Martyrs’ Day and the Question of National Cohesion in South Sudan

By Chuol Jany Bol, Juba, South Sudan

Friday, July 30, 2020 (PW) — In my experience for the last ten years of a journalism career, I have heard voices from numerous community leaders, politicians, civilian’s rights activists, musicians, women groups’ youth, and students. The views from all those categories (group of people) make me produced over 400 episodes of various show broadcast weekly, with 4,800 stories and 1,200 interviews.

The briefed statistics make me concluded that majority of South Sudanese communities believed in their tribes and feel less about the whole nation. Most people spokes to me first asked “which tribe you belong” a question rarely to answer, but I’ve to just reveal my region narrowly.  

Sometimes I felt maybe it should be my ignorant to South Sudan constitution that talks about promoting national languages and ethnicity. In the article 6 (1) and 33 of our constitution it read” All indigenous languages of South Sudan are national languages and shall be respected, developed and promoted” (33) Ethnic and cultural communities shall have the right to enjoy and develop their particular cultures freely.

Members of such communities shall have the right to practice their beliefs, use their languages, observe their religions and raise their children within the context of their respective cultures and customs in accordance with this Constitution and the law. Could this be the case? The answer is entirely no, but the fact remains that citizens are not aware of their constitutional rights.

One time, I made a swift trip to Khartoum, Sudan, for a private visit. Many things look new to me as a lost boy from East Africa the way many people it. The language is spoken, types of food people eat, means of lifestyle, and living conditions to some families who can’t afford to rent and made their mind to connect cartons as their homes under Arab towers (tall building).

In my observation, I singled out one thing to focus “the Southern Sudanese tribes” stayed in Khartoum and their Unity. Every evening, I toured the town with friends and sat at tea, cafés, and some local restaurants, of course, no bar to fresh your mind with a hot drink. South Sudan has sixty-four (64) tribes in which less than ten ethnic groups stayed together between 1955-72 the time of Addis Ababa agreement. 

Some communities live together in Sudan during struggle begun to know the importance of coexistent. It made South Sudan achieve the desire goals for freedom from the Arab majority in Sudan. 

Most community members interacted with in Khartoum were mainly from ethnics groups includes Shilluk, Dinka, Nuer, and Lou community in Western Bhar el Ghazal. There doesn’t mean that other tribes of Southern Sudanese by then are not present in the national capital of Sudan, but they fall in the category of a minority. The advantage of the tribes mentioned was closed to the border with Khartoum. Unlike some of us in Upper Nile and Bhar El ghazal find it challenging to reach Uganda nor Kenya refugee camps.  

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA 2005) that ended decades of civil war in Sudan signified Southern Sudanese to know their national capital is Juba. Many people begun to returned homes both in the diaspora, refugee camps, and those internally displaced. Many different imported cultures emerged. Those from East Africa, America, and Europe came with the mentality of western civilization and our friends from Sudan or Egyptian predominantly of Arab culture.

A Government formed in Southern Sudan, and Late Dr John Garang de Mabior appointed the First Vice President of Sudan. And Cdr President Salva Kiir take charged of Southern Sudan’s government (GoSS). My expectation, which I believe you too, thought of was to take the initiative and let the southerners know themselves back home. Unfortunately, nothing initiated for the reason that the government underestimated the matter.

In 2013 the conflict that started as political tension in the ruling party (SPLM) later turned to massive division on the tribal line, although most political leaders didn’t admit it.

A regional effort instigated that result in the 2015 peace agreement between government and SPLM-IO. It collapsed in 2016 after soldiers loyal to President Salva Kiir and those supported Opposition Leader Riek Machar fought in Juba. Many people killed included my boss John Gatluak Manguet murdered in Terrain hotel. Women raped, citizens displaced to the churches, mosques, and the number of IDPs at UN camps increased.

A Revitalized peace agreement signed in 2018 makes the ceasefire holds in many parts of the Country despite the slow implementation of the deal. Chapter five (5) of the peace agreement talks about reconciliation and healing. The Reconstituted Transitional Government of National Unity- R-TGoNU is expected to establish “Commission for Truth, Reconciliation, and Healing (CTRH) a critical part of the peace agreement the legacy of conflict and promote peace among the South Sudanese communities. This body supposed to be in place three months after the formation of the government.

The hope to strengthen social cohesion for South Sudanese laid on smooth implementation of the Revitalized Peace Agreement, and citizens expect the parties to repair and strengthen social bonds and inter-community cohesion. It’s not difficult to engage with partner NGOs to support the community base imitative since the tried for national dialogue president initiated wasn’t positively welcome to heal the wounds in our hearts.  

In conclusion, I am confident knowledgeable South Sudan could play significant roles to unite us. Independent institutions require to spearhead the effort of Unity. And politicians should be mindful to uses their tribes for gain to power both at States or national levels. Advocating for equal rights to all tribes, big or small, could mean a lot to change individual mindsets.

It cannot be just a word to say,” this Country is more significant than our tribal entities, and much attention required from the nation’s loyalists. We can’t coexist or encourage togetherness without implementing things to make us unite and this can possible once bad tribal records stop.

The author, Chuol Jany, is a News Editor, the Radio Community (TRC), and Executive Board Member Association for Media Development in South Sudan (AMDISS). Jany is South Sudanese journalist advocate for human rights, press freedom, and host of a radio program known as “Peace Partners” to enable people who live in the areas with limited access to the media express their views on the peace process. He holds a Postgraduate diploma in Diplomatic and International Studies and a Bachelor degree of art in Community Studies and Rural Development at the University of Juba respectively. In 2015, he won a journalism trip to the United Kingdom for an intensive course on investigative journalism at Salford University, Manchester UK. Currently, he is a  News and program Editor for the network of six (6) Community radio stations managed by The Radio Community (TRC) as part of the Internews/USAID project for democracy and governance. 

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