SOUTH SUDAN NATIONAL MOVEMENT FOR CHANGE
OFFICE OF THE CHAIRMAN
JULY 09, 2024(Nyamilepedia) – Compatriots, on behalf of SSNMC, allow me to salute and congratulate our martyrs, heroes, heroines, and all the South Sudanese people whose inestimable contributions and sacrifices to our long and difficult walk to freedom laid the foundation of our beloved country, South Sudan as a free Sovereign State among the World Community of Nations. As we celebrate this important day, let us remember our martyrs who have paid the ultimate price for us to achieve our independence, let us also remember all those who have sacrificed and contributed in one way or another for us to gain our independence.
Compatriots, this independence would have been completely impossible if not for the formidable unity of purpose South Sudanese people exhibited during the struggle for freedom. This unity is a missing ingredient today in our search for a lasting solution to the current Kiir-made crisis in South Sudan.
Fellow Citizens, the divisive policies of the successive Khartoum regimes coupled with oppression, discrimination, extrajudicial killing, unwarranted arrest, and forced disappearance triggered Sudan’s chronic conflict right after the independence. Throughout the conflict, Southern Sudanese in their interest to maintain the unity of Sudan as a viable State, South Sudanese offered a Federal System of governance as the durable solution to the country’s crisis. However, the despotic and shortsighted successive regimes in Khartoum turned down this nationalistic standby of all the Southern people who were left with no other option but to demand and fight for their independence. Today, the demand for the Federal System of governance is alive and sound but President Kiir is committing the same mistake as the Northerners by trying to suppress a popular national demand.
Fellow Citizens, President Kiir’s regime uses notorious national security to; intimidate and silence the voices of reasoning, promote corruption to enrich his inner circle, and legitimize land grabbing to drive citizens out of their ancestry land. Under his authoritarian leadership, President Salva Kiir is employing ethnicity as a divide-and-rule strategy, destroying national unity, and fueling inter-communal conflict to maintain him in power. The policies of Kiir’s regime are the continuation of the oppressive Khartoum regime policy that forced the Southern People to demand independence. President Kiir is committing the same mistake as Northerners but expects different results.
Compatriots, as we mark our Independence Day, the massive corruption, mismanagement of the country’s revenues and resources, poor economic policies, and lack of vision are driving our country into total disintegration, lawlessness, and anarchy, it is hence our collective national responsibility and duty to confront this imminent danger together as we did during the long walk to our freedom. Let’s work together to save our country from collapsing.
Compatriots, since the onset of the conflict in 2013, President Kiir has used the conflict to maintain power as a result he dishonors agreements and chooses selective implementation of the agreements. As we mark this independence, there is a huge presence of heavily armed foreign forces in Juba, the abduction of citizens by national security agents is continuous and President Kiir has illegally and unilaterally extended the Interim Period, as if this was not enough President Kiir now manipulated the parliament to pass the Notorious National Security Bill that gives the National Security Agents unchecked, and unlimited powers.
Fellow Citizens, the SSNMC believes that peace is the priority of the South Sudanese people as such it is important that President Kiir prioritize peace. Though President Kiir asked Kenyan President William Samoei Ruto to mediate between his government and the opposition, his illegal and unilateral extension of the Interim Period, the presence of the foreign forces in Juba, lack of political space, lack of freedom of expression, movement, association, run counter to seeking true peace for South Sudan. To top it all, the continuation of the abduction, illegal arrests, and detentions and the manipulated passing of the National Security Bill detentions of citizens are clear indications that his request for President Ruto’s championing peace was not a genuine one but rather a covert strategy to buy time.
Compatriots, enough is enough let’s join the National Consensus Forum’s (NCF) call for an inclusive roundtable conference that will bring together all South Sudanese stakeholders to discuss the root causes of our chronic conflict and together prescribe permanent remedies their resolution. This will usher into the country a new road map and mandated interim period with specific terms of reference that will pave the way to a new political dispensation and a new social contract. It is only by doing so then the genuine peace that we have been waiting for will then be realized.
Long Live peace-loving South Sudanese People.
Long Live SSNMC.
May God bless our country.
Mr. Alex Yatta Lukadi
Chairman of SSNMC.
