By James J. Nguen,
Opinion.
March 12, 2015(Nyamilepedia) — The value of this honest proposal is humanistic, logical and politically mature. If implemented, will have positive impacts in finding lasting peace in South Sudan and people can once again be at peace. Warmongers will perceive this as a short-sighted because their familiarity with South Sudan and Sudan politics is limited and their scope of understanding is informed by what they gain when this war continued. Some might disagree with this proposal because they have axes to grind with Sudanese people (north and south) and want no peace to return to South Sudan whatsoever.
Logically, one of the benefits of this proposal is that it will bring normalcy to people’s lives and also prevent eminent nation collapse. President Omar Bashir is a heavyweight political machine as far as South Sudan normalcy is concerned. We can no longer afford ignoring this reality.
To achieve a meaningful peace in South Sudan, President Bashir of Sudan, Troika, United Kingdom, Norway and United States must be involved. This is demand of South Sudanese people since there was no progress in the peace talk and no consequences against those who obstructed peace.
At this point, I am sure most of us are convinced with the narrative that IGAD led peace wouldn’t prevail some days. The idea that IGAD was a formidable political machine capable of bring lasting peace to South Sudan was a perfect fallacy and unrealistic.
This has been proven before our watchful eyes. Therefore, it’s about time for Sudanese and the world to do the unthinkable. It’s about time to rationalize South Sudan problem and find local solutions with international and region outlook. Involving president Bashir to take lead in solving South Sudan problem is a positive initiative in the right direction. Involvement of the Troika countries, Norway, United Kingdom and United States in supportive role and in some decision making is also paramount. These countries are friends of South Sudan and will always be there for us when we needed help. Now, our people need their friendly hands.
The IGAD led peace for South Sudan has failed because most of the IGAD’s member states only positioned their representatives in South Sudan’s peace talk only for economic purposes. Call it economic gain if you may. The IGAD intention was not to bring lasting peace to South Sudan but prolongation of war in order to prolong financial exploitation of South Sudan. This is the dominant motive behind the Uganda president involvement in South Sudan internal affairs. While Kenya and Ethiopia on the other hand have the same interests using subsidiaries third parties and back door deals to achieve the same financial ends. If for the same reason that IGAD never enforced any threat.
The problem we have in south Sudan needs sound approach and openness in order to find an amicable solution. This cannot be achieved with current approach because the prorogation is wrong. Similarly, this sound approach will be counterproductive when only extoling current false political elites in South Sudan. The South Sudanese people are glad that IGAD’ head has admitted that the past approach aimed to bringing peace to South Sudan wrong and must be alter.
The current governance in South Sudan is too “deformed to be reformed.” For one, South Sudan as a nation is led by a weak and incompetence president. The South Sudan self-serving political class is splintered on tribal basis. For instance, the G10 and the SPLM/A led by Dr. Riek are currently caught up in rather premature egocentric politic. Simply because the G10 has an axe to grind with Dr. Riek on personal basis and this led to rather a weak oppositions.
President Kiir other the other hand has surrounded himself with ineffective tribal hooligans. This state of affairs opened South Sudan up to wolves and serious exploitation by well-established hyenas looking for profitable financial carcasses. The losers at the end of the day are the common South Sudanese people.
Since December 2013, President Kiir has lost constitutional legitimacy after administering the gruesome massacre of the Nuer nationality in the State capital, Juba. A heinous crime ever committed in the 21 century. Now, the nation has no national army to keep kiir and cronies afloat. Kiir opted for Uganda’s UPDF’s desperate offer and aimed only for financial prosperity. This useless deal is now keeping Kiir and disgruntled politicians around him afloat by using South Sudan’s petro-dollars while the country’s national identity go to waste.
For Kenya and Ethiopia, South Sudan’s financial district around the country is runs by the Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) and this has helped Kenya with immerse financial growth in its GDP in the past 5 years. Therefore President Kenyatta is determined to keep this status quo alive whatever it takes without any humanistic remorse to suffering South Sudanese civilians caught up in the senseless civil war.
Besides, every tea shop and water supply in South Sudan is owned and runs by Ethiopian nationals. This gives Ethiopia as a country a financial incentive than ever before while South Sudanese citizens languish in the UN bases internally and in the neighboring countries. Therefore, the only strategic plan use by Uganda, Kenya and Uganda is keeping our people engage militarily while the continue exploiting the nation wealth.
Dr. Riek and his group plus the G10 have no financial capacities to strike the balance of the petro-dollars use by President Kiir, but instead, depend on handouts from goodwill friends. Because of this, the G10 and the SPLM/A-IO lacks political influences over IGAD’s member States. In fact, G10 is in the worse position compared to SPLM-IO. The group’s survival depends on President Kenyatta’s handouts and they lack political independency and in the course of this conflict will never flux political muscles.
