President Bush should offend the people of South Sudan

The South Sudan Democratic Forum Calls on President George W Bush Not to Invite Salva Kiir Mayardit to the White House, the Symbol of the Free World: Kiir Must Unite his People Before Full USA Support to His Administration

July 18, 2006 — It has been over a year since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/ Army (SPLM/A) and the Government of the Sudan (GOS), which ended the 21-year the South-North civil war, and the people of South Sudan still face with many uncertainties stemming from the struggle for safety and security, calculated corruption, and institutionalized tribalism at all levels of the government.

There is an overwhelming chaos in every corner of South Sudan; thousands of innocents civilian are unnecessarily dying because of a confused government that does nothing to secure its citizens. In northern Bahr El-Ghazal the Malual, Rek, and Twich clans of Dinka are embroiled in deadly clashes over cattle and the right of pasture; the Agar and the Gok clans of Rumbek Dinka and on the other hand are settling old scores. In western and eastern Upper Nile the lawlessness is at its peak. The Bull-Nuer and Twich

Mayardit-Dinka are crisscrossing cattle raiding; the SPLA and the Lou-Nuer community are bogged down in an unmatched show of force with staggering causalities on both sides. The State of Western Equatoria (WES) drifted into chaos-beginning with the clashes between the Azande tribe and the internally displaced Bor Dinka that erupted shortly after the demise of Late Dr. John Garang de Mabior, the Chairman of the SPLA/M. To this day WES is dangerously unstable exacerbated by the abrupt removal of the Governor. The lawless situation in WES has given the bordering Dinka tribe of the Lakes State a free pass to systematically attack the Azande, Jur, and Muru tribes.

These tribal and SPLA instigated conflicts have left more than 1, 500.000 civilians defenseless in the states of WES, northern Bahr El-Gahzal, and in western and eastern Upper Nile. This number includes civilians who have crossed the borders into Ethiopia and Congo for refuge and safety. Meanwhile, government officials in the southern capital, Juba, are engaging in an unprecedented looting and thievery of public funds. Over ¾ of $720 millions earmarked for the 2005 budget of the GOSS mysteriously disappeared after the Sudan Central Bank (Bank of Sudan) electronically wired these funds to SPLM and Kiir personal accounts in Nairobi, Kenya. President Kiir has neither conformed or denies this report.

As our country slip further into disarray, President Kiir and his close allies are busy building a tribal-gang-like-empire and knowingly undermining the fabric that kept South Sudan Nation together during the years of struggle. The worse of all is that government jobs in Juba are being filled with ill-qualified- President Kiir’s tribesmen, a person must come from Gogrial county of Bahr El Gahzal to qualify for a business or housing loan. This is a very dangerous way of governance that has every potential to put every achievement and gain we’ve fought for at risk of obliteration. President Kiir needs to look beyond his nose and understand the root-causes of African civil wars in order to avoid this imminent civil war in South Sudan. Unless Kiir’s bush mentality is changed, South Sudan will be ungovernable.

Instead of building a national army capable of defeating the enemies of our people, President Kiir has reduced the SPLA forces to the level of street baggers and thieves.

Therefore, we call on President George W. Bush not to offend the people of South Sudan by inviting a thug-like General to the White House, the symbol of the free world. Kiir must go back to unite his people before his government can enjoy full support of the United States of America.

Signed,

Susan-Liana Lado Lomule’ Secretary General & Spokeswoman

South Sudan Democratic Forum/ USA

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