South Sudan VIPs Series (Part III): Dr. James Wani Igga, a Loyal and Humble Cadre of the SPLM/SPLA

By Malith Kur, Montreal, Canada

Tuesday, April 28, 2020 (PW) — In part I & II of this series, I provided critical assessments of two influential figures whose political and military activities have played a controversial role in South Sudan’s politics since the mid-1980s. In this section, however, I am charting the political paths of Dr. James Wani Igga, political tracks that are quite different from those of Lam Akol and Riek Machar. Mr. Igga is a fascinating political figure in South Sudanese circles of power. He rarely complains. More importantly, he is always ready to make compromises for the sake of peace, unity, social solidarity, and sound political discourse. He has proven himself to be a loyal and humble member of the SPLM for the last 35 years. Yes, he will not fall from grace because he has understood the value of social and political integrity.

James Wani Igga as an SPLM/A Cadre

James Wani Igga became a member of the SPLM/A in 1985, two years after the formation of the movement. The early 1980s was a period full of negative political variables in the then Southern Sudan. The government in Khartoum had sown aggressive regional divisions among Sothern Sudanese political elites. Kokora (re-division of Southern Sudan based on regional affiliation or ethnicity) was a political slogan for a vocal minority in some parts of Equatoria. As I mentioned in part one of this series, the SPLM/A was painted in Khartoum as a Dinka rebellion seeking Dinka domination of other communities in the South. Such an assertion was a tacit suggestion that non-Dinkas should not become part of the SPLM/A. This theory worked well for some influential regional figures in Equatoria, such as James Thumbura, Peter Chirillo, among others, because Kokora became their political philosophy.

However, Wani Igga and other pragmatic Southern Sudanese from Equatoria who understood what was at stake were not influenced by such negative politics. They took a bold move and joined the SPLM/A, for they had a dream for South Sudan, a new South Sudan. They were right. Today, South Sudan’s flag is flying in New York at the UN Headquarters and the African Union’s Palace in Addis Ababa. That is a dream that comes true.

James Wani joined the SPLM/A in 1985 with a vision of freedom for South Sudan in his heart. A desire for a free South Sudan has guided Wani’s political philosophy ever since. It propelled him to a senior position in the SPLM/A political and military hierarchy. Moreover, Wani’s rapid rise within the SPLM/A had both regional and political overtones. There were few prominent figures from Equatoria within the movement. Hence, Wani became a great asset for the SPLM/A, both politically and militarily. He became a zonal commander of SPLA forces in Central Equatoria and a member of the SPLM/A political-military command in 1987.

Without exaggeration, Wani remains one of the most humble and loyal senior members of the SPLM to date.  He has never attempted to leave the SPLM.  When the split occurred in 1991, he worked hard for peace and unity between the different factions of the movement. He assumed a leading role to promote dialogue between the Nasir and Torit factions of the SPLM/A, and not only that, he later became influential, alongside John Garang, negotiator, and player in the IGAD peace negotiations with the regime in Khartoum. At this point, Igga was the third senior member of the SPLM/A high command. That was after many leading commanders had deserted the movement.

Mr. Igga and the Post-1991 Peace & Politics

James Wani’s peace efforts between the various factions of the SPLM/A borne fruits in 2002. When the Khartoum and the Fashoda Peace Agreements had failed, Riek Machar and Lam Akol found themselves stranded in political isolation in Khartoum. They had limited options, but the story of the “prodigal son” offered them a glimmer of hope of returning home. They reasoned among themselves in Khartoum that they were facing utter humiliation at the hands of the Islamists but could potentially receive a dignified welcome by their brothers whom they betrayed in 1991.

Indeed, that was right. They picked up their empty bags and returned home. Their brothers and sisters saw them at a distance and ran to receive them with dignified and unconditional welcome. A part of that unconditional welcome was that James Wani Igga made an unprecedented move by giving up his post to re-accommodate Riek Machar into the hierarchy of the movement. He did so for the sake of reuniting the SPLM/A. So, James Wani Igga was the one who welcomed the prodigal sons back to the movement, not John Garang nor Salva Kiir.

