Stop blaming Journalists
By Makazu Panskula
November 10, 2007 — Since the shooting incident in Yambio hit the Internet, many critics have lashed at journalists for reporting that the victims were Equatorians and the perpetrators were JIU Dinka soldiers. I don’t see anything wrong for identifying the JIU soldiers as Dinka. In fact, the journalists who reported this incident ought to be applauded for providing the details. In other parts of the world where tribalism has been eradicated through fair representation and equal opportunities, identifying a soldier or an ordinary citizen by his/her tribe is extraneous but in Southern Sudan; it is relevant.
There is no fair representation of citizens in the semi-autonomous government nor are there equal opportunities for employment, training, scholarships to mention but a few.
All Southern Sudanese are guilty of tribalism; However, Dinka tribalism has become more conspicuous. Even foreigners have started to notice it but Dinka leaders have deliberately chosen not to. Instead, Dinka are constantly on the defensive side while SPLM is increasingly becoming synonymous with Dinka before their own eyes.
I remember reading an article by Khartoum Monitor that Dinka makes only 25% of Southern Sudan, but it makes more than 70% of GOSS. For anyone who is concerned about unity of Southern Sudan, this is mind burgling.
In afford to make SPLM inclusive, a month ago, Salva Kirr appointed two more people from two other regions of the Sudan to be his deputies. That was and is a positive political maneuver. However, Kiir has done too little to lift the burden of the Dinka dominated SPLM from ordinary Equatorians. Shooting of Equatorians by Dinka soldiers have happened many times and each time it occurs, the Dinka perpetrators are not brought to justice. Professor De Chan’s constant criticism of SPLM also reflects Nuer’s discontent with the GOSS/SPLM /Dinka.
The Yambio shooting is a weak up call for the Dinka leaders. Dinka has to make unity of Southern Sudan attractive; otherwise, history is going to repeat itself; Equatorian will revert again to Kokora policy, a policy which is not for the best interest of Southern Sudanese.
Instead of lambasting journalists for identifying Southern Sudanese a long tribal line, we should be thinking of how to make tribalism irrelevant for journalists by executing government policies that gives all Southern Sudanese equal opportunities in all fields. This task is falls largely on Dinka people as they are the ethnic group currently in power.
* The author is based in Canada. He can be reached at [email protected]
SudanSudan
Stop blaming Journalists
Dear Makazu Panaskula,
I don’t really understand what kind of person you are when you supported discriminative language used by Isaac Vuni. Media is meant to give people awareness of what has or will happen but not to create chaos. Don’t you understand that a message about the killing will be understood if reference was made only about JIU soldiers rather than SPLA DINKA SOLDIERS as you wanted it? You need to understand that Sudan is not in Canada or others countries that don’t mind about ethnic identity. You also need to understand that media is not a detective that need to provide details about the identity of an individual who has been accused of a crime. You journalists need to slow down; otherwise none of you will enjoy journalism as a career.
Only when I changed myself will the situation change.
Kizth M.
Stop blaming Journalists
This is very strange, even you who is supposely well inform still make the same mistake many made.. What is Equatorian.. I never heard of a tribe call Equatorian and I was searching the net but nothing like that.. How can you continue to compare a region with a single tribe?
this contrasting make your statement total useless.
When 50 unarmed civilian were murdered in call-blood in Chukudum by Toposa youth, would any one call that Equatorian against Equatorian? Lets try to help our people instead of continue to beat a soundless drum of war and tribalism that has no place.. Any individual Dinka who break the law must be brought to justice and stop complaining..
lets reveiw your fact about representative of nationalities in SOuthern Sudan in the GOSS and as well as in the SPLA during the war…
Kizth M.
Stop blaming Journalists
Wow! Electronic propaganda has started among Southern Sudanese.
I do not believe what I am reading. Are you the writer above Southerners? Dinka? What you called Equatorian?
NO.
Why?
Because i do not believe there are still Dinka (jeng)or what you call Equatorian alive who can write such rubbish. You are all agents of doom and you are not crying for the brothers we lost in the line of duty, but you are both celebrating their death simply because it fulfill your interest which you had in your mind before the incident. Who love death?
