Unpredictable threat of Jonglei Canal

By Mr. Deng-Athoi Galuak Deng-Athoi*

Open Letter to;

His Excellency President of South, Sudan Salva K. Mayar-dit

Cc: Honorable Governor of Jonglei State Philip Thon Leek

Cc: Honorable Governor of Upper Nile State Dak Duop

Ref: Unpredictable threat of Jonglei Canal:

August 28, 2006– First and foremost, I humbly and cordially salute you for your assiduous effort to rally around for deprived people of South, Sudan. Your hard work as watchful team is wholeheartedly appreciated. To begin with, I am deeply distraught to learn that Jonglei Canal scheme is set to restart. Second of all, I could not believe that our government of South is surreptitiously in agreement with Egypt to sign this erroneous contract. Please be forewarned that whoever going to sign (or have signed) this kind of contract is “digg ing our grave” before we perish. I am deeply concern that this canal is going to bring nightmares that will never be forgotten. I am sure my follow citizens share the same sentiment…as I am.

According to article published in Khartoum dated August 10th. It is already a done deal to restart Jonglei Canal. “The Government of Southern Sudan has signed an agreement with the Egyptian government.” First of all, let me implicit that this contract must be signed with the knowledge of Prez Mayar-dit, Governor of Jonglei and Upper Nile states respectively. If so, is it true that this kind of blunder would happen under any legitimate government watch? Did the gov’t endeavor to inform the people who are directly affec ted by the canal? If the government is truly “for the people…and by the people,” then, the digging of canal should be make transparent to local immediately. It is total hypocrisy for this administration to deceive citizens that the GoSS is“playing by democratic rule” while isn’t even inch closure. Let me anticipate that the gov’t have not and will not contract nor signed such agreement. If the gov’t really did, thus far, it would be a colossal error and mistake in your power to accept immoral deal. It would everlasting gaffe for any administrator to make this verve!! And the history will haunt you down for decades.

As an innocent young kid, I vividly remembered hearing a weird and unusual noise in 1983. That noise was gigantic France cranes ripping through the ground in the heartland of our village. The canal divided our historic town (and most of Towns and villages in Twic East & Duk Padiet and etcetera) Of Poktap into segments. Most poignantly, our people were divided, leaving the rest on one side and others on second side. As a young kid, we watch France cranes digging through the ancestral ground, we thought it was fun! Our elders couldn’t take. I saw people watching tearfully. I thought they were crazy. But they weren ’t. Our land was invaded by Egyptian and France civilization. How frighten it was! Older people were horrified. They were helpless because they couldn’t do anything. All they can do is to watch and cry. It was horrible and terrorifying.

I still remembered the day when cranes pass through my village and I still remembered were the massive crane (Varkelwind) still stands even today. Everyone experienced the shoddier of it. For worse for better, the digging of canal has to stop. Our people couldn’t take this massive invasion of their land anymore. We cannot take this grief for land for the second chance since the civilians’ burn the crane in 1984. These regions have not yet fully recuperate from deadly war for many years. Remember, if the government failed to stop the digging of canal; it is imminent for local people to take the matter in their hands through violence. Civil disobediences will work as the last resort if all peaceful interventions are abortive. This is a new era! You can’t fool people all the time!! Old days are long gone and our eyes are wide o pen. And don’t forget, part of the reasons that caused 21 years of pitiless war was sparked by Jonglei Canal!!

Another sad note, during the digging of canal in the 80’s, citizens were not inform about the passing of canal. They were just driven out of their home by bulldozers. Basically, bulldozer will raze homes if it is in the corridor of canal. Land is natural right for any living things and no one can take it away by force. I mean it! No ONE can interfere with it even the ALMIGHT GOD cannot take away the land by force. This is absurd for anyone (gov’t) under the sun to sign the Canal to pass through the heartland of Bor, Nyarweng, Twic, Hol, Nuer and Shilluk. Whatsoever, no price or compensation can equate for this Golden Land.

I appealed to Mr. President to suspend canal progression right way. Otherwise, civil obedience will be use to thwart the progress of this canal. If this administration can’t do anything in their authority, I therefore, encourage our fellow citizens to use revolution and violence to stop Egyptian cranes to pass through the graves of our ancestors. Our forefathers have been buried there and there is no reason to extort them out in their dwelling.

