South Sudan Representation in the Sudan Foreign Missions

By Jacob K. Lupai*

Dec 30, 2005 — Sudanese of all walks of life were highly jubilant when the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the Government of Sudan (GOS) signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) on 9 January 2005. It was more so among South Sudanese in particular both at home and in the Diaspora even though a negligible percentage received the CPA grudgingly. The CPA was seen to have ushered in an era of peace and stability in a country that had been at war with itself for the better part of forty out of fifty years of independence from colonialism. The rudimentary infrastructures that were merely a token of development in South Sudan were reduced to rubbles as the war of liberation from injustice and inequality intensified. South Sudanese therefore had a cause to celebrate the signing of the CPA in a special way with the vision of a rapid development of their region. However, the pace in the implementation of the CPA leaves much to be desired. One is not clear of any steady progress in the implementation of the CPA.

As a credit to the Sudanese the CPA has taken off in the right direction with the establishment of the Government of National Unity (GPNU) and the Government of South Sudan (GOSS) even though with some problems. However, to what extent the GONU and the GOSS are making progress in the timely implementation of the CPA is an open question. For the GOSS the CPA stipulates clearly “That the people of South Sudan have the right to control and govern affairs in their region and participate equitably in the National Government”. This suggests that the GOSS has the mandate to carry out development work or activities that facilitate development in the best interest of the people of South Sudan. However, it is understandable that without resources it will be difficult to carry out any meaningful development activity in South Sudan. Again referring to the CPA it is stipulated “The wealth of Sudan shall be shared equitably so as to enable each level of government to discharge its legal and constitutional responsibilities and duties” and “The National Government shall also fulfil its obligation to provide transfers to the Government of South Sudan”. This is crystal clear that the GOSS must be provided with the resources as part of the implementation of the CPA. However, the withholding of resources to the GOSS will imply that unity of Sudan is being made unattractive. This will clearly be contrary to the CPA which states that “the successful implementation of the CPA shall provide a model for good governance in the Sudan that will help create a solid basis to preserve peace and make unity attractive and therefore undertake to fully adhere to the letter and spirit of the CPA as to guarantee lasting peace, security for all, justice and equality in the Sudan”. The ball is in the GONU court to make unity attractive. Sudanese in particular and the international community in general are carefully watching.

In theory the GOSS must be facing the problem of the lack of qualitative and quantitative human resources for the implementation of the CPA. Development work is a huge task in a place such as South Sudan that is starting from the scratch. The pertinent question, however, is does South Sudan have the human resources needed in the development effort? I should have left this as an open question but I have pre-empted by answering in the affirmative. What for sure is lacking is the harnessing of the human resources and talents scattered all over the globe. The GOSS must understand that there are highly qualified South Sudanese but may be under-utilised. However, the usual simplistic response from those who try to show they care is “come home and contribute to the development of your country”. This is nothing but more of a lip service than a genuine response of encouragement. To encourage people there should be a system in place to identify the needed human resources and talents according to priorities for development in South Sudan. Instead of being favourable to expatriates who may be adventurers masquerading as consultants or philanthropists why is it difficult to identify the talents among South Sudanese in the Diaspora or even at home to carry out the work by some of those dubious consultants and non-government organisations (NGOs) who may even not be knowledgeable about South Sudan as would South Sudanese. South Sudanese shouldn’t have that inferiority complex of some Black men and women who always think that expatriates are the best. This is the mentality of the colonial era that shouldn’t have a place in modern day South Sudan. Only in exceptional circumstances can an expatriate be allowed to carry out a job that no South Sudanese can do. Some of those in the Diaspora should have experienced racism first hand by the very people who are now racing to South Sudan as invaluable consultants or NGOs personnel. I am not bitter and calling for mindless retaliation. My point is that some of those consultants are bogus that they are simply there to under develop as a strategy to continue milking what they wouldn’t get in their countries of origin. NGOs have been in Africa pretentiously to develop Black Africa but Black Africa is the poorest continent in the world. I hope South Sudanese in general and the GOSS in particular take note of this. What is needed is investment to create wealth and jobs for South Sudanese as their right.

