Aneet Land Dispute and Gruesome Killings: Why Bahr el Ghazal Elders Must Act to End Ngok Dinka and Twic Mayardit Conflict
Bona Malwal with Bashir.jpg
That is what our people in Abyei and Twic are doing to their own people over the Aneet land dispute, and President Kiir’s government is silent.
By Ater Garang Ariath, Aweil, South Sudan
Friday, 14 October 2022 (PW) — The leadership of South Sudan must immediately do something tangible to call off unnecessary bloodshed between Dinka Ngok and Twic Mayardit communities of the Greater Bahr el Ghazal region.
The ongoing conflict between the two communities deserved great attention from the leadership of the R-TGoNU and set up an elderly lead committee to rescue the situation on the ground rather than an inept and politically motivated learning committee.
The ongoing communal confrontation over the land of Aneet and Agok between the two brotherly communities of Ngok and Twic has increased polarisation supported by the unseen hands of political actors.
This is a defining moment for Dinka Ngok and Twic Mayardit to unconditionally reconcile and forgive each other for peace and stability in Greater Bahr el Ghazal and South Sudan.
There is nothing more dangerous than being used as pawns by politicians on both sides of the conflict, especially the youth who kill each other heartlessly.
Gruesome killings in Aneet
As one of the concerned South Sudanese citizens over this uncalled-for internal conflict between great brothers and sisters of Dinka Ngok and Dinka Twic Mayardit, I wish both parties in dispute to reflect on the fable of two goats.
I am proudly an African nationalist, and I love storytelling in conversing my honest views on any African trending matter, like what our great, great grandfathers and mothers do in history.
Therefore, to continue with a short narrative of two goats, once upon a time, over a river, there was a very narrow bridge. One day a goat was crossing this bridge.
Just in the middle of the bridge, he met another goat. There was no room for them to pass.
“Go back,” said one goat to the other, “There is no room for both of us”.
“Why should I go back?” said the other goat. “Better you must go back.”
“You must go back”, said the first goat, “because I am stronger than you.”
“You are not stronger than I”, said the second goat.
“We will see about that”, said the first goat, and he put down his horns to fight.
“Stop!” said the second goat.
“If we fight, we shall both fall into the river and be drowned, and instead, I have a plan. I shall lie down, and you may walk over me.”
Then the wise one lay down on the bridge, and the other goat walked highly over him.
So they crossed the bridge comfortably and went on their way.
This fable of two goats should be reckoned with by brothers and sisters of Abyei and Twic Mayardit, respectively, to avoid unnecessary loss of lives and properties on both sides of the conflict daily.
The heart of the bottom line of the aforesaid fable is to beg our brothers and sisters behind this conflict to take it as food for thought.
Why it is pertinent for Bahr El Ghazal elders to intervene
First, this stretched conflict between Dinka Ngok of Abyei and Twic Mayardit remains a communal fight over land ownership claimed, which can be solved by elders and veteran politicians of the Greater Bahr El Ghazal region that have vast background information of where the border lies of these two communities.
The leadership of RTGONU must take responsibility for addressing critical issues of conflict resolution and prevention, which are matters of commitment and collegial consultations with all relevant parties to the dispute.
Secondly, since breaking out the conflict between the Abyei and Twic communities, the other peaceful avenues for deeper engagement of these two communities to end the dispute seem minimal, particularly on the national and state governments’ side.
The critical matters remain closed as equal to other highest offices in the country for independent voices to present their genuine observations and be considered.
Again and again, this is a defining moment, which sometimes pushes a nationalist like me to raise my duly concerns through the public domain, like newspapers and social media platforms.
I can talk about politics because politics affects the community’s life. As one of the South Sudanese community members, the challenge of politics and political consciousness, therefore, involves caring about society and seeking the common good, of which politicians of Dinka Ngok and Twic Mayardit must be challenged to take the lead.
The Country is burning into an internal conflict everywhere as headlines of economic meltdown and political turmoil dominate the news. South Sudan as a country has remained in the grips of severe political and economic crisis for the past eleventh year of our independence, which calls for our efforts to reverse the table.
Market confidence erodes amidst weak macroeconomic stability and continued political uncertainty. It is natural for businesses to fear unpredictable changes and uncertainty of profitability.
I know, and we all know, that the leadership of RTGONU has been busy working day and night to tackle the myriad problems associated with R-ARCSS implementation in letter and in spirit, but internal political dynamics that complicated the conflict of Twic and Abyei peoples require absolute courage and wisdom to put out that fire altogether.
I also know it is easy to criticise when one is not in the driver’s seat, having to navigate a route stream with landmines, but recent adverse developments between Abyei and Twic communities need extraordinary approaches and recite national anthems to reconsider their positions.
The entire nation quickly feels the excellent feet relations among brothers and sisters of Abyei and Twic, and we must pursue peaceful dialogue and the brothers’ avenues to redress this conflict to logical ends.
However, addressing communal conflicts without understanding the political context is like treating a heart patient without analysing the family history.
The examples of political risk are broadly defined as the impact of politics in this stretched conflict for many months; the follies of leaders on both sides of the dispute remain political dynamite, starting and ticking to explode anytime.
The emerging political battle regarding Abyei ownership between the Republic of South Sudan and Sudan heightens the situation.
The leadership of South Sudan must take the risk and inspire confidence in the future direction toward Abyei’s final status and peaceful coexistence with its neighbours.
The fundamental point is to learn from others and immediately install filters to mitigate imminent dangers threatening Abyei’s final status.
The politics of R-ARCSS must change from competing ideologies, conflicting interests and different approaches to policymaking and move to national safeguard of our sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The political flux is likely to continue in South Sudan; uncertain politics halts timely decision-making, and risk-averse bureaucrats shy away from implementing material interventions.
The ultimate sufferers are the poor, who lose hope that they can break away from the poverty trap.
I am writing to you not just as a senior citizen but also as somebody from your community, which means whatever I mentioned here is from my honest observation and not from the oppositionist’s point of view.
The author, Ater Garang Ariath, is a former Secretary General of the Defunct Aweil East State and can be reached via his email address: atergarang452@gmail.com
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