Is South Sudan heading towards anarchy?

“South Sudan is heading towards anarchy”. This was the damning statement, delivered by none other than Telar Deng, the SPLM State Minister at the Presidency of the Republic, according to Sudan Media Centre quoting Telar Deng on 22n March 2007.

Mr Telar Deng is quoted of labelling accusations against some elements within the SPLM Party or Movement as they still wish to call themselves of “attempting to saw seed of sedition and create anarchy in South Sudan with the aim of undermining SPLM cohesion”.

Some of the facts Telar Deng referred to was the recent news in the media which suggest there had been government reshuffle in Western Bahr el Ghazal and Western Equatoria states. For the case of Western Equatoria the reshuffle was even announced on radio Juba, Juba TV and Radio Omdurman. The announcement over Radio Omdurman which sometimes even refuses to cover Lt General Salva Kiir is a bit suspicious here as who is it that could take all the news from Yambio to Omdurman without informing even Telar Deng about the reshuffle and let it be aired over Radio Omdurman. Of course for a very long time now Lt General Samuel Abujohn, the new incumbent Governor of Western Equatoria had been fighting seriously to dismiss competent officials who were appointed under his assumed enemy, Col Patrick Zamoi and replace them with his relatives and cronies. When this was rejected in Juba because there was no reasons for just dismissing hard working SPLM officials whose only goal is to serve their country, Lt General Abujohn became agitated and blasting all GoSS leaders. The loggerhead and suspensions Abujohn made against these WES concerned officials had brought Western Equatoria state to a standstill as most ministers who served under Col Patrick were on the list of suspended ministers or suggested for dismissals and so could not do their work effectively. Some were also under house arrest for the simple reason that the governor wanted to dismiss them and he decided to place them under house arrest awaiting the outcome of his request to Lt General Salva Kiir to have them dismissed.

His Breakthrough seemed to have come via the announced reshuffle referred to here as rumors by Telar Deng whence on the 15th march 2007, there was the public announcement on Radio Juba from the Governor of Western Equatoria that read the names of his new appointed cabinet members and commissioners as follows:

Dr. Jackson Zowai is replaced with Mr. Isaac Justin Azizi

Mr. Addison Mangie is replaced with Mr. Moses Sinagi

Mr. John Dabi is replaced with Mr. Phillip Nvue

Yambio Commissioner Angelo Bakote is replaced with Isaac Juma Izizi

Mr. Paulino Zizi minister of Health

Maridi Commissioner Samuel Razigi replaced with Mathias Onji

Also yesterday we saw the stories in the press that the Governor of Western Bahr El Ghazal had reshuffled his cabinet and dismissing Eng. Dr. James Henry Tadiwe.

If Telar Deng referred to these appointments as rumors and stating that no minister or commissioner in the states government had been replace or dismissed, where do all these leave us? Who was then responsible for these announcements or appointments or reshuffle? Is it that it is Telar Deng who is not in touch with Lt General Salva Kiir office in Juba to know the resolutions they pass everyday or he is telling us the truth as state minister for the presidency? Or is it because some people, as he suggested, within SPLM or GoSS is running their own empires perhaps aided by some elements from Khartoum so that now they can pass resolutions without other senior members in SPLM being informed so that the whole system can then collapse as there will be so much divisions?

Then comes the house arrest of an important military and political figure from Equatoria Major General Isaac Marmur Mete which we hear from the media quoting the SPLA military spokesman. A high profile figure like Major General Marmur cannot just be detained without the right procedure of well publicized and documented investigated crimes. This arrest of Major General Marmur amounts to a military coup d’etat or power struggle and contention among the SPLA Senior commanders and yet the Commander in Chief is quiet and it is others again filling the vacuum to give details of the arrest . Of course false accusations against Major General Marmur is nothing new because throughout the SPLA Liberation struggle there were more than half a dozen false accusations against Commander Isaac Marmur, from 1991 until the time of signing of the CPA. Besides the false accusations and conspiracies to eliminate Commander Mamur as a strong Equatorian SPLA, there were brushes with death for him when even his vehicle was ambushed by some SPLA ethnic elements at least twice since 1991. Further the house arrest of Major General Isaac Marmur parallels the case of Col Patrick Zamoi, who was unlawful detained in Juba. The arrest and humiliation of a public figure like Col Patrick Zamoi and Major General Isaac Marmur before an investigation committee had found them guilty means they had to be dismissed one way or another because one cannot live with the embarrassment of bringing back the false accused in glory. Hence all these means SPLA is gearing up for removing Equatoria’s last strong man from the SPLA. Such a move can be very damaging for CPA and the attainment of peace in South Sudan.

All these events do not add well and seem to suggest that there is a big crises in the SPLM/A and GoSS leadership. It is right time for somebody to take charge so that public can be well informed with the right news and steer the GoSS and SPLM/A leadership to the right ways of doing things. As such one would like to make an appeal to Salva Kiir to change course now before it is too late and the word anarchy really takes shape . Remember if those in the government are already seeing the system as anarchy what can those outside then say about the system?

Charles B. Kisanga M.Sc, MBCS, MIET

Eng. Kisanga is former SPLM NLC member and chairman of Western Equatoria Azande Community World-Wide Organisation. He is currently living and working in exile in the UK and he can be reached on [email protected].