By Daniel Wuor Joak,
Sept 23, 2017(Nyamilepedia) —— Since July 8, 2016, when an abortive assassination attempt was unfortunately carried out at Presidential Palace – J1, by President Salva Kiir and his associates against his own deputy Dr. Riek Machar, that later resulted to abrogation of the ACRSS and resumption of the present civil war in the country. As a result of such, over two million persons have been displaced from their settlements throughout the country, whereas they fled into neighboring countries of DRC, CAR, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and Sudan, in search of shelter and protections. Another two millions are internally displaced within the country. A quarter of millions of them have so far sought refuge at various UNMISS camps within the country.
Since then, the war has intensified vigorously in all the three greater regions of South Sudan. Wanton and systematic killings of unarmed civilians by the rogue regime in Juba that coupled with massive displacements and destructions of their property, denial of delivery of food and other humanitarian assistance to the needy have been documented by several human rights organizations and NGOs operating in the country. Indeed, the country is in turmoil. The region particularly the neighboring states of Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and Sudan have equal share in the destruction of South Sudan by misleading the whole world about the plights of the people of South Sudan and the continuation of the war itself.
Since the current war started in December 2013, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has been taking direct involvements in our conflict by siding with President Salva Kiir to continue with its war of aggression and annihilation against the non Dinka tribes in the country. The UPDF forces were physically involved in military combats particularly in Jonglei state in collabrations with the SPLA-IG against the SPLM-IO forces of Dr. Riek Machar. Uganda government has been the main source of military supplies to the rogue regime of Salva Kiir in Juba.
Nevertheless, the former US administration of Barack Obama was also engaged exclusively in passive and proxy diplomatic offensives in order to resolve the ongoing conflict in South Sudan in collaborations with other Troika partners namely UK and Norway and IGAD in favor of President Salva Kiir government. While ignoring the fact about the “Nuer Massacre”, in Juba which was directly orchestrated by none other then President Kiir himself and also sparked the current conflict in the country. Former secretary of state Mr. John Kerry and Ambassador Donald Booth, US Special Envoy for South Sudan and Sudan both were directly responsible for the continuation of this war in our country. They blindly advised the IGAD mediators and leaders to hastily sign the ARCSS deal without guarantees that would prevent the warring parties to resume military activities in case the implementation of the agreement collapses. They did not provide a third party to act as a buffer zone at the time when the SPLM-IO protection force of 1370 soldiers were sent to Juba as part of joint integrated units. While the government in Juba had a force of not less than 30,000 soldiers, which were strategically placed inside and out Juba city.
When the war resumed on July 8, 2016, both the IGAD and Troika started blaming both parties without correctly pointing their fingers on the right culprit who exactly ignited the fighting in Juba and thereafter. They kept on blaming both parties as if they did not know who actually caused the fighting in Juba. They pretended to be ignorance while they were party to that conspiracy altogether. The IGAD and Troika went as far as instigating some disgruntled generals from the SPLA circle in the government like General Thomas Cirilo Swaka to speedily form a separate movement with anticipation to lure all the Equatorian sons within the ranks and files of SPLM-IO under his leadership.
Their actual motive was to get rid of Dr. Riek Machar, who they regarded as an obstacle to their fake peace agreement and also to dismantle SPLM-IO once and for all. Thank God that Dr. Riek Machar did not did as they had wished and the SPLM-IO still at large.
I sincerely thank President Donald Trump in his recent speech at UNGA, when he addressed the heads of African delegates to the conference, where he highlighted to them the sufferings of the people of South Sudan and the need to address their conflict most urgently. This is the spirit our sufferings people need at this crucial moment from a renowned world leader like President Donald Trump. The IGAD mediation had virtually failed to produce any fruitful result due to their competing interests over the resources in our country. Therefore, the African Union should take over the mediation role from IGAD with the assistance from UN and Troika. South Sudan is already a failed state that needs to be resurrected from the current state of abyss.
The author is the former MP and minister of education in Upper Nile state, political activist, and executive director of African Centre for Human Advocacy (ACHA). He is also the author of the Rise and Fall of SPLM/SPLA Leadership, which is available at www.amazon.com and author of the upcoming book with the title “SOUTH SUDAN: Truth must be told”.
