By Sirir Gabriel Yiei Ruot,
June 11, 2014(Nyamilepedia) — South Sudan is an oil rich country and a regional youngest nation in the eastern part of Africa. Its is a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual country with a population of more than 10.84 millions people.There are two major ethnic groups, the Nuer (also known Naath) and the Dinka in the north west. There are about 62 other smaller tribes in the countries,the Equatorians are predominantly farmers,and live in the southern part of the country. The Dinka are found almost in every state in South Sudan. They split evenly between Muslims, Traditionalist and Christians and live in the seven states in south Sudan .The Nuer, 99% Christians live in three states of greater upper Nile in south Sudan.
In 2011 the country seceded from the Khartoum regime and the nation got her independent just two years from the present crisis. Without due consultation with the colonies (Khartoum) or national conference on nationhood convened for the people to work out their own destiny, the consequences is that the country has been plagued with mutual distrust between regions,tribalism, ethnic squabbles, sectarian violence, ethnic cleansing, sporadic violence and dictatorship, civil wars and increasing violence and terrorism in recent time.
THE NUER NATION.
The Nuer inhabit the north and the eastern part of south Sudan with the population of 2,250 000 people they speak the “thok Naath” Naath language and predominantly Christians. A land blessed with human and mineral resources including oil. The Nuer are very commercially inclined and extremely industrious.The Nuer as a people had established democratic institution even before colonization by the British. They are very republican and egalitarian in natives and coexist peacefully with their neighbors prior to colonization.
Today the Nuer of south Sudan, those in UNMISS camps all over the country dedicate their voices to the world their commitment to the peaceful coexistence by refusing to take up arms for self preservation in the face of a targeted, determined and unrelenting genocide in the places occupied by the government forces, by appealing to UN,I GAD and GENOCIDE WATCH/ INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY for immediate response, protection and reallocation of the IDPs in the UN camps in the country to another safer country eg Ethiopia, Kenya etc….
Today I have decided to bring to the attention of the international community the enormity of the crimes against humanity, the despicable carnage, the pogroms, the ethnic cleansing going on in south sudan today.
As you are reading this, the massacre is on-going with outrageous ferocity and wicked intent aimed at wiping the Nuer off the face of the earth. We continue seeing our brothers,sisters,fathers,mothers,sons and daughters in thousands every week, and every month. We have watched our daughters and wives publicly molested and butchered, pregnant women’s stomach cut open and the Feotus removed and killed,bosom feeding mothers have their bosom cut off and allowed to bleed to death. Hundreds have been burnt alive, and the world is silent.
Innocent and law abiding citizen whose only crimes have been their ethnicity on tribal basis continue to die and face the threat of extinction everyday. We have been persecuted and have event fought back against our powerful persecutors for more than two decades now. Rather than bringing us peace and security, the silent support of some international bodies has increased the advantage of our oppressors over us.
Today our persecutors are Dinka tribe who are leading the current ” Hukuma Kuchum Bet” loosely translated as ” Government of self services base on one ethnicity”.
One common theme in south Sudan since 15/12/2013 is that Nuer life is not sacred; almost nobody is even brought to book for the spilling of innocent Nuer life. Nuer murderers operate with impunity and event enjoy tacit support of the south Sudan government. In the market place, in the streets,the blood of the Nuer are spilled every month.
How long shall the world remain silent in the face of continued injustice?
We don’t usually think of history as being shaped by silence, but as the renowned English philosopher Edmund Burke said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for a good man to do nothing.” We live in a world plague by dictatorship today. That evil dictator has made its way to south Sudan and the Nuer are the primary victims. It is time for the International community to get up,say enough is enough, and crush this dictator.
The tribes in south Sudan are seemingly complicit with the dictator groups, because they have not shown the will to combat and destroy it. Rather they have made deals with the dictators groups in the past, and offered collaboration to this terrorist organization.
Must the world watch in silence?
I plead for you to come to our aid now lest we perished. Nuer are on the verge of being extinct, and we have no support in south Sudan. The Nuer story greatly parallels the Jews experiences, we are very industrious, religious and live in migrant communities. As a result of our commercial success. We are despised and mistreated by the host communities. This hatred has led to taunt, discrimination, pogroms, ethnic cleansing and civil war in which the rest of Sudanese ganged up to subjugate the Nuer. Politicians from other ethnic groups have used anti-Nuer sentiments to whip up support for themselves, and get their people to commit dastardly act of violence against Nuer. Just like the Jews we have suffered enough today we say enough is enough.
We, the members of “BNFA” a network of Nuer at home and abroad representing the larger Nuer community wish through this medium to bring to your attention the horror, and state of fear we have now and still bear for more than six months. The people of south Sudan always and consistently turns a blind eye to the injustice and continues violence meted out against us. The government controlled print and electronic media refuses to publish or at best under reports the horrific fun of blood-letting going on in the country as carried out by the Dinka against primarily Nuer. The government at varied times under reports its as a coup attempt or a struggle for leadership conflict which does not target Nuer, and some times a diversionary measure is taken to deceived the world or confuse the people from seeing what is going on in the country.
Today as these horrendous massacre persist, the dictatorial government or regime is busy with the issue of oil subsidy while a section of the country perished. The world press focuses on oil while human blood, the blood of the Nuer wet the streets of Juba, Malakal, Bor, Bentiu and the all Four states of Bhar el ghazal.
HISTORY OF MASSACRE.(city/town)
Juba massacre-16-17`18 December 2014 ( Gudele, 107 Block, New site and Khor william residential area Manga teen, logo-logo and Gumbo)
Bor Massacre ( UNMISS BASE)
Leer- killing if chiefs
Mafel military infantry training massacre
Pochalla Random killing of defectors families
Mathiang killing of civilian with poisonous foods
And the list goes on. By the time you read this more would have died. The situation is getting out of hand and the south Sudan government has shown that it lacks the will and the capability to protect the life and the properties of Nuer people who are still serving with them in the same government.
The government of Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit has tried relentlessly to undermine the premeditated, consistent, calculated ethnic cleansing as war of power hunger between Dr.Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon and the government this has been the attitude of the government who through its unjust structural policies has continued in her agenda to punish the Nuer. The Nuer are now both politically and ethnically endangered species in south Sudan.
Once a vibrant powerful ethnic group in south Sudan. The Nuer will be a minority in the new geopolitical structure of south Sudan. We can not continue to watch as the security situation in south Sudan continues to deteriorate. south Sudan is a strategic young nation of the eastern Africa. The world must act now to avoid another civil war in the style of Rwanda and Khartoum. Now is the time to act before the anger of the youths in the UN camps as vindictive as they will take matters in to their own hands.
In the past two weeks alone more than 22 young men from Nuer tribe whom were deceived by the Deputy minister of information and broadcasting the traitor Rachael Nyadak to come out from UNMISS camp in Juba, were mercilessly killed with their heads cuts off for the reason of boycotting the doctors to discover the secrets of seeing their forehead marks which show they belong to Nuer section.
Today by writing to you, I am voicing to pursue a peaceful resolution of this carnage.
The Nuer are asking for the international community and the UN to intervene.
We want federalism, supervised by I GAD and the international community for the people to choose for themselves if they want to be a part of the current leadership or joint another healthy party.We demand federalism where each state protect their citizenry from further slaughter. Since their lives and properties are not granted by the south Sudan government.
” In the view of the seriousness and urgency of our situation, kindly consider this email as request to use your medium to inform the world of the genocide going on in south Sudan.”
Thank you.
The author, Sirir Gabriel Yiei Ruot, is a concern South Sudanese. He can be reached at sirirgabrielyiei3@gmail.com