The CPA states clearly that the people of South Sudan have the right to control and govern the affairs of their region and participate equitably in the National Government. This suggests that the GOSS should participate in all levels and departments within the National Government. However, it is not clear how the GOSS is equitably participating in the Sudan foreign missions. With the exception of the Minister of Foreign Affairs it is not evident that South Sudanese are equitably participating and playing their role in the Sudan foreign missions as part of the implementation of the CPA. In all the implementation of the CPA seems to have highlighted the Sudanese way of letting things to move at a chameleon or camel’s pace when they relate to the marginalized regions. This may be because equality of the regions with the centre is something that is not popular with those who believe they have a god-given right and privilege to rule. This attitude, however, is a sure recipe of making unity very unattractive. After all the Sudan was never a god-given single entity. It is for the Sudanese to redouble their efforts to make unity attractive by rising above bigotry and the undermining of others supposedly to be equal fellow citizens.

The issue of South Sudanese in the Sudan foreign missions should be given due consideration in relation to the sheer numbers of South Sudanese in the Diaspora that should not be ignored. The complaint that South Sudan lacks manpower is at best an exaggeration by those quarters who want either to exploit South Sudan or those who are inclined to believe in expatriates as their saviours. We have trained diplomats but they are yet to be deployed. We also have highly qualified and specialised manpower in the Diaspora but they are yet to be deployed for development in South Sudan. We may also have under-utilised manpower inside South Sudan yet the complaint is the lack of manpower. I hope the GOSS does not buy into the exploitative expatriates and the NGOs propaganda that South Sudan lacks manpower so that the expatriates and the NGOs can fill South Sudan with their unemployed who will use it as an experimental plot to gain experience in order to advertise themselves as the experts in development in Africa.

As a matter of priority the GOSS should consider the establishment of consulates in the Sudan foreign missions manned by some of the trained diplomats or more South Sudanese in the Diaspora could be trained to be consuls in the foreign missions. Among other things the consulates should deal with South Sudan manpower in the Diaspora. The responsibility is to collect the names and qualifications of South Sudanese for the GOSS to have a pool of professionals and technicians to rely on for deployment to the various sectors for development in South Sudan. Expatriates and NGOs personnel who are interested in working in South Sudan should first be screened in the consulates for the difference they will make to the development of South Sudan. In South Sudan there should also be a committee or a commission responsible for the recruitment of expatriates and NGOs to undertake development work. However, it must be understood that foreigners and NGOs have their own interest and that of their countries of origin to take care of. They are not there because they will die for South Sudan. They are there for maximum advantage at the expense of the hosts. Example from other countries in Africa will confirm this. A recent BBC newscast said of foreign NGO in Malawi siphoning most of the funds for its personnel leaving the beneficiaries with crams. South Sudan cannot afford to have new masters again after fifty years of the changing over of masters at a very high cost. The mistake of handing over the development of South Sudan to expatriates consultants and NGOs as in the Southern Regional Government of the Addis Ababa Agreement should never ever be repeated again under the CPA. We cannot be independent unless we are in-charge.

I believe South Sudanese in the Diaspora are capable individuals in planning and implementing development projects if the GOSS is really very keen and responsive to the development needs of South Sudan. However, the problem is that there is poor communication between the GOSS and the professionals in the Diaspora. The SPLM Chapters in the Diaspora should have been active in disseminating information. Unfortunately this seems not to be the case. The GOSS simply looks like a poor communicator.

I hope the GOSS will have a weekly, fortnightly or monthly media briefing of South Sudanese of the progress of the implementation of the CPA and of other affairs of interest and importance to the development of South Sudan.

Lupai* can be reached at [email protected] in the Untied Kingdom