Your Dinka and Equatorian statements have no place. The people of Southern Sudan have lost great sons and daughters in the line of duty. The law is taking it course and anybody who wants to help should come forward to help the investigation so that those who committed this useless killings are brought to book and such incident should never repeat itself again in our country. We have lost many people already to this war imposed on us.
What is E-propaganda?
Is where anybody who logon to Internet gives themselves names from particular region and claims he or she belong to that region. Even Arabs have logon different website pretending to be Deng of Dinka or Lado of Bari… and of course our blind brothers like some of you reply to these tricks whole heartily that they produce what the Arabs wants them to do.. That is more killing and call for killing..
This is what we are seeing in these writing by supposedly brothers from Dinka or Azande.. Because there is no tribe called Equatorian in Southern Sudan that is a term used by Arabs only to form some imagine people… because if it existed, then we should have Bahr el Ghazalian, Upper Nilian etc.. how will one describe the killing of more then 50 people in Chukudum, where it carried out by Equatorian of Upper Nilian,? it is all useless statements.. and brothers like you are not learning no wonder the war with Arab is taking a millennia.
Eng. Kasinger, is simply lost and I am one of the people hopefully that one day he will trace his true leadership because he is more intelligent then what people think of him.. His emotions will calm down and he will return to himself as he did with EDF without him there would not have been any reconciliation between this force of Southern Sudan and SPLA/M.. I still respect him.. to me he is not Azande, he is a Southern Sudanese first and Western Equatoria state and an Azande..
Those of you who will continue to read all this firework by some agent of Khartoum in the name of “Equatorian” as a region and “Dinka” as an ethnic group, is simply a plan to kill the future of southern Sudan. We should be careful not to reply such useless writing.. even a primary school child will not write such rubbish..only some agent of war, planted in name of Dinka are busy implementing their dream and we are given them the tools… by simply replying this war drum..
I do not want to say there are no individuals from Dinka who took the law into their hand and they did many a times.. but this should not be taken as the whole Dinka unless you are an Arab. Likewise, individuals from Bari, Azande, Kakwa , Nuer or member of any tribe in Southern Sudan can not be taken as the whole of that tribe or ethnic group… .
Do you know that the commander of JIU forces is a great son of Bari? He is a man whom many never knew he was a Bari simply because he was known for his profession and not tribe… General Thomas Cirillo Sowaka is known for his operation of Kapoeta against the Arab and the siege of Juba in the 1990 where he risk his live to safe few Nuer, Dinka, Anyuak, Shilluk, Azande, Bari and many others.. This is just to prove to those who are telling lies above.. they do not know what they are preaching… it is also a proof that they are not from Southern Sudan, because no body in SPLA today who do not know the participation of sons and daughters of Equatoria region…
Non of the writers above is a Southerner.. There are no people in Yirol or Awerial or Bor who could be that foolish as to talk in such senseless way… they can only be people who wish that Mundri community should fight against each other..
Before you write, stop and think of yourself and the people around you. how do you feel after writing all the lies you post in the internet cafe in Juba, Yei, Maridi, Rumbek or Yirol?
As much as I disagree with your writing, I will still encourage you to airout your ignorance in hope that soon you will run out of it and your mind will be filled with something useful..love and peace..
Cheers, E-Propaganda is a real threat, where people pretend to be one thing…
KM
Kujur
Stop blaming Journalists
Makazu
Your article made nothing only it shows your inner feeling, our journalist have press right to report anything but forgetting that any profession are abide by ethics reflect your weakness in the field you specialised in it.
Journalist like Vuni are not journalist may be is one of people affected by financial stress and if happened to have gone to school of journalism than he choosed a wrong field and he is not to be called a journalist.
Yes we in southern sudan and Africa in general we are still relate our identity to political ideology but system can be created out of tribe interest and that system can not be associated with tribe identity, JIU as a system and SPLA/M as political arm system can not be associated with Dinka as tribe.
Yambio incidents was not planned by Dinka as a tribe despite that those who happened to have involved in that killing were Dinka’s by identity are not to be categorised by since they representing a system which is not part of their tribal structures.