In the view of Kiir and Dr. Riek’s factions, this group is misguided represents political pauper to say the least. The group has no military base anywhere in South Sudan to resort to should roundtable solution withered away like it has.
In the recent past, G10 has used angel-like politic to win supports from the international community particularly the TROIKA and the US but this has failed even though the group back stabbed Dr. Riek and his SPLM/A -IO after the movement fought fiercely to secure their released from prison. It was even alleged that Pagan Amum, the leader of G10 to has stated that the killing of the Nuer civilians in their thousands should not take the country to civil war. If this is true, the question one need to ask is what can take a country to war then if peoples’ lives no longer matters?
The South Sudan peace negotiation led by IGAD has failed and the country is now at the free fall. Precisely, the badly needed peace is no more even with strong supports from the Troika countries and the United States. As a result, empty political bickering from IGAD has taken a centre stage but counterproductive as usual. I should say, IGAD is good for nothing and can never be a vanguard to salvage a meaningful peace for my people. There are toothless and their interests are solely financially motivated and the organization lack financial and political leverages to stand it grounds.
For the last 15 months of South Sudan conflict, IGAD has made empty numerous political posturing of severe consequences against Dr. Riek and President Kiir Mayardit should peace failed. Sadly, the resultant of such threats is that both parties showed defiance and failed to agree on every talking point. Also both warring parties have continued to dishonour signed cessation of hostilities and no single threat of severe consequences from IGAD has been actualized.
As it appears, IGAD made some of these threats against Kiir and Machar after being instructed to do so by TROIKA countries and United States. To date, IGAD has no tangible Plan B should South Sudan’s peace negotiation failed like it has. All we heard time and again are endless empty political bickering of wanting to protect South Sudanese civilians caught up in the middle of war.
On the 6th of March 2015, finally, a nail on the cabin was transfixed on South Sudan peace process. South Sudan’s peace process was indefinitely suspended by IGAD’s mediator citing disagreement over every major issue on the menu. This is expected and every South Sudanese that I know of knew from the onset that IGAD peace process is doomed and distant to fail. The pronouncement made by IGAD only validates our common man common knowledge on the matter.
As I write, there is no hope for peace anytime soon in South Sudan. Fighting between the two warring parties has resumed and suffering of civilians continued unabated. Death is relentless and no negotiation is expected in the near future. This is disappointing and must not be allowed to continue.
Therefore, to find the solution, there is only one avenue that has not been tapped, Sudan. Sudan has been ignored due to its president bad relations with the West and yet this country stands a good chance of bring lasting peace to South Sudan if utilize effectively. Sudan as a country is an IGAD’s member States but her president, Omar Al Bashir has been isolated due to indictment by the International Crime Court regarding the Darfur issue.
Sadly however, the Darfur rebel and its northern Sudan allies, the SPLM/A -North rebels have proven to be bad partners and merciless bandits which cannot be trusted. There are involved into South Sudan tribal killings as mercenaries. As I write, there are fighting alongside a genocidal regime of president Kiir; a government that trained and armed troops to carry out the massacre of defenseless civilians on December 2013.
This showed that the Darfur rebels groups have lost their good political stand at the international stage and deserve no political and moral supports from anyone but instead ought to be condemned in the strongest terms possible for aiding in the death of South Sudan civilians. As such President Omar Bashir should no long be held back playing instrumental role in South Sudan crisis because of these trivial mercenaries rebel groups issues.
As far as South Sudan’s crisis is concerned, Sudan’s president holds a very unique and importance position. If utilized and given the leading role, he can have a positive and far lethal influence over both Salva Kiir and Dr. Riek Machar financially and politically. This is what is lacking with the Ethiopia’s Prime Minister and Kenya but needed for peace to succeed in South Sudan.
If truth be told, the Republic of Sudan under President Bashir is the financier and life line of President Kiir and by extension the Uganda People Defense Forces (UPDF) and the SPLM/A-North, and in part the PLM/A –IO led by Dr. Riek according to Hon. Henry Odar. Sudan as country has both political and financial leverage over these conflicting groups in South Sudan. The Ethiopians, Kenyans and Ugandans have zero leverage to gambles with.
Evidently, the Republic of Sudan allowed President Kiir to collect millions of dollars from oil production which flows through Port Sudan to the international market. Subsequently, President Kiir hired the UPDF and various Sudanese rebel groups to fight for him and against the SPLM/A rebel.
