Sudan’s Kiir weakness: disarray and despair for the South
By Abraham Machel
Oct 7, 2005 — In the year of 1983, I was a very little boy but I’m now a full grown human being. I saw many men from different regions of Southern Sudan flowing to BIlpam; I witnessed wounded soldiers from Jamus, Koriom, 104, 105, ZalZal, Muor Muor….being carried by their own fellow comrades to safety. I saw sea of young men from my way to Bilpam dying from thirst, starvation and illness, with no help but for the sake of liberation. The fallen and death of our respected leader Dr. John Garang has caste doubt what the future hold for us we people of southern Sudan. Perhaps only idiots would be gloat, but the true comrades in struggle are shock and stood in speechless mood. The death of strong of man of Southern Sudan has truly made us completely in disarray and despair. Many leaders within the Movement rebelled against him but he stood firm for his people and offered the rest of his life to fight in the jungle of Southern Sudan.
As one man said in Dinka, “For the death of my dog has made every animal to pass in my homestead, even squirrels usually pass in my homestead”. Southern Sudan has no directions and the being of Salva Kir in leadership had made everything worse. A man who betrays 12 millions southerners in broad day light and tries to challenge the citizens of the state he leads that he did a right thing to give the ministries of energy & Mining and finance to brutal dictator. How can he disputed this while he surrendered in negotiation for the positions of Ministries of Energy and mine and Finance, leave alone the scenarios of ministries those were unquestionable. To make a matter worse, if the war erupted today southern Sudan would be overrun by the enemies in matter of days if not weeks. In time of war it will take Kir Mayardit, many years to convince the enemy that he is fitting in Garang’s shoes, can consolidate power and command the revolutionary armies of the southern Sudan the same way Garang did. I agreed you can not know the debilitation of the person unless he comes into a shade of light. Mr. Kir was hiding behind John Garang for more than two decades and his weaknesses are now surfacing in present his people.
How can the leader of many gave up simply while millions of men and women are standing behind him in case of war? Mr. Kir Mayardit, you made the sun to set on our soil as a sign of defeat for our generations, but the blood of the people who sacrificed for their land will on rest on our shoulders and will continue to haunt even the forthcoming generations of Southern Sudan. Do you think if 90% of the oil was in Northern Sudan the ministry of energy and mining would have gone to the Southerner leave alone the issue of 50-50 oil sharing? I know if it were you who died like Garang, there would have been all out war between the tiny Bor Dinka and the Bhar El Gazaal, which is the half of Southern Sudan population, leave the case of Nuer who listen with their eyes they would occupy the hamlet of Bor. There would have been rumors that Kir was rented out by Garang to Uganda elements. During the time of your chosen, you promised to follow Garang footsteps, but now you have move in unprecedented way to prove that you are totally in control of South Sudan. This can be justifying by the criteria use to choose the present regional leadership. Perhaps only a man who was in his “Luak” would have chose Thon Leek, the man who turned NPA into Nyarweng People Aid and made it as the asset of his community. There many people who can fit this position rather than Thon Leek and if this position is continuing to be occupy by him, then the secretary of Junglei would be Maker Deng Malou, Chagai Atem and many more of that types. In a simple language, there will be no eradication of corruption as you said in Juba.
Many culprits who collaborated with Islamic government have now got safe haven in Southern Sudan due to leadership weakness and which others can term as “The unity of Southerners, but a pure a lie. How many men were butchered by Paulino Matip and his SSDF but now the sort safety in the land they betray? Only God in heaven know our direction and destiny. The appointment of Bona Malwal would reveal the secret of the GSS and GNU. A man who uses to be on the side of the people has now been enticed and baited with Islamic coins and forgets the cause of his people. The winner in the Sudan is the self appointed criminal, military junta, who reign with terror and iron fist, Omar Hassan Muhammed EL Beshire. In case of war, he will continue to beat the drum of jihad against Southerners knowing the weakness of our leader, Salva Kir Mayardit. For the man to be a leader of people must love good in order to be elected as a leader and must have a malleable mind to fits his leadership
* Abraham Machel, a student at University of Illinois – Chicago USA, doing Chemical Engineering.