I believe that those culprits will be brought under justice so that they can face the court marshal under military rule not under Dinka system rule.
Guem David
Canberra ACT
Ahmed Chol
Stop blaming Journalists
FEW QUESTIONS TO EQUATORIANS AND NON-DINKAS
Dear all,
First of all I regret the Yambio incident and I am grieving with the families of the victims.
Now I want to talk about the domination of the Dinka in the GOSS.
I agree with some of you that the GOSS has been some how dominated by the Dinkas but I don’t agree with your approach on how to solve the problems. You know it is hard to talk about this domination of the Dinka if you don’t give us specific areas or sectors where the Dinka is the majority in the GOSS without any people from other tribes. The GOSS has two main branches, the SPLA and the SPLM but sometimes the line dividing the two is very thin. Those who are talking about this domination failed to pin point few examples where the Dinka is the majority so that we can argue reasonably about what should be done to solve the problem. I know your answer: “It is the whole GOSS that is dominated by uncivilized Dinka Idiots, right?” This is a wrong answer because you are not giving any specific example e.g. the army or the parliament or any sector you want to talk about. Let’s examine everything one by one from top to the bottom.
Let’s look at the STATES
The states are headed by people from their local tribes. Wani Konga is heading central equatoria as a governor, is he a Dinka. Abu John is the governor of western Equatoria, is he a Dinka? Taban Deng Gai is the governor of Unity State, is he a Dinka?, you know the list is long……..
If these people are not Dinkas and they are part of the GOSS, then how is Dinka dominating the GOSS?
Let’s look at the GOSS
Pagan is the general secretary, is he a Dinka?
Riek is the vice president, is he a Dinka?
The parliament is compose of various representatives from all over the south and the speaker who is the most powerful man in the assembly and who is the backbone of parliament is Wani Iga, is he a Dinka?
If these people are part of the GOSS and they are not Dinka, then how is Dinka dominating the GOSS?
Let’s look at SPLA Army
To those who don’t know the dynamics of the SPLA especially those who just recently came from Khartoum or SAF.
The SPLA gives you rank base on your educational merits, achievements during battles, leadership qualities but not on tribal basis. If this was done on tribal basis then all the Dinkas would have been generals, but that is not the case now. It does not give rank to any one who comes out of Khartoum or from the SAF without any necessary military skills. Though SPLA also honors those who come out of the SAF and who are willing to serve in the SPLA army. e.g. Thomas Chirelo joined the SPLA in 1992, he was educated and exhibited the real true characters of soldier who is man. He got the highest rank that was available in the SPLA by then and became a commander.
Now lets look at the current structure of the army right now.
The head of the army who is the general chief of staffs is Oyai Deng Ajak,(be careful don’t let his name mislead you),but is he a Dinka?
Paulino Matip Nhial is the deputy chief of staff in the army, is he a Dinka?
For the regular soldiers, everyone is welcome to join the SPLA. But one has to joined the SPLA training camp first. Only after finishing there, can you gain a rank. They start you off at the level of colonel nowadays if you have a degree or higher. I know, some will now ask “but where does SPLA has its training camps?”. Good question. Recently, an SPLA training camp has been opened at Owiny-Kibul in the middle of equatorian but none of them is coming to be trained as a soldier and now that training camp is empty because no one else to train. Because the entire Dinka has gone through training and this is why you see that every Dinka is a soldier.
So if this is true, how can you blame us the Dinka? Shouldn’t this explain the reasons why there are more Dinkas soldiers than other soldiers in the army?
If you refuse to join training camps, then is this a Dinka fault?
You are now complaining about equal representation in the army at this time but during the war you did not complain. That is funny.
what else do you want me to talk about?
Oh, I almost forgot the position of Salva Kiir.
So lastly let’s look at the position of FVP
I know this is one of the most burning issue among most non-Dinkas especially the Nuer. Some of you will never stop complaining until a Dinka is no longer the president of GOSS.
