A Testimony of Peace Mission to Juba Turned into Hell

By Khor Tongyik

Juba, South Sudan,

July 16, 2016(Nyamilepedia) —– A testimony from a young man on a peace mission to Juba, but the parties to the peace negotiation have truly failed us.  We sacrificed our lives in acceptance of peace with a trust that a protection will be in place.  I was among the unarmed Advance Team brought to Juba from Pagak to show a commitment to the Peace Agreement signed in August 2015.  We came to Juba empty handed without military equipment together with our leader, Dr. Riek Machar for the sake of peace. On August 18, 2015: the Representatives of the United States, the Kingdom of Norway, The United Kingdom, Italy (on behalf of the IGAD Partners Forum), the European Union, and the United Nations signed, as Witnesses, the AGREEMENT ON THE RESOLUTION OF THE CONFLICT IN THE REPUBLIC
OF SOUTH SUDAN.

On July 8, 2016 – the government of Salva Kiir decided a total elimination of our lives in which many lost their lives, but thank God that I’m still alive. We were bombarded by the government military Helicopters and shelled with heavy artilleries for a total of four days in a very isolated land in Juba.  We are situated in a small highland of Juba for a reason that none among us would escape the death.  We felt that way!  Parties to South Sudan’s peace agreement which ends two years of violent conflict and the regional mediators have misled us.  We had a false hope that the peace grantors would provide a protection and help with the implementation of peace, but nothing was done until July when the enemy decided to crash us.

Our peace mission has died in tight holding hands of Salva Kiir!!  To make the matter worse, we are placed under the same demonic hands of a desperate man, Salva Kiir; much thirsty of uncountable killing.  The world has given us away to be killed just like that? Does the world has hidden agenda or it was a real peace? Nobody knows! Salva Kiir has total assassinated the peace agreement with heavy artilleries and military helicopters. We are back to square one and heavy losses of human lives.

During the peace negotiation process, Salva Kiir insisted that we come to Juba unarmed with a commitment to peace and agreed that Juba will be demilitarized. The most of us came to Juba unarmed, but Juba was not demilitarized and peace grantors did pressure Salva Kiir to implement the demilitarization as part of the agreement. While the world is watching, we encountered the second round of genocide.  This fresh outbreak of war was well planned by Salva Kiir to exterminate us, but I strongly believed that God is with us since we are committed to peace.  We are sure that we have not done anything wrong to the world and why the world would abandoned the agents of peace.  We were given to a primitive government without a real meaning of humanity and a significant knowledge of being humans.

We know that the International Community won’t do anything because we were sold to be slaughtered like lambs by Salva Kiir, but God is able to rescue us.  Therefore, we agreed to remain where the world located us as a symbol of commitment to peace; we rather die defending ourselves than to escape death. The parties to South Sudan Peace Agreement are responsible for the renewed outbreak of war and the lives lost in Juba. Anyway, sending this message with a hope to survive in order to tell my story.  With my faith in God, we will survive!! Please, read my testimony and think of humanity and the suffering of human lives in Juba. May God blesses the people of South Sudan who trapped in this horrible situation!

The author can be reached at tongyikngundeng@gmail.com