South Sudan Generals in Washington

By Steve Paterno

September 18, 2007 — The military Generals of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) from South Sudan are on what seems to be their all-military delegation visit to Washington. Those individuals until two years ago were freedom or rebel fighters in the bushes of Sudan. They were simply called Commanders, but now with peace in Sudan, they suddenly obtain the accolade of Generals. Perhaps two decades of fighting for liberation pays off.

The delegate is led by Lt. Gen. Oyai Deng Ajak formerly Cdr. Oyai Deng Ajak who is carrying the title of the Chief of Staff in South Sudan or SPLA. The Generals are in their first visit to Washington D.C., the political capital of the world, as a military delegation from South Sudan. Until two years ago, those individuals don’t visit towns but capture towns through assaults. Now, visiting the town of Washington must be surreal to them. On their appearances, the Generals stand out from the rest of the people of Washington. For some reasons, they are dressed with military fatigues, the guerrilla way. It is not that it is unusual to see people in Washington dressed in military fatigues. Matter of fact, there are many people wearing various types of uniforms as part of their duty in Washington than can be found anywhere else. You have people from several security companies with different uniforms all over Washington. Matter of fact, they are in all the office buildings in Washington. In most cases, those security individuals are mistaken for police and in other countries they can even pass for police officers. And then there are several police agencies that are identified by their several different type of uniforms. All the branches of the U.S. military also roam the streets and subways of Washington with their uniforms. And then there are funny looking people, perhaps military attaches from several countries all wearing different type of their uniforms who move on the streets shyly and confused at times. Even public busses drivers wear uniform similar to the ones police wear. If New York City is a multicultural city, Washington is a multi-uniform city.

Even if that is the case, the South Sudanese Generals still stand out from the rest. First, their uniforms, a camouflage type, don’t blend in well with the background. Their hats, the military beret, are misplaced, for they have no soldiers to salute them. Their batches and insignias also seem to be out of place. Several symbols of stars, birds, and scissors are scattered all over the overlapping batches on their shoulders. And of course, they march the streets of Washington as oppose to the usual hustling. Every one of their steps is calculated and measured carefully when they move. More strangely, they have no stream of bodyguards flanking their surroundings, but they can easily compensate the busy hustling Washingtonians for bodyguards because the Washingtonians are all over the places, in the front, back, sides, in the flank, and even some moving the opposite directions.

Being the political capital of the world, Washington, is an interesting and exciting town. It draws people of all different political persuasions and ideologies. Washington is like world market but the only commodity on the offer is politics. In other words, it is a place of selling and buying politics. In Washington’s jargon, they don’t call it “selling and buying politics” but “lobbying for political positions.” It is a law in Washington that all the buildings are built with enough lobbies so that it can accommodate lobbying activities. Actually, the word lobbyist originated in Washington because that is where lobbying is practiced the most. Coming to Washington, one will be surprised to find out that the two rival political parties in the U.S., the Republican and Democrat are housed in one huge building called the “U.S. Capital Building.” This is proving the point that Washington is really a market place for politics. They can fight out there but sell and buy here in Washington. Even the Iranians, the U.S. archenemy are in Washington as well, perhaps also to sell and buy politics. One will not miss them when you go to the Pakistani Embassy. The only thing hidden about them is that their beautiful soft spoken ladies are hidden behind the veil. To what extent those ladies are beautiful is left for one’s imagination. Perhaps their voices will tell it all.

In Washington, everything is politics. Riding a public transportation, one will not escape advertisement in form of posters plastered all over, taking on serious political issues. Some of those posters even advocates on going to war in unfortunate places like Iraq and stopping wars in places like Darfur of Sudan. If one tries to escape through by a taxi, you only have to plug your ipod in both ears and ramp your volume high so that you are not treated with a long political lectures, because taxi drivers are selling and buying politics too, mostly against corrupt and dictatorial governments in foreign countries like Nigeria, Ethiopia, Eritrea etc. It is also interesting that all the Taxi drivers by designation are foreigners. How that happens, is a mystery. Going out for a cocktail or happy hour is politics as usual in Washington. They even dance on political tune out here in Washington as oppose to dancing in music tune. Therefore, these South Sudanese Generals will for sure get the treat of Washington while in town.

They will spot from their hotel room windows, the Washington Monument, touring high above any building ever built in Washington. Even at night the Washington Monument will not escape one’s eye because of its beaming light, which is like a moon sometimes. Those Generals perhaps will learn some values of revolution from Washington Monument, which has the words revolution and wisdom written all over the structure of the Monument. The Monument is built in recognition of General George Washington, who led the American Revolution. On their sight seeing, those Generals my probably visit the Arlington Cemetery. In Arlington Cemetery, there are a lot of lessons to draw from, not the least of which the emotional attachment to those brave Americans who are laid to rest on that cemetery. Of course, it will be nice for the Generals also to pay a visit to the Pentagon, the U.S. symbol for military superiority and pride. The Pentagon in itself and as a building is inspiring to say the least. And of course, the Generals must talk politics the Washington style to make their visit complete and leave with remarkable impression. Even the American military are doing politics in Washington. Go to the Capital Building and you will not miss them lobbying for budget increase and pushing for certain policies that favor the military. If the wars are fought in the battlefields, politics is fought in Washington. Welcome to Washington, Generals!

*Steve Paterno is a Sudanese residing in the U.S.A and the author of the upcoming book, The Rev. Fr. Saturnino Lohure: A Roman Catholic Priest Turned Rebel, The South Sudan Experience. He can be reached at [email protected]