By Mathew Bile,
Jan 10, 2016 (Nyamilepedia) —- It is only two years since South Sudan became independent on 9th-July-2011.However, we celebrated the birth of our beloved country south Sudan twice before the outbreaks of civil war as many could imagine what a country on earth. We fought for 21 years with Sudan so that southerners could be first class citizens in their own motherland like any other country in the world but these thoughts never materialized.
Dr.Riek Machar the first vice president of the republic of south Sudan turned rebel leader was the campaign manager for Salva Kiir Mayardiit during national election in united Sudan in 2010.However, Leadership wrangles on whoever to take the seat of the party chair became the source of problem which eventually led to the instigation of the current civil war in the world youngest nation on African Continent.Therefore, Salva Kiir Mayardiit in his own leadership capabilities decided to sack his long serving Vice President and the entire cabinet with assumption that this would help him get rid of his Political rivals in the upcoming election 2015 in the young nation. President Salva Kiir in his political career wanted to serve more terms on top seat up to 2020.This made the other party members impatient because Kiir would not find it possible to allow them take the seats and Dr.Riek Machar declared that he would take the party chair in upcoming election in the SPLM platform.
During the SPLM convention in the state capital Juba, a mysterious misunderstanding happened and behind this, struggle for the top seat within the SPLM party led to the outburst of gun fire among the presidential guards loyal to President Salva Kiir Mayardiit and Dr.Riek Machar respectively. Seeing the massive deaths and arrests against the Nuer people, Dr.Machar feared his life as he was hunted by Kiir’s security apparatus, he was left with no choice but to run for his life to adjacent Jonglei state for safety. Dr. Machar’s political friends were rounded up and jailed, they were named Political Detainees or G10, GRSS called them criminals that deserved treason charges.
The private army popularly known to be Gwelweng militias, cantoned and secretly recruited Greater Bahr el Ghazal and later in Luri by then Governor of Northern Bahr el Ghazal Gen Paul Malong Awan (now SS CoGS), were dispatched to residential Nuer suburbs and then committed immeasurable atrocities. The African Union Commission of Inquiry in South Sudan headed by for Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo mentioned heinous crimes and crimes against humanity committed against the Nuer as a tribe in what was described in the report as “state sponsored policy”. These crimes and crimes against humanity committed against the Nuer by GRSS with the supervision of President Salva Kiir triggered Nuer white army uprising. The full scale war of Salva Kiir regime started against Machar white army.
Dr.Riek Machar, as a visionary leader and statesman as he has always been, was not ready to retaliate against Kiir militarily as the Nuer would expect but resorted to peaceful negotiation in order to bring an end to South Sudan crisis. Dr.Machar wanted to create a multi ethnic state where all tribes are the same as per the constitution of the country. He believes in a South Sudan where egalitarianism is prioritized oppose to the ethnocentrism in the current leadership.
The South Sudan Dr Riek Machar has been fighting for South Sudan free of any form of persecution of other minor tribes and wishes to stablish a free nation where citizens are not subjected to harsh treatment like the way we used to be mistreated by the successive Governments of Sudan. He wanted to modernize and transform South Sudan into Singapore where agriculture is the backbone of the country’s health. Machar has the vision of connecting all states with roads and bridges even to the inaccessible Payams in the youngest nation.
Service deliver is the basis of his program, reforms all the sectors to deliver services to the poor population of south Sudan; and last but not least, he would want to be seen as capable leader respected by the South Sudan citizens and world.
The author is a concerned South Sudanese living in Nairobi, Kenya and can be reached through mathewpuoch@yahoo.com
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9 comments
To writer
You forgot that Dr Riek Machar killed innocent civilians from Bor Dinka in 1991after he split from Dr John Garang in his failed coup attempt against the latter.
All you have done in your article is write positive things about Dr Machar while not mentioning the opposite as well.The fact is your readership knows negative crimes done by your master and you are not fooling anyone. Be honest to juxtapose both positive and negative aspects of him. It makes you unbiased and judicious to readers.
As for Gelweng,it is a propaganda they took part in the alleged killings of innocent Nuer civilians in Juba.
The word – Gelweng is a compound noun in Dinka dialect. Gel means protect whereas weng means cows. Hence Gelweng means youth who protect their cows using guns to fight those who raids their cattles. Usually, the Gelweng are not militarily trained personnel and are not a part of national army or other paramilitary forces such as militias(there is a distinction between Gelweng and militias). The enemies of Gelweng are armed cattle rustling youth from neighboring cattle keeping communities. Gelweng stay in their cattle camps where they look after their cows,not in the cities like Juba. Their cows in cattle camps would have been left at risks of theft and rustling if they did go to juba to do the killings on behalf of government.
