a war of destructives and copy and paste strategies of just changes in governance, and reforms without proper principles of democracy; a war that is just consumes our lives, our time, our energy, and our ability for no good reasons.
The bloody politics about Southern Sudan in the ancient days, back in 1899, middle politics of the 1821, the first Sudanese civil war in 1955-1972, and the second Sudanese civil war in 1983—2005; all these bloody politics claimed lives our people and these were faced by our civil population. These wars were characterized as fighting always took place in Southern Sudan, as the Sudan colony regulated to exploit undeveloped Southern Sudan.
Who knows as long as we got our independence in 2011; a terrible battle journey was won by current generations which was claimed by many generations of Southerners for many years would have been put again into total shame by greediness and power hungry politicians who lead the country into new face of worse war like this? The reality of war face in the country does not despise somebody whether you are from which side or wherever, it doesn’t the matter. Our profile of bloody civil war in South Sudan rooted long time in graves.
Before and after independence in 2011, the bloody civil war broke out again in South Sudan which claimed millions of lives, left thousands to refugee camps in neighbouring countries, and displaced thousands more in the country. About those who leaved the country, coming back to South Sudan as refugee people is not easy. The war has made generations of war dependents on aids assistant. People are not self-reliance and independent as they wait food, water, mosquito nets, medicines, and other utilises from UN. The land bought by UNHCR in neighbouring countries does not afford refugees to do their businesses as in their own land of origins.
Instead people freed themselves from a long journey of meaningful civil war in the Sudan which also took the lives of two-third generations, and South Sudanese were aiming toward nation-building, the youngest African state South Sudan has quickly relinquished into bloody politics and new civil war perplexed in tragedy and senseless fighting or violence. This new war in South Sudan is like bleeding nose which needs advice from medical doctor.
The nose is a part of the body that is very rich in blood vessels and is situated in a vulnerable position on the face. And as a result, any trauma on the face can cause bloody which may be profuse, and therefore, a bloody nose of South Sudan is so close to face that causes a trauma where minds and eyes fix oppositely to different direction against normal lives and obligations of the citizens.
Always medical doctors advised that “once bleeding has stopped, do not touched or blow your nose” a good advice so that new bleeding may not occur. But as getting into leadership is a door of blood – shedding, or tribal identifying factor, frequently nose bleeding is a signal, and a dangerous disorder. South Sudanese were advised several times once your nose has stopped bleeding, don’t blow your nose again but they don’t listen at all! They are touching it and also blowing it at the same time.
I always questioning our integrity as people in this young nation that why are we not faithful and patient to little we have? Because if I am not in position of President today, then somebody is in it; if somebody is not ruling me then I am ruling him! And after all you can differ with me thinking that I am a bad person and desiring him/her on the other side because you did not see his/her character but on finding him/her difficult than me, you confuse yourself again that I am better than him/her. A total mess people even dislike..
In South Sudan bloody politics, there are number of issues related to indulgence. You see young people, (Youths) graduate in different universities especially in the Western world and join rebellion against government thinking that they need change, change with violence, change of losing lives, change that cause suffering of people in the country, change that does not take place but in such a way, they are looking for a new green pasture.; a golden plate of fresh food in exchange with blood of their beloved people. They don’t care as long as what they are aiming at is to be achieved.
They want positions because in South Sudan, there is no other way of getting popularity to high position than killing your people. You kill as you want in order to get position and being known for that bad act to the community. If you look around and see people who are sitting near high level revitalization forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, you can judge that those people are our sons/daughters who cannot fix South Sudan toward peace and stability, but their tongues are sharpen than laze blade as ready to cut on government body.
Get it right, how do you see people disintegrated themselves into small family parties than unity and one strong united party so that they will be seen as South Sudanese who are willing to bring change and prosperity to their suffering population? At the first and the second meeting of high level revitalization forum, we are seeing these people as groups of opportunists draggling themselves into worse face of many vice presidents, and if it is not getting to positions, then why do they love positions than lives of people?
It was my hope in 2015 elapsed that we may conduct democratic election that we might compete and evaluate whether President Kiir will give slap on opposition faces in that democracy or not which was not the case now. Rebellion and continues rebellions have repeatedly become slogan of the day, civil populations are mired in violence and senseless war, suffering of our people is rising high day and night; opposition are so happy by seeing South Sudanese vitriolling under suffering government at the international linkage as many government officials are putted under the pressure of sanctions, politicians are coming in and getting out as they decided from the government without accountability.
The question is, which population will opposition or other political party rule if the hunger finishing them up? We received insults now and then from international specialists. A professor from UK told me that “he was a friend to Dr. John Garang, and he praises Garang as a high intelligent person born among the idiots which God does not deserved him to be with us” and I told him, yea, very intelligent right but he was born by idiots that was what matter to justify us as not idiots as you said but we are also intelligent like him. It is because people leave their weaknesses afar and see ours since we have no long time for peace in our country as our history is concern. So can we change ourselves first before we change and reform the country? If not, then our nose will continue bleeding since we touch it and blow it for no reason.
The author is a co-founder of South Sudan Mental Health care Organization, (SSMHCO). He holds Bachelor degree in Social Work and Social Administration from SSCUST, Bachelor of Theology from CLT, Bungoma, Kenya/Kalispell, USA, and a fellow researcher. He can be reach at david.matiopgai@gmail.com.
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