PEACE TALKS IN ADDIS ABABA
BY. HON. DANIEL WUOR JOAK
Former Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar(left) and Pres. Salva Kiir(right). Photo: Redpepper!
February 11, 2014 [Nyamilepedia] –The second round of peace talks between the SPLM Resistance Movement and the government of South Sudan which is supposed to commence today on 10th February 2014, in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa has been indefinitely postponed as result of lack of implementations of the previous secession hostilities agreed by the parties involved in IGAD mediations which include the release of all political detainees without any exception, immediate withdrawal of Ugandan troops, withdrawal of JEM and other SPLM/A-N forces which were invited officially by Juba government, participations of all stakeholders including civil society organisations, religious leaders, all various political leaders etc. To make it more inclusive for all South Sudanese stakeholders to effectively participate in the peace process.
Unfortunately, the seven released political detainees including Justice John Luk Joak –former Minister of Justice, Hon. Deng Alor Kuol – former minister of cabinet affairs, Hon. Kosti Manibi – former minister of finance, Hon. Gier Chuang Aluong – former Minister of roads and bridges, Hon. Madut Biar Yel – former minister of telecommunications and postal services, Hon. Chol Tong Mayay – former governor of Lakes State and Dr. Cyrino Eteng – former minister of youth, culture and sports who were flown to Kenya on 29th January 2014, by the Kenyan authority have been denied participations in the peace talks by the Kenyan government with ill-advice from Juba as well as the release of the other four detainees among them Cde. Pagan Amum Okiech – Secretary General of SPLM, 1st Lt. General Oyay Deng Ajak – former Minister of Internal Security, Lt. General Majak De’ Agoot – former Deputy Defence Minister and H.E. Ezikiel Lol GatKuoth – former Ambassador of South Sudan to United States of America, which are still languishing in Juba notorious state prison or ghost houses located at different locations in Juba town.
President Salva Kiir labelled them as coup plotters who were allegedly attempted to overthrow his government along with Dr. Riek Machar, former vice President of the Republic of South Sudan now heading the SPLM/A Resistant Movement in opposition. The other important key players in South Sudan politics whose present being purposely denied by President Salva Kiir in Juba to take part in the peace talks are Madam Rebecca Nyandeng de’ Mabior – presidential advisor on Gender and Human Rights and widow of former President of the government of South Sudan Dr. John Garang de’ Mabior and Dr. Peter Adwok Nyaba – former Minister of Higher education. Peace in South Sudan cannot come to its logical conclusion because the stakeholders are categorically denied participations by the government in Juba and their regional allies.
MASSACRE OF OVER TEN THOUSAND NUER IN JUBA
This was just a ploy being fabricated intentionally by President Salva Kiir and his cronies ally both internally and externally to implicate the innocent accusers as coup plotters in order to justify their sinister’s plan against the potential opinions within the SPLM heirachy. Ironically, President Salva Kiir has succeeded in eliminating some of his potential enemies the Nuer by ordering head of his private army “Presidential Guards” Major General Marial Chenoung, commanding a force numbering 3000 soldiers stationed at Luri garrison – some few kilo metres from Juba town to systematically massacring Nuer civilians resided in Juba. Initially, Nuer community have a population of not less than one hundred thousand including the government officials and other organised forces. The death rates among the Nuer civilians following the fighting in Juba that occurred on 15th December 2013, within the Presidential Guards and subsequent massacres which happened on 16,17, 18 and 19 December is recorded by survivors as 10.740 death in total mostly children, women and elderly people. Most of the victim’s bodies were dumped in River Nile where the rest of the bodies burned to ashes by using petrol whereas Red Cross and SPLA soldiers collected the rest of the bodies and buried them in mas-graves as their murderers attempted to conceal evidences by dumping bodies in the River Nile or burning them to ashes by using kerosene.
UGANDA INTERVENTION IN SOUTH – SOUTH CONFLICT
President Yoweri Museveni has made the biggest mistake that he had never done in his lifetime before. As a former revolutionary fighter who fought many successive wars against political injustices right from Idi Amin, Melton Obuti and Tito Okello to free Ugandans from the York of dictatorship cannot blindly support a murderer regime under leadership of visionless leader who do not defferenciate between comrade and enemy. In order for Uganda to qualify to wage a long lasting war for 30 years or more in South Sudan, Uganda must first recognise their legitimacy in South Sudan before committing resources and other internal implications including uprising and coup d’état in Uganda. It is very costly and let President Museveni not takes the war in South Sudan for granted. In South – South conflict, it took Cdr. Samuel Gai Tut and Dr. John Garang de Mabior five good years as from 1983 – 1988 with loses of not less than twenty thousand lives for control of South Sudan while at the same time fighting their common enemy – Sudan. It also took Dr. Riek Machar and Dr. John Garang 11 years following the split of 1991 – 2002 to reconcile their differences on how to champion the cause of the people of South Sudan against successive Khartoum regimes. CPA came as a result of unity between Dr. Riek Machar and Dr. John Garang respectively after releasing that their differences would not serve their people’s common purposes. President Museveni should give himself 20 years to win the war in South Sudan.
