By Benny Gudo.
Harare, Zimbabwe.
Dec 21, 2017(Nyamilepedia) —– Ladies and gentlemen, it’s now at least 4 years of war in the world’s newest nation of South Sudan and the war robbed off tens of thousands lives as well as destruction of properties and infrastructure worth billions of United States dollars, and still more and more are expected to see the same fate amid unabated fighting between the two main antagonists (SPLM and SPLM-IO). Again, I’m cognizant that IGAD is seized with the matter and as of now no significant strides towards peace has been made.
It’s the aforesaid circumstances that compelled me and other friendly patriots and comrades around our Global village to try to persuade our IGAD heads of states to do everything in their disposal, call upon all the warring parties, to cease hostilities and give peace a chance. As we are full aware and cognizant that, for all those years, either group strenuously attempted to wrestle power through military means but, however no party had scored victory till this day. Gun battles, machetes and pangas are all over South Sudan and the nation was swiftly turned into a lion’s den, it’s no longer safe for human habitation. The rich oil and gold fields are now places of cemetery, mining shafts and tunnels were transformed into mass graves as thousands more continue to die hapless.
The Economic Front
At one hand, the war breeds not only social disturbances, but the economic front is also feeling the heat. As it is traditionally known that oil and gold complement the mainstay of South Sudan economy, this war scaled down production in mining and agriculture, for instance, hence flawed economic performance.
Today the country’s economy is in brink, as such everybody is sitting on a time bomb, civil servants go for months without pay, strikes and sit-ins, picketing and protests are the order of the day. No one is safe in South Sudan. Besides earnings, the business environment is neither permissible nor conducive for both employers and employees. Business owners lost valuable items day by day, some inadvertently lost their lives through crossfire or targeted killings, some where abducted and others are wallowing inside notorious cells of South Sudan prisons on various trumped-up charges.
Inflation rates ballooned to greater heights which some economists predicted as hovering around sexitillion percent. Prizes of basic commodities soars every day and some of these goods gradually disappeared on the shelves. Fuel queuing takes place nearly everyday and motorists see the going hard in that respect.
Social Front.
In addition, it’s hard to tell the repercussions of this war but believe me not this is the reality. This is why we call upon regional leaders to take swift action now in order to save the leftovers for brothers and sisters turned against their parents and so does the parents. There is blood flow all over. Indeed, the whole nation is at loggerheads, in every ward, community, district or county across South South Sudan there is no sign of joy, peace and stability.
Nonetheless, the conflict intensified and spreads like veld fire in the wake of JMEC watch. Undoubtedly, the group is now a shame in the eyes of many for it’s presence and significance is of no consequence given that people are dying everyday whilst chairperson Festus Magoe wines and dine with Salva Kiir in Juba hotels.
Recently, over a hundred civilians died in allegedly communal fights according to state reports. True to say, I was touched and aggrieved by such lies that depicted how inhumane, immoral and inane the regime is. That reportage was meant to cover-up the repercussions of war as well portray as things are normally functional yet not. It was a big shame. Here’s the truth. Those civilians died of war. Further, it’s a public secret that wherever war of this nature occurs, government troops and affiliates are always on forefront, no doubt government of Kiir-Deng must be held accountable for…. massacre.
Political Front
On the same vein, whenever atrocities of this nature happens its information ministry rushes to rub off government footprints by spreading fictitious, malice and concocted stories so as to delude and divert attention. But, alias, not knowing that even nights have ears and eyes, truth always prevail despite barriers and truth can be blamed but will never ever be ashamed. Also, one’s opine says: “you can cheat all people some of the time and some people all the time but you can’t cheat all the people all the time. “
Salva Kiir cheated and used so many comrades, that is, Dr Riek Machar, Pagan Aman, Dr Akol, Thomas Cirillo, Rebecca Garang de Mabior, and Gen Paul Malong Awan , to mention a few. By then, most of them were unaware that he was going to undo all the gains and efforts made by his predecessor Dr John Garang. That blindness drove them to a point of endorsing him as Garang replacement not knowing that doing so was suicidal. They created and manufactured their own deaths and that of the people, their sons and daughters also. For sure it was a blind costly mistake.
In my view, these political leaders mentioned must apologize to the nation, the region as well as the international community because what we see and hear are a consequence of their choices and decisions. Should they declined his candidature, perhaps the tens of lives lost would had been saved.
The Future of South Sudan
Now that the damage has been, there is need to go back to basics, to the originals of the unity devised by the late shrewd, orator and unifier, Dr John Garang so as to reunite and reconstruct South Sudan. I think the document is still there to give one another benchmarks and directions of peace, unity and success and I’m quiet sure everybody except Salva Kiir embraces it.
Countless negotiations are good but at times too wasteful and unnecessary if you deal with people whose thinking are glued to selfish interests, avarice and power-hungry. It might take decades to agree on one item only. That is the scenario we see in South Sudan. So those who continue to say, mention and include Salva Kiir’s name in this equation are chasing a wild goose because history tells us that the nation never ever tasted any peace meal since his ascendancy to power. It is this reason that we urge and implore negotiators to dump this man, choose someone with people interests at heart.
Although I know little about South Sudan as a whole, but my common sense tells me there are lots of able-leaders who can steer the nation towards the much anticipated recovery path unlike Salva Kiir. This bearded warmonger failed South Sudanese, therefore recycling or redeploying a failed leader makes no sense at all. Needless to say, history told us that Salva Kiir was a very good war strategist, very courageous with keen interest of liberating the people from the Northerners on the frontline, and was very loyal to his leader Dr John Garang during wartime. No one disputes that. What we want him to know is that the liberation war is now history, all the Southerners got their stake now is time to share the cake not to fight. That fighting mood must cease. This is the rightful time to put economic strategists ahead of war strategists. Get me well, war strategists are now not useless in South Sudan but their rightful place is at the barracks to maintain and safeguard the nation against security threats. Governance keys should be handed over to civilian leaders, technocrats, church leaders, business people and so forth. That way South Sudan will revert back to its lost glory.
I rest my case for guarantors to decide for all political leaders in South Sudan lost the people’s cause by imposing a junta, guerilla war comrade Salva Kiir to lead the nation.
Long live Democratic South Sudan!
Long live Democratic Zimbabwe!
Long live Democratic Africa!
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1 comment
The so-called Jur Chol were born jealous.