Power and Greed in South Sudan

By Augustino Lucano,

August 26, 2014(Nyamilepedia) — Power and greed in South Sudan corrupt the government systems in Juba and promotes tyranny which allowed President Salva Kiir to abuse his power. Power and greed make the president of South Sudan very aggressive. South Sudan Tribune (2013) described that “South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir Mayardit sent shock waves throughout the two-year old nation on 23 July 2013 when he issued a presidential decree firing his long-time Vice President Riek Machar and dissolving the entire cabinet” (p.1).

Corruption is rampart in South Sudan because power and greed make the president and his cabinet members forgot the reasons why South Sudanese fought for many decades to gain independence. The South Sudanese people fought to gain independence and become free nation without corruption, but the South Sudan government has imitated the corrupt government from North Sudan even though the North Sudan government exploited South Sudan for very many years. The Sudan Tribune (2013) reported that “Since the SPLM came to power in 2005 over $4 billion of state funds have gone unaccounted for, according to the South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir” (p.1). Therefore, the South Sudan government is the most corrupt government in the world because the government allowed the members to mismanage the funds for the country and nobody is accountable.

The Sudan Tribune (2013) argued that “The Sudan is one of the most corrupt countries in the world, according to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index for 2011, which ranks the east African nation 177 out of 182. Sudan’s auditor-general revealed in November 2012 that the amount of stolen public money increased to more than 175 million Sudanese pounds (SDG) – around $40 million – between September 2011 and August 2012” (p.1).

Power and greed motivated Salva Kiir to the extent that he lost control and became violent toward his own people. For example, Salva Kiir committed genocide in Juba, the capital city, where he massacred ethnic groups. Why does the world stay silent about genocide in South Sudan? What is genocide? The Holocaust Encyclopedia (2014) described that “The term “genocide” did not exist prior to 1944. It is a very specific term, referring to violent crimes committed against groups with the intent to destroy the existence of the group” (p.1). In addition, McMillian dictionary (2014) described that “Genocide is the murder of numbers of people belonging to a particular race” (p.1). While Merriam Webster dictionary (2014) defined that genocide as “The deliberate killing of those who belong to a particular racial, political, or cultural group” (p.1). The government of South Sudan is genocidal because the president indiscriminately used military soldiers to hunt Nuer from house to house and killed them systematically. Radio Tamazuj (2014) reported that “The killing of one ethnic groups was done systematically by the government of South Sudan. Gunmen in Maban County of South Sudan deliberately shot and killed at least six unarmed civilians on the basis of their ethnicity, while clashes between armed groups claimed the lives of others over the last three days” (p.1). Nyuot explained that “The fighting in South Sudan started in Juba, South Sudan. There are over 20,000 people killed and buried in mass graves. The government has intimidated everybody including the UN from speaking about these issues” (p.1). The government of South Sudan committed genocide in Juba by killing an ethnic group.

Human Rights Watch (2013) explained that “The clashes in South Sudan’s capital,Juba which broke out on December 15, 2013, saw scores of civilians killed and, according to witnesses and victims, soldiers specifically targeted people from the Nuer ethnic group” (p.1). South Sudan is in a miserable state and her people suffer from genocide.

President Kiir must go now because he killed innocent people in Juba. The president ordered his body guards to execute the Nuer people and allowed his military soldiers to search house to house to kill Nuer people. Gurtong (2014) illuminated that “Multiple witnesses told the Human Rights Division that mixed groups of security forces went house-to-house killing Nuer men or taking them away. Thousands fled their homes and neighborhoods were left emptied and often destroyed by security forces. In one incident, at least 300 men of Nuer origin were rounded up from the Gudele neighbourhood and detained and then killed in a facility used by several security forces as a joint operations centre” (p.2).

The President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit, must be taken to a court of law. He must be accountable for the genocide in Juba. The president fabricated a coup which destroyed the country beyond repair. Any person who massacred South Sudanese in South Sudan must be held accountable for the crime. South Sudan is a damaged country where the government uses force to kill civilians.

The government of South Sudan should devote efforts to reduce corruption, poverty, and human rights abuses. Garang (2014) illustrated that “Most importantly, corruption has been identified as one of the leading contributing factors to the current conflict. Political corruption is widespread in the institutions of government, representing a major detriment to the well-being of the citizens” (p.1).

The United Nations Human Rights Commission (2014) described that “Good governance encompass: full respect of human rights, the rule of law, effective participation, multi-actor partnerships, political pluralism, transparent and accountable processes and institutions, an efficient and effective public sector, legitimacy, access to knowledge, information and education, political empowerment of people, equity, sustainability, and attitudes and values that foster responsibility, solidarity and tolerance” (p.1). The South Sudanese people are lacking good governance that embraces equality and diversity.

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007153

http://www.genocidewatch.org/images/8StagesBriefingpaper.pdf

Tekle, Alem-Tesfa (2014). South Sudan military official joins rebels http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article51997

Mar Nyuot said http://www.afriquejet.com/en/east-africa/6450-south-sudan-rebels-want-mass-graves-opened-in-atrocities-probe.html

UNMISS Human Rights Report On South Sudan http://www.gurtong.net/ECM/Editorial/tabid/124/ID/15232/Default.aspx

http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/12/19/south-sudan-soldiers-target-ethnic-group-juba-fighting

http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?mot141

https://radiotamazuj.org/en/article/least-6-racial-killings-maban-county

The author can be reached at alonyia@hotmail.com for further comments.

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