It is ethical in my perspective to disregard civilians on their land without their consent. People were driven out in the 80’s because of this canal without proper jurisdiction. Likewise, this trend is being pursuit without local people knowledge. It is sensible to all mankind to respect the properties of others. If this scheme is necessary, then I urged Prez Salva, Gov. Leek and Duop to explain the benefits to people and the reason why it is indispensable to dig the canal. If anyone of these powerful individuals couldn’t equitably explain the benefits of Canal to local citizens, then, nobody should dare to sign this agreement without local people approval. It would be completely absurd and null contract.

I am appealing to specifically to governor of Jonglei and Upper Nile states. If you look at the milieu of the project in profundity, there is no real benefit to the citizens of your states in particular, and South Sudan at large. The Canal was intended to speedily take 4.7 bcm (that they claims are lost to evapotranspiration) annually to Northern Sudan then to Egypt. The whole sudd will dry up. Our gorgeous lakes, rivers, streams and swamps will be lost altogether. Those who will still be keeping cattle will have no water and pastures for their cattle. If you really care for people in your states, there are various ways to manage flooding, one is to build a dam on the Nile to reduce the volume of water reaching sudd (toch) and the o ther one is to construct a dyke (levee). It would be dim-witted to presume that Egyptians are doing us favor by decreasing the flooding in the potential regions. Just meditate and think! Does it make sense that Egyptians are samaritarianly helping us and when is the last time they reach out for help? Of course Never. GoSS is just making an oversight by assuming that we will benefit from Canal. Of course yes and in deed flooding is going to be reduced; however, what is the benefit Egypt going to get? Hence, this canal is being made easy for the whole lot benefit to Egypt. Subsequently, I don’t yearn to predict the consequences that we are going to face in the far future. But I am hypothesizing that South will definitely surge into confrontation with Egypt in similar predicament of Suez Canal.

I beseech to the gov’t to suspend the canal until citizens see it has munificent to them. Let the experts explore all the probable options available for us before anything takes place. Some of my colleagues imprudently argued that the canal will ease harness and devastation of water to the regions prone to flooding. It is bizarre for someone to think that the canal is being dig because to stop flooding. The basic premise of Egyptian gov’t is not to help reduce flooding, they are simply investing to boost their agricultural economic through irrigation. They are ripping us off our resource by the name of “flooding.” Of course our regions in deed get flooding during the rainy season but we cannot be duped to make it a deal. We have been in the flood corridor since the epoch of creation and people are prosperous at the same leve l. So what make it special in 2006 to restart the canal? I can’t comprehend that and I need to government to think about it.

Finally, how is the canal going to be beneficial to South? The principle in our minds is to reduce flooding. Thus, does this worthwhile to trade it for million of benefits? The only importance of the project is control flooding along the Nile Valley Counties of Bor, Twic, Duk, Ayod and Atar but apart from that there is no any other benefit. It seems to me that someone has been bribed to accept this. In fact, the deal should proceed with the consultation from Jonglei and upper Nile States government and above all with the say-so of all South Sudanese people. They can not just rush to an agreement while they have not consulted the State citizens. As I was writing this letter, I was abruptly insane to do my research about the benefits of this canal to the people of respective states. However, I don’t have to be rocket scientist to grapple the swindle behind the canal. I know for sure that there is no real benefit. I promise to do my research and make comprehensive analysis and will present my finding in the next three weeks. I will present my finding publicly. At the mean time, I firmly reach out to the governor of Jonglei and Upper Nile states to do whatever it takes in their power to stop this plan. You have ultimate power and support of the respective states to do anything in their interest. To Mr. President, I hope Goss have not signed such erroneous contract with Egypt and I trust you have contemplating not to. The proper role of the government is to serve the interest of the South and your government shepherdship is for the people.

I thank you all in advance for taking your time to analyze my concern.

* Deng-Athoi Galuak is a senior at the University of Mass Boston (USA) majoring in Political Theory and Philosophy. He can be reach at [email protected]