Unity State: Payinjiar commissioner praise role of citizens in South Sudan’s independence

By Bonifacio Taban Kuich

July 12, 2011 (BENTIU) – The commissioner for Payinjiar county in Unity State, Peter Gai Joak, told around a thousands citizens celebrating the independence of the Republic of South Sudan on Saturday July 9 urged his community to work to develop and bring peace and justice to the new nation.

The day was colourful and marked by lots of events ranging from traditional dances, songs, poem, drama and traditional praises. People of all ages including war veterans, war wounded, widows and widowers, traditional spiritual leaders came from the fifteen payams [districts] of the county to share the joy of partition from the South after decades of war with the North.

Many Southern Sudanese date their grievances back the Ottoman era when nearly 200 years ago the Turkish empire governed Sudan. Since independence from Anglo-Egyptian rule the largely Christian South has almost continually been at war with the Islamic dominated North over political and economical marginalisation, implementation of Shari’a Law, identity and, in more recent years, oil revenues.

Payinjiar County is in Unity State where many of South Sudan’s oil fields lie. Celebrations began with a vigil on Saturday evening and continued throughout the night.

The county’s commissioner, while addressing the gathering at the front of his newly constructed office congratulated the former rebel movement for their successful struggle for self determination achieved the 2005 the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

He also congratulated his community especially the former members of the rebel SPLA and the people who had provided them with food and shelter through out the war.

Joak also extended congratulations to South Sudan’s new – and first – president Salva Kiir Mayardit and urged his community to recognise him as the first president of the republic.

He assured the Payinjiar county community that South Sudan would never return to the past.

“It will be a place of joy, hope, peace, justice prosperity as well as development”, Joak said promising to provide education, health and good infrastructure to the war ravaged region.

Commissioner Joak, continued by praising the community of his county for their loyalty to the SPLM during the 21 years of struggle up to the day of independence date of July 9.

Joak lyurged his community to be united and work for peace, justice and development not only in the county but also at the state level and South Sudan at large because “the day we are celebrating is for all Southerners”.

N. Bahr el Ghazal

Across South Sudan on Saturday from the main event in Juba to all the country’s ten states and and counties celebrations took place. In Northern Bahr el Ghazal governor Paul Malong Awan remembered those who had died and asked that all citizens take part in building the new nation.

(ST)