The same Sudanese rebel groups funded by President Kiir are the same group that fight President Bashir in the Nuba Mountain, the Blue Nile and the Darfur respectively. In reality, one need no political science degree to figure out that President Bashir is directly or indirectly financing those who wanted to oust him by force from office.
President Bashir’s financial assistance to Kiir made president Kiir intransigence and refuses to make concessions in the peace process. If President Bashir takes the leading role in South Sudan peace talk, he can use this advantage to strangulate Kiir in case he decided to drag his feed and refused to compromise.
For SPLM/A- IO, if Hon. Henry Odar utterance on the Canadian public Agency Channel early this month were true, that the SPLM/A is receiving military backing from Sudan to counter Uganda involvement, then, it’s paramount to use president Bashir influence to bring both parties together or else.
In comparison, the Ethiopian’s Prime Minister is toothless and lack political and financial leverages over the warring parties. For example, at any rate, if Kiir and Dr. Riek refused to negotiate peace in good faith, President Bashir can actually stop the flow of oil and support of the SPLM/A-IO if the allegation were true.
These can have positive and paralyzing influence both on the government of South Sudan under Salva and the rebel. As a result, the financial incentive for the UPDF will cease and they will call it a quit while the Northern Sudan rebel’s supports for Kiir will run short of supply. On the same token, the SPLM/A-IO under Dr. Riek Machar can suffer the same fate.
This plan would be the quickest, efficient and paralyzing influence the world needs to solve South Sudan crisis. President Bashir is the only hope and paralyzing influence required to curve the rampage intransigency of the warring parties. The without President Bashir, Troika countries, United Kingdom and United States involvement, the pending UN’s sanctions and the Ethiopian’s Prime Minister empty threats will not help solve South Sudan conflict.
Therefore, I call on the international Community and the Africa Union to endorse and support president Bashir to take leading role in efforts to bring lasting peace to South Sudan
Nguen is a concerned South Sudanese living in Canada. He can be reached at jamesnguen@gmail.com
20 comments
Great topic for the 91 cry babies and those with Macharaphobia. Bashiir’s envolvement is a nightmare for Juba and Uganda. Sleepless nights will get even longer. Sudan rebel would have to move to chad. Ethiopia and N-Sudan are the sleeping gaints as far as regionalizing the conflict so undermining their interest in anyway IGAD will crumble to pieces.
GatNor,
Your Al Bashir has not defeated the SPLA when you Nuers ganged up with the north Sudan SAF, Muraleen, Equatorian defense forces (EDF), Ismaile Kony, LRA of Joseph Kony and several other cloned arabs stooges in Western Bhar el Ghazelles etc, but there was no single Ugandan soldier helping the SPLA and the SPLA prevailed.
You current Nuers who were just given a few days’ training by the AFRICOM and were told freedom fighters” just like the then *free Libyan army” and *Free syrian army by the corporate America’s CIA! And hope to change the government of South Sudan by force!! Nuers, be very very careful.
He is not my Bashir and do not pretends to me that the involvement of America in this conflict benefits me in any ways because it does not lets be clear on that. America supports Uganda, and Uganda supports South Sudan government(Ethnic Regime of Jaang). So please stop that nonsense. The day America support any called for justice to be granted to the victims of Juba massacre that happened in 2013 and many other areas in South Sudan, then maybe and maybe I will stop looking at America as double agent whose interest has changed from being agent sponsoring terrorist activities from state governments to Guelweng militias, Boko Haram, Wars in the Congos, Sudan Rebels, Kony’s LRA, Alshabas, and the notorious exist of evil and terrorist that called themselves ISIS in the region. So America was invited back to South Sudan by Kiir acting with rage and violence to silent his opponents. which route did America use to come back after facilitating South Sudan independence only to be dumped from benefitting directly from oil plunders? One route is Uganda. So don’t piss off the American this time because it will cost you dearly considering you have betrayed them once or twice before. I am not a fan of America’s foreign policy but if they support the oppositions to bring about change for peace and democracy then I am for the America. Democracy is in the eyes of beholder so to be careful or what? You will massacre more Nuers? what a cheap threat like you are not doing it anyways so why does it matter.
Our people never use bottles to wash themselves,Northerners have the right to live and work in South,but they can not rule us.
Mr. GatNor you are fighting a wrong war online media my friend, Riek Machar will come back to Juba any time, the time is still not right for him to make it.
He has done it before and every citizen in South Sudan knew what he did. Bashir still not involved yet and I don’t think he will accept direct involvement in South Sudanese problems.
If you don’t believe in IGAD ability then you seemed to the real one among characters I mentioned who do not believe their own ability to solve their own problems.
