Do Southerners really love their motherland?

By Watts Roba Gibia Nyirigwa*

Feb 16, 2006 — During the past two decades of war between south and north, south had been torn apart by crumble among itself and even within the family, as the sons and daughters turn against their parents and siblings, and tribe or group against one another without having least idea of the consequences on their own house, and without acknowledging that they were being manipulated and driven by iniquity spirit to turn against their own people. The intentions of Khartoum government were to disintegrate and cause extensively conflicts amidst of southerners, and to wipe any southern resistance against Khartoum. And that was obvious in mobilizing Popular Defense Forces, Mujahideen and southern militias to confront SPLM/A. The creation of these forces emerged to strengthen Sudan Armed Forces in its various war fronts in south and east. And even after signing peace deal between south and north, yet Khartoum government is not willing to abandon PDF and suspend its support to southern militias, but instead it continuous to back southern militias and factions in order to destabilize south Sudan.

There is no skepticism that, everyone in south Sudan and world at large knows the scale of atrocities committed in south by Sudan Armed Forces, Popular Defense Forces, Mujahideen and southern factions as we had seen in Bor massacre. And at least as Southerners we know that, Sudan Armed Forces, Popular Defense Forces, and Mujahideen do not know us and do not live with us and came as oppressors and murderers, but the southern militias are our brothers and sisters, who lived with us, know us and eat with us, but have their heart hardened! Thus, after peace agreement, Southerners expect them to retreat from their wrongdoers, repent and rejoin hands with their southern brothers and sisters and forget the past and reconcile their differences through dialogue to preserve their African identity, and restore everyone’s respect. As the war has got its own circumstances and odds, and in some points, you can’t differentiate who are your brothers and sisters or enemies due to bogus dual faces, but now the situation has changed and everyone has to rediscover itself, root and origin to heal wounds and rebuild confidence among Southerners, families and ethnic groups.

Since Anya-nya one movement throughout SPLM/A, Southerners were being detectably exploited and termed by Northerners as ravenous people whether being intellectuals or politicians or leaders, who were seeking seats and ranks for personal or tribal or group empowerment. And that was evidential in Khartoum’s sheltering and offering high posts and ranks to southern factions with pretext of having peace from within, and the wavering position of some Southerners, even those southern factions who claimed that they were fighting for the separation of south, were being supported by Khartoum government! And Khartoum knows that these factions do not have actual course, but they were just famished people seeking self or group empowerment. And that exactly what happened during the past two decades as well as today’s factions. Hence, one wonders, how can you achieve your goals and objectives while you were being fed by your opponent and in absolute incarceration? And I do not know how such claim and affiliation could be justified? I presume there is only one justification for these southern factions behavior, which is gluttonousness. And one wonders as whether Southerners have become materialistic, and have no conscience and devotion to their motherland! We can’t build viable South Sudan with empty slogans unless we are united, have concerted desire, wisdom and talent. We can’t build a nation on sand but on a rock, to withstand fierce tides and waves, and that rock is our patriotic Southerners, be it intellectuals, politicians or leaders but not like old guards. We can’t build a nation unless we love each other, value ourselves and trust each other. Thus, if we continued on the trend of differences and factions there would be no South Sudan, if we do not open our eyes, hearts, learn from the past experiences, unite ourselves and wake up from our deep misapprehension and face the reality of our time. As the disintegrated family without love to each other will never withstand outsider’s attacks! And that is our case in south, as to build our motherland we have to love each other, think of tomorrow, build better future for our generation and offer sacrifices for their sake, and stand firm as one body to face the outsider’s attacks.

* Watts Roba Gibia Nyirigwa is a Sudan Tribune columnist, he can be reached at [email protected]