Azande Community rejects removal of former WES governor

September 7, 2006 — As another matter of surprise to the world to see again, the President of Government of South Sudan and First Vice President of Sudan, Lt General Salva Kiir Mayardit issued a presidential decree over radio Juba on 5th September 2006, removing the Governors of Warrab and Western Equatoria states and replacing them with new appointed Governors.

The case of the Governor of Western Equatoria, Col Patrick Zamoi, of course had been a well publicized issue for sometime and people had been anticipating a move by Salva Kiir to resolve it for sometime but not expecting a decree of removal of course without consultation with the state since these Governors were actual appointed via consultations and nominations from the states concerned. The case of the Warrap state Governor Luis Anai is a new and another surprising one.

Since the decree, Western Equatoria citizens had been meeting all over the Sudan and Diaspora and the there is general consensus of total rejection of this decree of Salva Kiir and his new appointments. The citizens under the CPA had every right to nominate candidates if it was really required to replace the Governor. All these necessary steps of consultation with the people of Western Equatoria had total been ignored by Lt Gen Salva Kiir in issuing his decree. He only listened to manipulative and greedy politicians like Abujohn in Juba without care for the grassroots support. In a recent move in preparing for the removal of the Governor the president instructed a battalion of SPLA army to move to Yambio as repressive measure against the citizens of Western Equatoria when he finally makes the announcement. The people of Western Equatoria cannot be intimidated by an army that is supposed to be protecting us from the North. Further the people of WES made it very clear that the Governor was nominated by them and he did nothing wrong so far to necessitate the decree removing him as Governor. As such the citizens of Western Equatoria are demanding a comprehensive statement for the house arrest and removal of their nominated Governor and there is no reason why GoSS cannot make such a statement and publicise the reports of the so called investigation into the November 2005 tribal classes in Yambio under which its pretext it acted to remove the chosen Governor of the people. If the GoSS continue to adopt dictatorial policies and fail to listen to the citizens and it is allowed to continue it this manner it is more likely to harm the dream of South Sudanese citizens for a nationhood with a proposed referendum in 2011.

Further the man being appointed as Governor of Western Equatoria, General Abujohn Kabashi had a history of political failures and failures of satisfying his people’s aspirations in the past. He was a failed Politian and leader during the periods of the Addis Ababa Agreement, during the Numeiri semi-democratic days. Gen Abujohn failed elections twice and was reduced to a poor man living in the village as the people rejected him then. This means that Abujohn polices did not work for the people of Western Equatoria and they rejected him via the ballot box. After the SPLA came to Yambio in 1990, Abujohn was again elevated by late leader Dr. John Garang to commander of SPLA and later appointed Governor of Equatoria and member of the leadership council and member of national liberation council. Abujohn failed Equatorians miserably in the SPLM/SPLA as Equatoria suffered from insecurity/mistreatment and lack of promotion for SPLA officers which resulted in Equatoria having very few officers in the SPLA by the time peace process was kicking in. The assassinations of notable Equatoria officers, like Luka Kpakasiro were never investigated under Abujohn as Governor of Equatoria. Also whether intentional or not Abujohn failed to do anything to resolve the Chukudum crises of 1990s and many other problems in Equatoria and the CPA came and relieved him as Governor of Equatoria with the citizens having gained nothing from his term as Governor of Equatoria during the war. After the CPA and the procedure for formation of Government of South Sudan and Government of national Unity Abujohn candidacy for MP was rejected by the people of Western Equatoria and he and his wife were only brought in via the extra seats allocated to the President of GoSS to bring in extra notable citizens which was a good reward for him as a career soldier but not as a political leader. Further uncle Abujohn is a retired General who is just hovering over the limit of the working age of over 80 and cannot have the agility and dynamism needed to build a state from scratch after a brutal war that lasted 22 years. For sure he would allow corruption to flourish as things get out of hand and he would only be interested in making his last money and not services for the people.

Further Uncle Abujohn is a clan/tribal man who has lined up his clansmen from the clan of Abangbida to take over every position in the state Government. The Western Equatoria people have over 200 clans/tribes and it is a usual balancing act to bring in the major representatives clans to satisfy everybody as done by outgoing Governor Patrick Zamoi.

As such everybody from Weston Equatoria I have spoken to from the different associations/communities categorically reject the appointment of Abujohn as Governor of the state and people say he won’t be welcomed anywhere as Governor and workers are preparing for a general strike and there is expected mass resignations of the political and civil servants officers.

Thus Western Equatoria people are calling on Lt Gen Salva Kiir to reconsider his actions before it is too late for the people to have lost confidence in him. Leaders are there to render service to the people and listen to them but if a leader is turning out to be an obstacle to the progress of the people then the people will have no choice but to discard him.

Western Equatoria people are fully behind the CPA as the bases of achieving the dream of South Sudan nation as envisioned by our hero late Dr. John Garang. We are also for the principle of Sudan total liberation for the achievement of justice, equality, freedom and democracy for all Sudanese as mentioned and proclaimed by late Dr. John Garang in the SPLM manifesto.

With this press release Western Equatoria citizens are to mount a series of protests to GoSS and appeals to the UN and the International NGOs and governments to help work for and sustain democracy and equal justice in South Sudan rather than supervising the installing of dictatorship and authoritarian rule over a people who fought for justice for 22 years. It is important for the UN to participate in enlightening the GoSS on the core values of democracy and fulfilment of citizens aspirations otherwise the time and effort spent to bring peace to South Sudan could be a wasted thing. UN and UNMIS should exert effort to inform GoSS to engage in reconciliation with all people and factions of the Southern Sudan rather than engaging in a show of force to its own citizens by firing Governors unconstitutional, using its army repressively against its citizens and undermining the core values of a democratic society as envisaged in the CPA and handed to us by the SPLM and leader and late hero Dr. John Garang de Mabior

Eng. Charles B. Kisanga

Eng. Kisanga is chairman of Western Equatoria Azande Community world wide Organisation and he can be reached on [email protected], Tel: +44-770899 8373.