No amount of power sharing arrangement will bring peace to South Sudan
4 min readFocus on South Sudan Peace Process: No amount or formula of power sharing arrangement between President Kiir and Dr Riek Machar will bring peace to South Sudan
By Agel Ring Machar, Juba, South Sudan
Friday, June 8, 2018 (PW) — Will the IGAD Proposed Reinstatement of Dr Riek Machar, Lam Akol, Banggasi Bakasoro, Pagan Amum & so on… bring the needed peace and Stability? There is this widespread notion that these top opposition (armed & unarmed) leaders are out there fighting for positions and if given the FVP spot for Dr Riek Machar and ministerial positions for the rest, then peace and Stability will reign in the country and we will all live happily ever after. BIG MISDIAGNOSIS
Allow me to kindly reveal to you that the only position that these senior comrades are fighting for is that of the PRESIDENT of the Republic of South Sudan. No FVP, VP or Ministerial positions will do. Take this straight to the bank.
Dr Riek Machar was dimissed in July of 2013 because he came out openly and made his presidential ambitions clear, by one way or the other. He wasn’t dismissed because of a fight over the position of VP. In July of 2016, the J1 dogfight took place, stories of what transpired are awash. Does any sane person really believe that Dr Riek Machar will be content with the SECOND position in the country, after all this death and carnage? I DON’T THINK SO. Even if he contemplates, his supporters won’t. I was one of them.
Dr Lam Akol already contested for presidency in 2010 general elections and subsequently went into self-imposed exile. Under 2015 ARCISS, he was given a senior ministerial portfolio of ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
In the aftermath of July 2016 J1 showdown between President Mayardit and his erstwhile deputy Dr Machar, he decided to voluntarily vacate his positions as a minister and head of his DC party. He went on to establish an armed movement, the NDM.
Does any sane person really believe that Dr Lam Akol voluntarily quit his ministerial position, form an armed movement in order to just regain his MINISTERIAL position that he freely abandon? I DON’T THINK SO. There must be something else above the ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for the 2010 presidential aspirant
Pagan Amum lost his powerful position of Secretary General after coming out openly and criticized chairman Mayardit on a host of issues. He went ahead and publicly declared his intention to unseat his boss. The Arusha Agreement on the Reunification of SPLM brought him back, reinstated and sworn in.
Short while later, he went into self-imposed exile, leaving behind the 3rd most powerful position within the ruling party, the SPLM. Currently, he remains the Secretary General. Meanwhile he has since been seen and heard advocating for a UN takeover of the country.
Does any sane person really believe that Cde Pagan Amum is globetrotting, pouring all sort of dirt on President Mayardit led TGoNU simply to retain the position of SG that he still holds currently? Since he hasn’t resigned and hasn’t be fired. I DON’T THINK SO. there must be something else afoot.
The same could be said about Cde Deng Alor, the runaway Foreign Minister, Banggasi Bakasoro who is said to have been busy supporting and organizing rebels (Arrow Boyz) against a government in which he was a sitting Governor or Gen Peter Chirilo of NAS who I heard was busy supplying the SPLA-IO in Equatoria with military and strategic items while he was the second top General in the national Army, the SPLA
Does any sane person really believe that these top opposition leaders are fighting just to retain the positions they left behind voluntarily? I DON’T THINK SO.
In a concluding question, what does bringing all these uncompromising political and military leaders who are evidently hell bent on removing President Mayardit, by all means to a country that has proven to lack political maturity and institutions strong enough to peacefully manage this imminent and deadly competition for power??
Peace and Stability? I DON’T THINK SO.
Revolutionary Regards.
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