March 24th, 2018(Nyamilepedia) — Mr. President, on March 4, 2018, dressed in military fatigue exactly the same fatigues you wore on December 16, 2013 when you declared war on the ethnic Nuer in Juba which resulted in an ethnic cleansing as per the Report of the African Union Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan (AUCISS).
You made a calculated visit to Ma’di land (Pageri County) and gave an irrelevant speech in a public rally in Nimule, Pageri County. It is a well-known fact that majority of indigenous Ma’di community have taken refuge in Uganda and elsewhere due to the ongoing occupation by the Mathiang Anyor, Dinka military abuses of power, intimidations, harassments, arbitrary arrests, killings and other forms of actions that they infringed on the rights of individuals or the community in Pageri County.
In your typical style of giving speech absentmindedly, even if you affirmed having seen massive destruction in Ma’di land, you did not show any empathy to the people of the land instead you embarked on discourteous utterances devoid of concern for the plight of the people. In your typical inarticulate speech as published by South Sudan Liberty, you made the following statements that we analyze and hereby respond to as the people of Pageri County in Diaspora:
That “you came to Nimule by road and you were not attacked, so there are no rebels in the area, therefore, you urged people to return home. You said if your plea to people to come home is not heard, you will be forced to comb the whole bush to find and destroy any rebel hideouts”.
In that reckless statement; Mr. President you attribute not having been attacked to absence of rebels in the area as such you urged people to come home as if the people left their homes because of rebels. Whereas it is not our concern whether rebels are there or not, that is something for the current on-going High Level Revitalization Forum (HLRF) to establish.
But the Ma’di people would like to correct the impression that it is because of rebels that our people took refuge (that is untrue), in contrary the people abandoned their homes because of the ruthless government militia who have killed people in cold blood. One example is the killings of eight people including an experienced Teacher and other important community members at a funeral gathering at ‘Okodu Maria’ (Junction to Loa Catholic Mission where your wife is buried) on August 29, 2016 after the Commissioner of Pageri County and the Military Commander assured them of safety. This statement is a mockery of the people of Pageri and pretense for evil plan to kill the remaining Ma’di population who are still in their land by the barbaric government militia posturing as national army.
We reiterate that it is because of the atrocities government security organs committed that the Ma’di people left their homes not rebels a fact recognized by the government of the so called Imatong State (Letter from the Office of the Executive Director, State Peace and Reconciliation Commission 03/11/2017).
That, “you came to pay respect to your late wife who was buried in Loa Catholic cemetery more than a decade ago”.
Though it is a noble act to commemorate the loss of loved one, nevertheless it is untimely and unrealistic to come all the way from Juba to Loa – Nimule dressed in ‘Military Fatigue’ using country’s meager resources to line soldiers every ‘meter’ for 120 miles. This is yet another misjudgment by you and your government and a way of squandering the nation’s resources, while crying foul for having no money in the country in the same speech. In 2017, you made similar trip to Yei, and that was followed by massive massacre of innocent people and destruction of civilians’ properties in Yei by your security forces. Mr. President, your trip to Nimule is a declaration of war though on December 21, 2017, you signed a Cessation of Hostilities Agreement with all the warring parties in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Mr. President, your visit to Pageri County, as head of state not to say the least on the suffering of the people instead hurling provocative insults against the people and asking the people to return to homes destroyed by your own soldiers and land occupied by your Henchmen knowingly, is a mockery and disappointment.
We expected you as President of the Republic without prejudice to other ethnic groups to address issues of cattle, Ma’di land occupation by ‘Dinka Settlers’, empathize with people for losing their loved ones and properties, pay condolences to families that lost loved ones to the barbaric actions of your soldiers and assure people of peace. However, what you showed is a posture of war and deliberate negligence exactly what you did on December 16, 2013 in Juba; proving to us the allegations that you are a tribal president only caring for your ethnic Dinka population and the power you were handed in golden plate. We commit you and our case into the hands of Almighty God who changes times and seasons and removes kings and sets up kings (Daniel 2:21).
The author of this article can be reached for more information at ebilomanya@gmail.com