African problems needs African solutions. That is just a saying you can not expect sane individuals to just believe in sound bite of empty slogans that means nothing without action. What are you doing online if I may asked.
Oh here we go again about Machar, 91 and coming back to Juba. I didn’t hear you please say it again. As you all sadly seem to neglect hearing the truth this Machar you are talking about was nearly assassinated but all the evil plans failed not only that they dramatically failed but they back fire on the plotter and the coconspirators leaving Juba in unpredicted mess. I can recalled in the earlier state of the conflict the WAW where precisely 15 clicks away from the capital. If Machar wanted to take the government down by force he would be in Juba today or the first week of what later turn out to be a civil war. Machar came back to Juba from 91 with a demand that had to be accepted and it was. This truth you deny even though you are living prop of it in the form of South Sudan nation. I repeat, South Sudan nation.
One commentator said on ST-News website. Machar was a VP for 8 years and Jaang never raised the question of 91. Why? Oh that maybe because Machar didn’t expressed his interest to go for the highest seat in the land and that seat is supposed to be for Jaang only. As soon as he Machar announce his intention publically to runfor the presidential office, 91 suddenly became an issue. Blackmailing him and all Nuers to deny them their democratic rights using 91 is NOT ACCEPTABLE.
Anyhow, let me tell you that you have all gone wrong about it and I am glad it will cost you dearly very soon and hopefully you will learn a little thing or two about the implications of your violent nature. Machar will go to Juba a heroe just to warn you so you don’t have a heart attack when that happens. Ask me later and I will tell you I TOLD YOU SO. kiir and his so called elected government will have a new face and too bad for you if the new face looks more like a Nuer, Equatoria, or any other tribe. Not Kiir so be ready.
Mr. James J. Nguen
There is no doubt that you have given your point of view positively. I too have the same concern as you do, nevertheless there are some points I may not agree with you.
When South Sudanese revolt against their counterparts in the north before the declaration of independence in 1956, no one told them to revolt against the northerns,it was their choice, they did recognised that we really being marginalised by Arabs so they took guns to fight where now South Sudanese is free from Arab and Islamic rules. My point of view here is, we as Africans in general sometimes we ignore our ability or capability of solving our problems and invite someone to solve our problems instead.
Involving president Bashir to take lead in solving South Sudan problem is not a positive initiative and is not a right direction either, it is a disastrous weakness, it is too bad to allow someone who still dreaming of being a master to control you again. Bashir got many problems to solve in the north such as Junub Cordofan ( Nuba Mountains) and Blue Nile, Darfur region and Abiey those problems are not yet being solved and these problems are real issues to bring peace in the north. Troika countries on the other hand got their own interests in South Sudan, they got their own agenda.
I would like to conclude my comment that IGAD led peace for South Sudan has not failed, IGAD is the real body who is capable to solve this problem. African problems can be solved by Africans themselves.
How should you want Al- Bashir to be there,he is a man who wants South Sudan to continue going in confusion so that he will feel more happy.
now you are talking
I agree with most of the points to a certain extend, Practically, Sudan has a greater stakes in S.Sudan than the rest of E.African nations, and would be rightly assumed, from an Holistic view seen as the biggest loser/gainer in a Stability/instability of S.Sudan, therefore involving it or assigning it a Major-role in peace making process is most realistic……however a pessimistic view also tend to think that, Sudan is more interested in the collapse of the Young Nation so it can secure an excuse from the World to reclaim re-unification of the Country (I personally don’t have the tools to understand the Practicality of this notion) but to on the Safe-side, we should but sign Sudan a supervised role in the peace process.
You support Buckets back to elites officials residents in Juba,Northerners don’t even want Kokora’s officials in Juba by then to build Latrines. They have treated South like Primates since Sudan’s independence from GB.
Wad El-Junub,
Let me first quote on what you said’ IGAD” is the right body to end the over 14 year old conflict in south sudan.
Anyway you might be right but in horse -sense IGAD has been negotiating this process for the whole cause of the conflict yet there was no peace achieved.
i would presume it is advisable for the Troika countries, US, and any other interested foreign body to be included in the peace negotiating process.
As per the proposal that Bashir is the right person to be included also in the peace deal is 100% true, don’t concentrate on the point that Bashir will annex two sudan
if it was not because Junubin will never tell the truth in their lives do u still insisting in saying schooled-ill Kiir is a human being to lead a country?
