Why the Decades-Old Ruweng Genocidal Campaigns Have Gained Momentum: What the World Must Know
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Map of Ruweng Administrative Area in Relation to Unity State
By The Voice of Ruweng
Executive Summary
Much as South Sudanese have achieved their long and hard-fought political freedom, this independence has heralded new challenges for the people of Ruweng Administrative Area (RAA). That is because South Sudan’s independence in 2011 has presented three real and present challenges to the life, security, and dignified existence for the people of RAA who have come to consider these challenges to be existential in nature.
In the broader context of these existential threats to the life, security and dignified existence of the people of RAA, the first existential threat arises from the unconscionable environmental pollution that has engendered searing birth defects among human and animal populations alike. The second existential threat emanates from the yawning deficit in political leadership in RAA as majority of political appointees are fronted and manipulated by Bentiu political leaders. Most of these political appointees are, thus, intent on pursuing personal aggrandizement with the view to unjustly enriching themselves. The third and final existential threat to the life, liberty and security of the people of RAA is the sheer determination of Bentiu Nuer political leaders to undermine any progress in RAA. Their overriding object is to displace Ruweng. This vision is largely driven and inspired by the BANAFA Project in order to weaken, assimilate or even wipe out the Ruweng Ngok Dinka on the face of the Planet and take over their land. That is why both the National Government, and the international community should be put on notice in regard to the grave consequences of this political machination by Bentiu Nuer. The recent spate of violent events in RAA are a premonition for what is coming, even though they are only a tip of a very large iceberg, having regard to what the people RAA have had to endure for the last four decades and in light of what is yet to come.
The decades-old genocidal campaigns against the people of Ruweng was made manifest in the recent searing violence meted out to the people of RAA in June 2024. These malevolent campaigns are not novel. Rather, they are consistent with the decades-old crimes against the humanity of the Ruweng people. The major episodes of these violent campaigns occurred during the periods of 1991-1996 & 2013-2014 Ruweng Massacres. These campaigns were politically designed by BANAFA in general and Bentiu Nuer political leaders in particular. In essence, the inexorable attacks by elements of SSPDF’s Division 4 at the behest of BANAFA, under the command of Gen. William Manyang Mayak and assortment of militias loyal to Riek Machar, Taban Deng Gai, Joseph Nguen, Tutkew Gatluak Manime, are intended to weaken and eventually eliminate the Ruweng Ngok Dinka in order to take over their land.
The claims by political leaders from Unity/Liech State that RAA has been established by annexing Nuer land are unfounded and fictional in nature. In dismissing these fictional claims, Ruweng has always presented incontrovertible evidence as to the existence of clear and indisputable administrative boundaries between RAA and the Unity/Liech State as per 1st January 1956 borderlines. However, political leaders from Unity/Liech State have willfully elected to reject evidence-based approach for resolving administrative boundaries between Unity/Liech State and RAA. Their safe bet is the use of armed Nuer youths and militias, including elements of Division 4, to take over and occupy Ruweng land – a clear path of the BANAFA project that envisions a process in which the Ruweng Ngok Dinka can be displaced either to Bhar el Ghazel or Jonglei (the latter was most recently added). Else, the Ruweng people must be exterminated once and for all.
Finally, the inexorable Bentiu Nuer’s violent campaigns against the people of RAA is exacerbated and inspired by the fact that Ruweng has no voice in the National Government due to, among others, their lack of meaningful representation in National Government. The highest-ranking government officials from RAA is the Rt. Hon. Mary Ayen Majok, the 1st Deputy Speaker of the Council of States. The other ranking national government official is Hon. Simon Mijok Mijak, the Minister of Roads & Bridges. No other government official from Ruweng can be found in the rest of structures of the National Government. For instance, there has never been an undersecretary from Ruweng, just as there is nobody from Ruweng at Foreign Affairs in the capacity of ambassador, or police or the military. Similarly, Ruweng is not represented in independent commissions such as the Border Commission, Political Parties’ Council, National Constitutional Review Commission, National Electoral Commission, or in all negotiations in which matters of borders, and oil resources are discussed despite the fact that more than 90% of crude oil produced in the GPOC concession areas comes from RAA.
In short, the recent attacks in RAA are part of the larger but decades-old political scheme against the people of Ruweng by Bentiu Nuer. Nevertheless, any attempt to forcefully occupy Ruweng land and/or annex it to different Nuer constituencies as BANAFA seeks to achieve, or any attempt to refer to the people of RAA as guests staying at the discretion of Bentiu Nuer or treating the residents of RAA as people whose rights to life and security are contingent upon what is granted at pleasure by Bentiu Nuer is to patently do that which is evidently inconsistent with the spirit of coexistence and the principles of natural law. Where human beings are treated with scorn, and spite or with no respect and consideration, they are ordained by natural law to have recourse to divine justice and do whatever they can in order to preserve their rights to life and dignified existence. The people of Ruweng are not exception to this natural precept.
In conclusion, it should be self-evident that the underlying cause for the ongoing violence in RAA is that, in addition to forcefully annexation of Ruweng land, political leaders of Unity/Liech State are determined to sabotage any political or economic gains by RAA. This is in view of the fact that the people of RAA have resolved to chart their own path and destiny after the region was established as an administrative area. The world must, therefore, pay very close attention to the endangerment awaiting the people of RAA in the months and years to come.
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