When James Wani Igga gave way to accommodate Riek Machar in the SPLM political hierarchy, he took that decision in the interests of South Sudan. I am not suggesting here that James Wani Igga is a political angel. No, that is not the case because political angels do not exist. But the point I am making is that James Wani is a political realist. He has a realistic view of things, for he knows quite well that to win a big prize requires a modest sacrifice. He also knows that there are times when you stick to what is right and times when you make political compromises for the interest of society even if they are painful. That is what Wani did when he welcomed Riek Machar and Lam Akol back to the SPLM/A in 2002.

Riek Machar and Lam Akol’s return to the movement brought with it a useful political capital. It fostered some degree of unity among South Sudanese, which paved the way for a unified position among the factions of the SPLM/A to demand the explicit inclusion in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) of the right to self-determination for the South Sudanese. That was after the idea of self-determination had died with Khartoum and Fashoda Peace Agreements.

South Sudan Independence and Post-2013 Political Developments

July 9, 2011 will always represent a significant turning point in the political history of South Sudan. It was a moment of celebration for all South Sudanese, but it was also a moment in which South Sudanese allowed Dr. James Wani Igga to raise the flag of freedom on Mount Jubek. With the same token, Wani later became the First Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan. Those developments were a recognition of Wani’s undivided loyalty to the country.  They are important moments that he did not seek through violence or by shedding the blood of the innocent. He got them through his 35-year commitment to the cause of freedom for his people.

But the celebration of independence was short-lived. The events in Juba in December 2013 reminded all of us that the prodigal sons were not necessarily repentant when they returned. They came back but with different plans to cause even more vicious damage to South Sudan. They did so without little remorse. Those 2013 events in Juba tested once more James Wani’s resolve to maintain his political posture to pursue and promote civil political discourse in South Sudan. In line with his peaceful mission, he has kept steady support for the IGAD peace process, which brought about the current government of national unity.

A careful observation of the 2013 events in Juba suggests that they were not different from what happened in Nasir in 1991. The Nasir coup against John Garang overshadowed the thrust of the movement to achieve a decisive military victory in Juba. In the same manner, the 2013 events were designed to dampen the celebratory spirit kindled among South Sudanese of different backgrounds by the historic vote for independence. That was awful.

Indeed, it did not make sense to all South Sudanese for those who might have considered themselves to love South Sudan and its people to jump on the wagon of violence without thinking about the consequences that would follow. That is what differentiates political realists like James Wani Igga from those who seek power at all costs. For Mr. Wani, any action that affects the lives of citizens, and the future of society needs to be carefully weighed before making the first move. 

I think James Wani’s concerns for peace and social stability of South Sudan explains his political expediency. Riek Machar has stepped on Wani’s toes many times, but he took a long view of society and brushed aside those uncomfortable moments with much considerable quietness.  Wani believes that his political success does not depend on the position of power he holds in the government but his contribution to social development and building of an inclusive political order in South Sudan. That is his way of defining success in politics.

I believe that South Sudan’s political elites must learn James Wani Igga’s political expediency, for it is the only way for them to abandon the culture of idolizing and admiring violent political behaviors. It is also advisable for the new generation of South Sudanese to stop getting involved in violent politics because they have nothing to gain in it. Violent politics is a trademark of looting and extreme corrupt practices. It is impossible to build stable social order under such circumstances, which South Sudan needs to lay the foundation for the next generation.

The author, Malith Kur, is a Ph.D. candidate at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. His research focuses on the patterns of cooperation between the churches, African indigenous religious institutions, and the state for peacebuilding, reconciliation, and social reconstruction of South Sudan. Kur’s previous research examined the Christian contribution to the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission as a possible model for peacebuilding in South Sudan. He can be reached @ malith.kur@mail.mcgill.ca.

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