By Chuar Juet Jock,
April 09, 2016(Nyamilepedia) —- Courage is needed at both ends of the current South Sudanese conflict, peace or war be it and the SPLM/A-IO has demonstrated that throughout the three years of warfare at the battlefields as well as at the search for a durable and sustainable peace at Addis Ababa negotiations venue. Hence, those who still doubt the return of SPLM/A-IO Chairman, the C-in-C and the designated First Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan, Dr. Riek Machar need to reconcile with that reality. He will be there as scheduled and of course, any delay or postponement of the date doesn’t mean a complete reversal of his return to Juba. However and given the magnitude of the enemy unknown plans and the sensitivity of the occasion, precautions and risk assessment must be taken very seriously and this may lead to delay or different arrangement in which it is understandable that the enemies of peace and the war mongers may resort to twist such occurrences and manipulate them to feed their ill intents. Well, they can dream on, at least in a world of unrealized dreams.
The return of SPLM/A-IO chairman is meant to end the war and not to initiate another war as the expectations and prayers of the anti-peace crusaders. It is meant to end the current bitter state of affairs in South Sudan, it is meant to end the suffering of South Sudanese within and without the country and I hope we have a way to have the accurate statistics at hand that tell us the sharp rise in mortality rate of South Sudanese everywhere due to war related causes; hunger, diseases, psychological and mental distress, insecurity, malnutrition…etc. The return of the SPLM/A-IO Chief is meant to rescue the ailing economy and the constant decline of our local currency in the face of dollar. Dr. Machar’s return is meant to end the bloodshed, heals the wounds of the tribal war and starts the journey of reconciliation that brings back health and normalcy to our battered and wounded social fabric as one nation.
Such an occasion could mean a new start to South Sudan, a very promising one if we have learned the hard lessons we have seen and lived during the course of the bloody conflict. However, the enemies of peace and the war profitable interests based groups are in the opposite side of the coin and they may spoil it at our watch. You may agree with me that there are a good number of enemies to Dr. Machar’s return to Juba and with different various interests to an extent that I may suggest that the return needs not be made official and popular due to the real and clear security threats that are present and I would suggest his return may need to be announced after he securely have arrived to Juba. Apart from the conflict of interest, the Juba government at this level can’t be entrusted with the security of Dr. Machar neither it has the capabilities to prevent any security threats nor I may be fooled to the fact that SPLM/A-IO security and intelligence are all but enough to that mission. I suggest the international community, the IGAD facilitate the secure arrival of Dr. Machar.
In such a divided political street such as Juba and with all the tribal ego and tensions, the memories and trauma of Dec 15, 2013 are still but fresh and alive and therefore such an occasion if made popular and public, could be another recipe for another bloodbath and a return to war worse than the one we are about to end. The significant of Dr.Machar’s return is not the popularity of it rather than to bring this country and nation back to the gradual and step by step healing and reconciliation. In a highly tribalized society, and where the degree of tolerance, education and political awareness is so low, we must deny the possibilities of tribal bloodbath through careful planning and better alternatives and not through the assumption that all will just go alright or nothing will happen. The factors and ingredients for the possible conflicts are all there but it is not for everyone to see. Again rescue the South Sudanese from another bloodbath by making the return unofficial and make the public celebrate it at a later date. We aim to end a war and not to start a new one.
Chuar Juet Jock is a South Sudanese entrepreneur, columnist and PhD candidate based in Omaha, Nebraska – United States. He has authored his new book “In a Nutshell: Opinions and Articles during South Sudanese Civil War (2013 -2016)”; a powerful truth that has been injected into the body of South Sudan’s history, it unearthed the truth of the current since war started on December 15, 2013 up to February 2016. The book is available at Amazon.com and other online bookstores. The author can be reached through chuar.juet@gmail.com.
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