Mathiang Anyor and Dutkobeny are maybe probable suspects because they are soldiers who don’t have cattle to look after like Gelweng. Gelweng don’t take orders from the army or even salute military officers. Their leaders don’t have any military ranks like captain or colonel to mention but a few.
nonsense,you are just a mere supporter of traitor Riek Machar and his likes.if he was a visionary leader or person, why killing innocent civilian in 1991 and 2013 for the of having been sucked from the government.Mandela of South Africa the highly known visionary leader never killed his people.he fought a successful political war and was imprison for many years.coward Riek ran away for his dear life.a patriotic leader never ran away and the leading example was William Deng Nhial who knew that he is going to be killed but did not escaped.Riek Serve in the government and wanted his Wife Angelina Teny to unity State governor and recently he appointed his the same wife as secretaty for security and defense when there are capble commanders within IO who can perform better then his wife.is this the visionary leader you are praising day and night.you must be crazy.
Toney,
Dr. Riek Machar had a quarrel with Dr. John Garang because of Self-determination. Dr. John Garang just like Dr. Riek Machar had a different vision. Dr. John Garang vision was to fight for New Sudan(whole Sudan) while Dr. Riek Machar had a vision of South Sudan. The killing of innocent civilians in the conflict in South Sudan such as in Bor and other areas in South Sudan was a terrible thing which happened to our people.
Dr. John Garang and Dr. Riek Machar were engaged in a fight because they misunderstood their vision. If you look at the two visions, they are all a good cause. If John Garang were to succeed to overcome the Arabs and take over the Sudan, South Sudanese people would have been happy to rule the Sudan. It was not easy to capture the whole Sudan because the Arabs were united to fight against us. It was a difficult war.
We fought the Arabs for many years and many South Sudanese people died on the hands of Arabs who united to fight against African Sudanese people. Then Dr. Riek vision was that instead of fighting for the whole Sudan, he asked Dr. John Garang to fight for Self-termination. Dr. Riek Machar supported the idea of Self-determination which had been proposed by the previous South Sudanese leaders. The idea was well accepted by many South Sudanese people but Dr. Riek John Garang refused to listen but he accepted the idea of Self-determination later when many innocent South Sudanese people were killing each other because the two leaders disagreed with their visions. The followers of the two leaders were fighting to defend their leaders while killing each other. Both Dr. John Garang and Dr. Riek Machar were responsible for any death of their followers because they were leaders. Let us not just say that Dr. Riek Machar was killing the innocent. It is fair to say that both Dr. Riek Machar and Dr. John Garang were responsible for the killing.
Dr.Riek Machar have to be place on watch list of Hacking and listening,
Put him on a QUAKE to treat his egotism.
You are so dotlish mr. Pouch and at the you are sycophant Riek Machar is greedy of power and he will never be president in south sudan Riek was fighting for his stomach not for south sudan people right.
Mathew Bile,
You said all man. Dr. Riek Machar is the only true, patriot, visionary, and able leader in South Sudan. Without him, the self-determination would not had been possible. Without him, the change from dictatorship to genuine democracy system would never been possible. Above all, Dr. Machar is life saving and visionary leader.
If no Riek Machar in southsudan no country today believe or not. This world peoples fight for the objectics Dr Garange failed southsudan for his own rules the whole sudan this second Dinka failed after Abel Aliar failed the country in 1972 for his own interest. Again third Dinka failed by lunatic president of so call Dinka president not southsudanese president. Late me tell you all minority tribes in southsudan you will be free at last if the minority speaking or their own rights in the country southsudan still peace full place on this earth. Till all are free and juba peoples get their land back from Dinka and kingdom free and get their malakal back from this crime groups of Dinka elders council government.
All the current top leaders of S. Sudan are the there for God and there stomachs, period. No vision for the country any where in any one of them at all. If there is one singing about vision for S.Sudan, he is dreaming. And even if by luck his dreams come true, they will come at a wrong time.
I am convinced that the current war would have been prevented. What was the requirement to prevent the war? Simple! Just knowing the difference between peace and war, and a choice is made accordingly. But the choice has to be a wise one. if peace is chosen, that is the right choice. If war is the choice, that is wrong.
S. Sudanese have many common traits. They wear the same skin-dark, they are slim, and generally tall. outsiders have difficulties identifying S. Sudanese on ethnic bases. This points to the fact that we are a family. Like all families world over, we have our problems. But, tell me, which family members shoot each other to settle their differences? Even a fight between two normal individuals occurs after many attempts of peaceful settlements failed.
However, our big men in RSS started fighting and then later headed back to peace after the blood shed. That is insane. “Cure has become better than prevention”. Why not peaceful means first and then war later?
And know what, that was the “wisdom” of our leaders; “Our visionary leaders”. war was choice number one.
Remember, we are what we do. We are known by our deeds. We do good, we are good. We do bad, we are bad. That is how we defined.
Apart from the choice of war vs peace, how many big useless choices did our ” visionary leaders” make, in fact even be fore the war? The billions of $ from oil unaccounted for, nepotism, lawlessness, internal in-security, name it. They made these choices either carelessly, knowingly or out of ignorance of the consequences.
“visionary leaders”? No, this description does not fit any of these guys.