The current violence in Sudan is a haunting echo of past atrocities against South Sudanese

The Reminder of Bloody Legacy: Shall We Retaliate or Swallow the Pain?

Thursday, 16 January 2025 (PW) — My heart bleeds as I write these words. Forty years ago, I narrowly escaped death in Sudan.

History repeats itself in Sudan, and the echoes are devastating. As a survivor of the Sudanese Genocide, I must speak about the recent atrocities that mirror our painful past. Today, I witness the same horrific scenes playing out again.

Just days ago, social media platforms were flooded with disturbing footage showing South Sudanese civilians being brutally assaulted by Sudanese military forces in Wad Medina.As I watch videos of our people being brutalized in Wad Medina, my nightmares of the past become the terrors of the present.

What followed was beyond comprehension. Reports confirmed these civilians were systematically murdered in ways that defy human dignity. Some faced firing squads, others were decapitated, and many were tortured to death by electrocution. Their bodies, treated with complete disregard for human dignity, were discarded together in a mass grave.

What tears at my soul even more deeply is seeing who I thought as our former genocidaires committed the same atrocities against self-defenseless and unarmed people. Have we learned nothing from our shared pain?

The current violence in Sudan is a haunting echo of past atrocities. The same brutal tactics used against South Sudanese people during the systematic violence of the 1980s and 1990s are being employed again today, including the horrific practice of burning people alive. This chilling consistency in methods of violence demonstrates that despite the passage of decades, the fundamental patterns of brutality remain unchanged.

Our community stands at a crossroads. As violence against South Sudanese continues unchecked and the international community remains silent, we must decide how to respond. The perpetrators continue their brutal campaign while the world looks away, raising urgent questions about justice and action. But the choice between passive acceptance and retaliation presents a complex moral challenge that requires careful consideration of its consequences.

Now, we the South Sudanese face a crucial question: Can we simply stand by and allow such history to repeat itself? Or will we retaliate? Are northern Sudanese’ hands and hearts not full ofthe blood of our innocent people yet?

The hands of the perpetrators remain stained with South Sudanese blood, yet the world watches in silence.

The world must know what’s happening. Our brothers and sisters are being slaughtered and killed in broad daylight. Their bodies, our people’s bodies, are being thrown into mass graves like discarded waste. Each victim had a name, a family, dreams, and a future—all violently stolen.

A Call for United Action

In response to these tragic events unfolding in Sudan, I urge all South Sudanese communities worldwide to unite in purposeful action. We cannot—we must not—remain silent. To every South Sudanese person across the globe, I implore you: Rise up! Our voice must thunder across every continent and the entire world. Here’s what we can do to channel our grief and anger into effective advocacy:

• Engage with international human rights organizations to document and report these violations

• Coordinate with South Sudanese diplomatic missions to pressure for immediate intervention

• Organize peaceful demonstrations at UN offices and government buildings

• Share verified information on social media to raise global through media campaigns and community outreach

• Build coalitions with other humanitarian groups to amplify our voice

• Contact your local representatives and demand immediate diplomatic intervention.

• Support humanitarian organizations working in Sudan

• Unite with other advocacy groups fighting against genocide

The blood of our people cries out from the soil of Sudan. Will we let their deaths be mere statistics, or will we transform our pain into powerful action? The choice is ours, and time is running out.

To the international community: Your silence is complicity. How many more mass graves must be filled before you act? The genocide of the 1980s and 1990s was watched in silence, and it should have been our last. Instead, we’re watching history repeat itself in real-time.

Stand with us. Act with us. The time for passive concern is over. Every minute we wait, another family loses a loved one. Every hour of inaction emboldens the perpetrators. Time is critical, but our response must be strategic and unified. Through coordinated, peaceful action, we can bring global attention to these atrocities and work toward their end. Together, we can be the voice for those who can no longer speak for themselves.

Our survival is our resistance. Our unity is our strength. Our action is our hope. Together, we must stop this cycle of violence before another generation knows the pain of genocide.

StopSudanGenocide #JusticeForSouthSudan #ActNow

About the Author:

Dr. Deng Diing is a former member of the Sudan People Liberation Movement-Red Army and current scholar based in the United States. For inquiries or further discussion, he can be reached at drdiing@gmail.com or ddding@alaska.edu.

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