2008 will determine choice on Sudan’s unity

By: Lago Gatjal Riaka

March 22, 2007 — Majority of Southern Sudanese abroad are anger to go back home to rebuild their lives, meet their families, and help re-build their motherland. However, this feeling among Southern Sudanese living outside South Sudan will be affected by the outcome of the referendum in 2011. The main important aspect is to go back home to help re-build our country if Southern Sudan succeeded in 2011. But, in an event of a United Sudan, many Southern Sudanese will not return to Sudan as I’m concern because Unity is not what we have been fighting for in the 50 years civil war. There was no reason Southern Sudan should have been fighting for a United Sudan because we were already united. Therefore, self-determination was what we have been fighting for and for many Southerners; it meant a struggled for an independent Southern Sudan.

The objective for self-determination has changed as we fought in the 50 years of civil war. NyaNya 1 was a rebellion against discrimination, domination, marginalization, and exclusion of Southerners in the political square after British left the country. Southerners were demanding equal representation in the government, full participation, with right to self-determination meaning that Southerners must have a right under the constitution to fully participate in the government. However, Islamic ideologies were incorporated into the government which prohibited us from gaining full participation since we were not Muslims. As a result, the first civil war broke out in 1955 before Sudan gained her independence with the mutiny in Torit in Eastern Equatoria. It is very clear that NyaNya 1 guys were separatists. After the Addis Ababe peace agreement, Southern Sudan was suppose to have full autonomy of self-determination to ran its own jurisdictions; court system, gained equal share of wealth, and represented in the government. We were never allowed to run our own jurisdiction; the government in Khartoum still had a hand in corruption and marginalization of Southerners politically, economically, and culturally.

The Addis Ababe peace agreement did not bring any development to South Sudan instead, we were excluded economically. Culturally, the government tried to infiltrate Islamic ideologies into the Southern Sudanese communities by promoting Arabic language in South Sudan through less funded education system where Arabic was the official language in schools. This was not to educate Southerners but to affect our interaction with missionaries because English was the language of the missionaries in the area. In 1983, the second civil war broke out because the government in Khartoum had violated the Addis Ababe peace agreement after Southern Sudan was divided into three states; Equatoria, Bhar-el-ghazal, and Upper Nile province .

Therefore, we must have learned from our history and not repeat mistakes again as if we do not know what happen. The present generations in Southern Sudan have at least been affected by the war one way or another. Thus, if Southerners vote for unity in 2011, Southern Sudanese must be prepare for the third north-south civil war in Sudan because unity will not represent the vision of the majority in Southern Sudan. There will be a guerilla uprising in the South that will claim a struggle for independent Southern Sudan.

However, it might be good for SPLA to win the election in 2008 so that we re-write the constitution and make it a secular constitution to see the reaction of Muslims and Arabs in Sudan. The constitution must recognized the diversity in Sudan for instance, if I’m a non-Muslim and having a shop in Khartoum, I should not be force to close my shop on Friday claiming that it is praying day. This is one of the things that Southerners are oppose to because there is no reason non-Muslims should close their businesses on Friday if they are not going to Mosques. These are some of the things that we have been fighting for in the 50 years civil war. As Southerners, we must care about human freedom and recognition as Sudanese citizens. If we don’t have this right we are not free and that is why we must have our own state.

* Lago Gatjal Riaka is based in Moorhead, Minnesota, U.S.A. He can be reached at [email protected]