But where will he be by then while he is aging. The Nuer people fought the British Colonial Power with spears and eventually brought down Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1927 with their spears. If he wants to know about the Nuer People of South Sudan, please led him read these two books “ Shadow in the Grass” British in South Sudan from 1898 – 1956” By Prof. Robert O. Collins or The Nuer Conquer, by Raymond C. Kelly – Michigan University Press 1985.Let him not waste his time by supporting a loser. The British know Nuer People of South Sudan better than anybody and that is why they are not talking in Museveni’s warfare. Just wait and see. Dr. Riek Machar is not Joseph Kony, Utu, Mabutu Seke seko nor El Shabab of Somalia. He has people fully and ready to die for him. Yes, he supported Dr. John Garang against Dr. Riek Machar as he is now supporting Salva Kiir against Riek Machar. But mind him that blood is thicker than water. President Salva will one day join Dr. Riek as Dr. John Garang did it in January 2001, in Nairobi without President Yoweri Museveni’s consent. The oil of South Sudan is their sole property. No matter who is going to manage it whether Slava or Riek, it will remain the same. At last, the beneficiaries shall be South Sudanese people.
DR. RIEK INVOLVEMENT IN THE FABRICATED COUP D’ETAT
Dr. Riek Machar for sure nor his associates being implicated in the coup d’etat were not involved at all. They are all victims of political conspiracies being manufactured to them by their known political detractors who have been looking for loopholes all along to get ride of them as to give rooms to weak and wicked characters within the SPLM leadership to merge to top positions. President Museveni should read the South Sudan politics clearly from how his friend President Salva Kiir is panicking and his calling for his intervention in internal affairs of South Sudan militarily within one week. Unless Uganda stays in South Sudan for 100 years this is where his friends shall remain in power. As long as Uganda leaves South Sudan, they will definitely follow them the same day to Kampala. For they will not have any protection any more in the country.
KIIR LEGITIMACY OF BEING AN DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED PRESIDENT IS NO LONGER VALID
He has already abused it by massacring over ten thousand innocent Nuer civilians in Juba in front of UN, foreign diplomats, NGOs agencies, human rights representatives, religious leaders, civil society organisations and all the stakeholders. If he was to be a president in western world he should have automatically resigned the same day. This elections of 2010, was done under a united democratic Sudan and had nothing to do with South Sudan, which was born latter. Kiir is a gross human righter violator who does not deserved to be honoured for he had abused his constitutional rights by offering his sole dignity to his foreign helper Yoweri Museveni of Uganda for protect his leadership. He has sold our country to Uganda for protection period! A Dinka or Nuer has nothing in Kiir Mayardit business. He has sold us all. The unity of our divided and venerable people must be worked out without him.
SUDAN AND ETHIOPIA HAVE ROLES TO PLAY IN THIS CONFLICT
As far as South Sudan is concerned, it is actually a former colony of Republic of Sudan until 2011, when South Sudan attained its independence on 9th July 2011. The resources South Sudan have including the oil was exploited by Sudan before the independence. This should not be taken for granted by Uganda, which has nothing to do with historical sovereignty of South Sudan. The same with Ethiopia, which shares the same historical and cultural relations with people of South Sudan where the Nuer who formed the majority in Gambella region have common cultural and historical tied with their kinships in Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile States in the Republic of South Sudan. The resources of South Sudan, which are mainly located in both Upper Nile and Unity State, Ethiopia and Sudan, have a great say over them. If it is a matter of wining friends and allies by offering the oil at any price, Nuer in the three states of South Sudan have more rights to offer to any dealers at any rates. And this will be done if needs arise. Both Ethiopia and Sudan should stop Uganda from meddling in South Sudan internal affairs. In order to bring this war to an end, Uganda troops must withdraw from South Sudan soils immediately. Their present does not solve our problems instead it is fuelling the on-going conflict in South Sudan on tribal lines. Uganda have taken side in supporting the Dinka led government under leadership of President Salva Kiir Mayardit against Dr. Riek Machar Teny whose support draw mainly from Nuer ethnic group.
POWER SHARING FORMULA IS THE LAST RESORT
The two opposing parties must agree to compromise their differences for the sake of unity of the country with condition that the issue is solely left to them to resolve it. Uganda must leave people of South Sudan alone. As far as their involvement to our internal crisis is concerned they do not need to be part of solution at all. Uganda has taken side in the conflict and does not need to be part of solution. The past Uganda’s involvements in regional conflicts starting with Rwanda, Congo, Central Africa Republic, Somalia and South Sudan, Uganda does not qualify to be a peacemaker in the Horn of Africa under IGAD mediations. The U.S. and its allies should take notice of this appeal seriously as an opinion of the masses in the opposition areas and urgently take it into full consideration.
Daniel Wuor Joak is a former MP in South Sudan Legislative Assembly (SSLA) and Minister of Education, Science & Technology in Upper Nile State. He is the Director of African Centre for Human Advocacy (ACHA), which advocates for Democracy & Development, Rule of Law, Good Governance, Accountability, Human Rights, and Advocacy throughout African Continent. He can be reached at dwjoak21@hotmail.com .
