The Jieng people are committed to democratic participation and good governance in South Sudan
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By Aweng Mangar-Achol, Juba, South Sudan
Tuesday, July 28, 2020 (PW) — Poets Akut Kuei in their magnum-opus work, warned us of “naag abo deed Ko”. This masterpiece in Jieng folklore stripped naked all malign intent of the old Sudan sophisticated and otherwise, and wrapped them in words every Jieng man, woman, and child can understand.
This is a reminder that the battles we fought were first won in the hearts and minds of our people. Liberation chants of well grounded men drove fear into the hearts of well armed troops. So having had the victory with less modern tools, statecraft today must also center around people. If you wish to lead in South Sudan respect its people and conduct yourself accordingly.
Unfortunately we are witnessing a resurgence of anti Jieng machinations in the political and social space. Attempts to associate or conflate this hate with anti government sentiments is dangerous. The SPLM led government is made up of many tribes and has consistently neglected and deprived the Jieng areas of the most basic services.
To argue otherwise is to ignore facts as we know them. Our Traditional Administrations are diminished and termed primitive. Infringing neighbors from the north encroach on Jieng lands and cause insecurity. Sudan continues to ignore the people of Abyei who are Jieng and rightly belong among their fellow citizens in the Republic South Sudan.
Moreover, government troops are currently carrying out disarmament of Jieng people in Greater Bahr el Ghazal while others remain heavily armed. These are challenging times and require a unity equal to that with which we fought previous Khartoum regimes, nothing less.
Those who are aggrieved should agitate for a better South Sudan, but calls for early elections will not be echoed by Jieng leaders. We do not wish to see another dangerous precedent. Politicians who established themselves with ill-gotten gains may join any political umbrella but their role in corruption will not be overlooked at the upcoming elections.
Political formations, including those participating in the Transitional Government will become obsolete. To their credit, some have already begun realigning their politics by distancing themselves from anti Jieng factions. There is wisdom in patience and honoring the transitional period.
An unequivocal defeat of the SPLM party during an internationally monitored election, will give the next administration the needed legitimacy to form a government and embark on serious reforms. The end product should be a government with a clear mandate from the people of South Sudan.
We commend H.E. Yoweri Museveni president of the Republic of Uganda for recognizing elections as the ultimate solution to the conflict in South Sudan. We urge him to champion this position within the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the African Union (AU). His concerns for the people of South Sudan are greatly appreciated and we hope his appeal is well received by the SPLM party leadership.
The Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution to the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) outlines the prerequisites to holding general elections. However due to multiple factors and constraints only few are likely to be satisfied by the expected date. The conflict in South Sudan is political in nature. Consequently we implore the international community to exert maximum pressure on the signatories to the agreement with a focus on election preparation.
The peace agreement if placed in its correct form is only a means and not the end. This understanding is fundamental to anchoring peace in South Sudan and promoting good governance. However limited the achievements of the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity, with the resourcefulness of our people general election can take place on time.
South Sudan and the wider region yearn for peace and stability. And while the Republic of Sudan is beginning to move away from its treacherous past, political Islam is still alive and well. The collapse of the National Congress Party (NCP) government, a byproduct of the National Islamic Front (NIF) can not be described as total.
Ideologically and morally corrupt islamists in Sudan are still pursuing an Islamic state in the horn of Africa. Sadig Al Mahdi onشاهد على العصر an Al Jazeera program, highlighted his radical views. Having had the benefit of witnessing Sharia Law in practice in Sudan, said it was simply not “applied correctly”. These are the kind of leaders who wield power in Khartoum today, a sad reflection of what’s to come in the region.
Our people in the Nuba Mountains are highly advised to remember their great leaders who demanded and were denied a seat at the table by then Prime Minister Sadig Al Mahdi. Leaders like Father Philip Abbas Ghaboush.
You can reach the author via his email: mangar.achol11@gmail.com
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