July 13, 2015(Nyamilepedia) — Despite anticipated, the fourth independence anniversary of the world’s youngest nation, South Sudan, has passed with tone of mixed reactions among the South Sudanese populations around the world.
In Juba, the barely functioning government of Salva Kiir sacrificed many duties including elections just to preserve funds to recognize the 4th independence anniversary of the newly independent state.
The government managed to allocate $129 millions US Dollar for the event, a decision that sparked criticism from the citizens, who see nothing to celebrate as the war continues to escalate from around the national capital to most remote areas in the three regions of South Sudan.
Notwithstanding that a few South Sudanese turned out to mark the event around the world, thousands of South Sudanese, mostly from the affected region of Greater Upper Nile, matched in many cities in what was identified as a RED CARD Rally to mark the end of Salva Kiir’s second term in office.
Mr. Salva Kiir has ruled the country since the death of SPLM/SPLA founder, Dr. John Garang de Mabior, who died in the Ugandan’s presidential helicopter in 2005 after the signing of the famous Comprehensive Peace Agreement(CPA).
Mr. Museveni, the long term president of Uganda, was the only president who attended the event.
The RED Card Rally
In Washington DC-USA, Kampala-Uganda, Melbourne-Australia, Cairo-Egypt and in a few other cities, many South Sudanese matched in great numbers in peaceful demonstrations to remind Salva Kiir that his term has expired and he should exit the presidency to allow a caretaker president to restore the country.
According to the founders of the rally, the demonstrators remind the international community that “although we are independent, we are not yet free”.
“The purpose why we conducted the rally is to tell the world that South Sudan is still experiencing injustice, nepotism, tribalism, discrimination, and foreign invasion.”a correspondent from Egypt, Zechariah G. Machar, one of the founders of the event told our editorial team.
“We came together to tell the world that YES, WE’RE INDEPENDENCE BUT YET TO BE FREE.” Zee continues.
While some protesters worn a red T-Shirt designed with a red card symbol on, others worn red all over and carried big red cards to symbolize disapproval for Salva Kiir’s “failed” government.
In Cairo, an estimate of 250 protesters turned out to mark the event. According to the organizers the rally started at 6Am and ended at 9pm.
In Washington, the rally involved humanitarian organizations, communities and political activists such as Simon Deng, who has been on hunger strike for nearly two months outside the White house while calling on President Obama to take an action and end the war in his birth nation.
A total of four humanitarian organizations — South Sudan International Advocacy for Human Rights (SSIAHR), Sudanese American Network for the Advancement of Democracy in Sudan(SANADS), Alliance for South Sudanese in Diaspora (ASSD) and the Nuer Christian Mission Network for North American (NCMNNA) — submitted a letter to US Congress demanding for Salva Kiir’s exit and restoration of stability in the country.
“President Salva Kiir, on the other hand, whose term ends this July, has continued to violate the country’s Constitution by extended his own term in the office for another three years, as well as declaring an aggregated war to recapture areas under opposition forces; this is a clear indication of lack of political will on the side of the president and government to end the war and begin national reconciliation and healing” part of their statement reads.
The protesters and the non-profit organizations call on the White house to demand withdrawal of foreign forces in the country, emphasizing that their presence would elongate the conflict and present a security threat to the whole region.
The South Sudanese Diaspora Civil Societies appeal to the government of the United States of America to declare Salva Kiir’s administration illegitimate.
“Declare Salva Kiir illegitimate president for his role in genocide on the Nuer civilians in Juba and continued in other states as was former President of Ukraine Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych for killing 200 citizens of his country”. civil societies report continues.
The organizations remind the White house to pressure the African Union’s Commission of Inquiry to release their findings on human right violations and atrocities committed in South Sudan.
Reports from the AU Submit, held in May this year, revealed that the investigative report of AUCISS would be released this month, July 2015.
The group further called on the Obama’s administration to impose target sanctions on the government of South Sudan– including Oil, arm embargo, as well as special target to those that are pursuing war options.
Like in Cairo and Washington, peaceful demonstrators in Kampala-Uganda and Melbourne-Australia matched to the streets shouting a mixed of denunciations:
“RED Caaaaaard, Salva Kiir … Down, Down, Salva Kiir …Federal, Federal, South Sudan…. No, No, for tribalism – No, No for Discrimination …. Where is United Nation …. South Sudanese are dying” they presided.
While the rallies in Cairo, Egypt, were held at the United Nations’ office in six of October city, the rallies in Museveni’s nation, Uganda, were held at Makerere University at St. Francis Church.
In other parts of the world, the morality of South Sudanese remained relatively low compared to 2011 when thousands poured into streets in many cities across the world.
Due to the longest civil war in the continent, many South Sudanese were displaced to refugees camps across East Africa prior to independent. Many of these refugees, including a generation known as lost boys, were later resettled in many developed countries such as USA, Canada, Europe and Australia.
Despite that peace returned to South Sudan four years ago, an estimate of over four millions South Sudanese remained in exile.
According to the latest reports by the United Nations and other credible sources, over two millions South Sudanese have been displaced within the last 19 months.
Tens of thousands are reportedly killed as the civil war escalates to areas that have been relatively calmed.
In the capital city, Juba, at least 10 people have been killed within the last two days.
While a disgruntled police killed four of his colleagues on Sunday morning and injured at least seven others in Juba, 8 people were killed on the same day when an intensive shooting broke out between the SPLA (Juba) and the local armed youth from the hosting Mundari tribe at the outskirts of Juba.
In Lake state and elsewhere in the country, at least 30 people have been killed in tribal revenges and ambushes within the last 48 hours.
3 comments
Nobody blamed Lions of sleeping,Lions sleeping like that like because of meats.
You are right, any one knows how greedy lion is, when it come to eating meat. Your example,was right on the money. No one outside South Sudan believe that a leader of nation could turn his hunger to kill children,women,and elderly because he was starving and couldn’t find any row meat nor chicken to subdue his hunger. This time,he ‘ll starved to death. Many expected someone,one day will exposed the truth behind closed door. I hope you got it.
Bol Achol,loot and rape and Rape itself is a pear