3 states, 10 states or 32 states: The politics of state-making in South Sudan
Do we Liberate a Man and place him Equal before the Law or a Piece of Land to Create another Kingdom?
By Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, Kampala, Uganda
March 16, 2018 (SSB) — As a solution to ongoing quagmire in South Sudan, There’s this currence of ideas that is trending for creation of 03 independent states of Upper Nile, Equatoria and Bar El Gazel in South Sudan. The proposal is coming from individuals within Equatoria; I have also seen literature coming from Upper Nile region, Gatluak Reath, wrote it.
The chollo in Fashoda are saying if 03, better 04 states; the 4th being Fashoda state, its war; the Murle are saying no, better 05 states; the 5th being Pibor state; its war; the Anywak are saying no, better 06 states; the 6th being Boma state it’s war; So are the Apadang, Brun and Maban not to mention Dinka Bor who fear being minority in a Nuer dominated state. Therefore expect more states.
In Bar El Gazel; the nationalities from Western Bar El Gazel, are saying never with the Dinkas, we will fight to death 💀; so are the Luo speaking in that region. It’s war; expect more states.
In Equatoria, there are over 35 nationalities, as small as the Ik in the hills of Kapoeta, and as large as the Azande in western Equatoria or the Toposa in Eastern Equatoria. The bari speaking group can constitute a larger dominant group in central Equatoria, but internal rivalries with the Mundari in Terekeka, the Kakwa, Pojulu, etc. for power and resources control will never spare them.
If it comes to real replication of the prevailing system and politics of power and resources distribution in the country i.e. Me and my family against my brother, my family, my brother against our cousin, our family against our neighbors, us against a stranger; the Azande shall be against the the Muru, Baka, Abokaya vis versa or each against the other; it’s war; the baria shall be against the Mundari, Lokoya, lolubo, etc vis versa or each community against the other,
in the Eastern Equatoria, the rest of the nationalities have been crying that the Toposa have been murdering them, that Governor Louis Lobong took everything for Kapoeta at the expense of other nationalities; jobs, recruitments in GoSS, into National Security.
The point to ask is that in South Sudan, is the problem of state fragility and failure is it to do with; a bad man? a bad state? Or both?; and how do we achieve a good man and a good state out of this wretched conditions? is it social, political, economical, and therefore systemic? Or it’s geographical? That’s to say, that particular region and its people are bad? Is the problem structural and governance system that needs restructuring of power, wealth distribution?
Do we liberate an individual? Or group? Or a piece of land? And place him/her/them/it equal before the law?
If the bad man, bad system, bad structure of state remains the same in a divided country like what we just did with khartuom, would we guarantee that there shall be tranquility justice, equality, prosperity in those independent states?
So the story of marginalization and exclusion, injustice, does not stop by creating more states or liberating a piece of land. South Sudan needs one who act like a medical doctor to cure its sickness after properly diagnosing the disease.
Oyet Nathaniel Pierino,
Member, SPLMAIO,
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