Anyway let’s see and i hope Kiir era has ended
Regards
Nelson Nhial
James J. Nguen
This piece of opinion you wrote,concisely depicts how Arabized and enslaved ,you are by dragging in those ardent enemies of S.Sudan.Seeking for the re-unification which will never happen,or daydreaming in fact all nuer were in Khartoum during the liberation time with their defected Riek. You are a slave James and a diaspora settler.
There is no way a country would be called “Sudan” and another country “South Sudan”, only one country must take the name Sudan. Korea that is homogeneously one people with absolute one culture, one tradition and all, has South Korea and North Korea today because they don’t like each other. But the fools in the US that some lowly educated Nuers and the Dinkas think helped mid-wifed South Sudan, didn’t know what the US was upto and was why the US killed Dr. Garang.
South Sudanese people have nothing to do with the so called cloned arabs of north Sudan and would never be. The Nuers with their mad-man Riek Machar want to show South Sudanese people that they can fight wars, because they believed, they can want re-write history in South Sudan, like the Dinkas did, but the Nuers don’t even know what they are after except to fulfill their Ngundeng non-sense and the Dinkas and the other South Sudanese people are not going to let the Nuers’ play their bullsh*ts in South Sudan again, never.
If the Nuers want to be in north Sudan with their arab masters, then the government of South Sudan and the South Sudanese people will talk to the Ngok Dinka of Abyiei and the Nuers would be given Abyiei, Panthou/Heglig and Karaserna and no more Nuers would be wanted in South Sudan again and should the Nuers try again to play games with the South Sudanese people, then the Nuers are not in need of peace, but war with the South Sudanese people and the Dinkas that they always think are their arch enemy in South Sudan will fight them to where the Nuers want to go.
The Nuers bullsht in South Sudan has gone too far and they don’t know why the Dinkas called them Nuers “nyantooc”, this is a slightly demeaning *term to Nuers in Dinka to mean “the Nuer brats who often throw tantrums, then run to the swamps when they taken head on and come back out of swamp when they are out of food”.
The Nuers don’t know their Riek Machar is a complete fool and no Dinka would allow him back into South Sudan with his Nuers’ magic, never.
Northerners or the so-called Wad El Arab care only of their little Xenophobia Islam and their elites in the South,that is why our people kicked them out and Sudan never ever unite ever.
They destroyed us for over 50 years.
We need peace your hatred will not bring peace in south sudan.
Ghol Chot or whatever you call yourself,
Do you really understand that what we call dinka is translated as Jaang in Naath language?
Anyway that’s not the case, we mighty Nuer are liberating the whole south Sudan from alcoholic leadership of Bany e ci yuet of Salva Kiir.
That is why you can see many generals like Dau Ator joung have joined the movement.
Because we believe they understand that a country compose of over 60 tribes can not be spoil by single or individual like Kiir.
We strongly believe in the story of south as whole not Dinka neither Nuer.
Dr.Riek Machar did not make any coup as you sing or bark, he believe south Sudan is a vast country and richest in Africa that all its citizens can benefit.
When you talk of Nuer can go to Abyei, what of their ancestral lands Bentiu, Malakal, and Jonlei?
I don;t want to waste my time replying to your nonsense words you expressed.
There will be time where your husband Museveni will be kicked ass.
we have more strength and power to get rid of you.
Your era to eat shit is at the corner guys!
You exist and hailed in south Sudan just occupying the land for no reason.
Shame on you guys!
Those of you who are trying to confused the public that the Nuers wanted to be with the N-Sudan you are wrong. Had majority of the Nuers not voted for an independent South Sudan there would be no such a nation called South Sudan today. Had Machar not demanded that South Sudan question of statehood be a part of material matters to be discus during his peace negotiations with Dr. Garang, you cowards would have no South Sudan to loot today. Dr. Garang would have run with South Sudan to the N-Sudan and your looting spree would have been limited under the watchful eyes of our Arab N-Sudan cousins and I think I have put it plainly as posible. The Nuers wants nothing more than peaceful neighbors to the N-Sudan. I am sure they know very well that peaceful and a well defined border interactions between North and South Sudan is NOT only a Nuer concern but a South Sudan concern. Majority of the Nuer wants to have an independent South Sudan and have achieved it, so it makes no sense for anyone to accused Nuers of wanting to be a part of the N-Sudan. Those who are bitter and still accuse Nuer about 91 as a move to unify with the Arab N-Sudan are detractors who avoid the truth of the role politic plays in one’s choices of alliances whether short or long term. Now for South Sudan to not be careful of any of its neighbor would be a mistake that would be fell for a longer period by citizens. Perhaps, Uganda’s involvement of South Sudan’s internal affair such as this current war will come later to affect its relations with South Sudan.
Should have been 85.99% without GATNOR.