But lets look at everything from very beginning with sanity. Do you remember anything from the beginning? If not then take a look at the following…
When the SPLA was formed, who was the number two man from 1983 until 11/29/1992 ? If you said Nyuon Baany, then you are correct, but was he a Dinka? Another question to the Nuer, what took this man away? Was he also inspired and instructed by Wur-Nyaang and Ng’un-Deng? He left the SPLA in a broad day light and he would have been the first vice president or the president of the south now because he was second in command. So for those who are complaining, that was not a Dinka fault. It was not a trick that was concocted such if one Dinka perishes, then the next takes over.
That was just an internal view of the GOSS and the SPLA. You may not be happy right now but calm down I was trying to tell you the bare truth and I am almost done.
I am studying in a neighbouring country and I don’t get any salary from the current Dinka dominated govern as you view it. Though I was a corporal in the Jesh-Ameer.(the young soldier for those who don’t know) I fought in many fronts in the south, around Juba in 1992 and in the mountains and valleys of Equatoria. I don’t know why some who have never done anything in south are expecting big salaries and people like me who fought are not getting even a single cent for tea from GOSS?
During my service I met lots of good as well as bad equatorian communities during the war time. Some of them were willing to give you water and food if you passed by and some would want to kill you and take your gun to use it for hunting. But this is all over and that is not what we are talking about here.
So my personal view is that I don’t look at Equatorians as enemies unless they choose to be. I am an advocate of equality in any area in the GOSS. But how do we achieve this result?, through the methods put forward by some Equatorians and Nuers above ? That is not the way to go because it will disintegrate the south.
I know lots of Equatorians that are educated and some are teaching where I go to school but they don’t want to go and join the training camps and gain some rank then join the GOSS. They look at that as deathly road to go. If they refuse to participate in the GOSS,then do you expect Kiir to go from house to house in Equatoria looking for primary educated representatives in the GOSS?
You need to ask your selves this question, what does it require for a person to be a big man in the GOSS?
Warning! Don’t let bad equatorians tell you that one has to be a tall and bald Dinka man with a big belly. Ask those(non Dinka) I have mentioned above there and they will tell you correct answers.
The issue of Akuien and the animalistic behaviour the Dinka are all accused of
I want to remind my friends that are insulting the whole Dinka in general and that is not good.
One of you said that the whole Dinka was showing animalistic behaviour by breaking Akuien,(the minister of finance) out of jail. But ask your self, when Akuien was jailed, who jailed him in the first place? Did that process involved some Dinkas? Were those who facilitated his arrest animalistic or those who break him out of jail?
What I don’t like is that these people use the theory that says ” If one onion is rotten then all the onions are rotten” You need to forget about that theory and don’t apply it to the Dinkas Some Dinkas found out that Akuien was squandering the GOSS money and they ordered his arest.
So not all the Dinkas broke Akuien out of jail and not all the Dinkas shoot the Equatorian generals.
So if one onion is rotten, then not all the onions are rotten.
I have more to say, but space and time does not allow me say it all here.
So that is the end…..
Sorry I almost made a mistake by forgetting these two important lines
Long live greater Equatoria and
Long live greater Nuer (Nasir)
I guess these are the two lines everybody were waiting to see. I hope these sacred lines clear me of all sorts of guilts I have acquired in the process of telling the truth, but I doubt that they will.
I am sorry in case I have appeared to defend the “Dinka dominated GOSS” but remember I like equatorians and Nuers alike. I know you are not happy with the GOSS, but I encourage you to remain optimistic because things may get better in Anya-nya III.
Ahmed Chol, the future commander of Anya-nya III
SudanSudan
Stop blaming Journalists
I am glad that you cooled down and re-evaluated your thoughts. Everything you said is good; however I am going to let you understand something that you did not grasp. 1) Please understand that SPLA/M is the leadership that negotiated the CPA. 2)CPA is guarded by the SPLM army (SPLA) and that it will be a suicide to hand out SPLA military to be headed by people who have not fight the Jalaba because we have not achieved New Sudan. 3) Military ranks in the SPLA were given to soldiers who have excelled and gained most military merits in various battles. 3) GOSS leadership is a combination of both SPLM and non-SPLM. 5) GOSS is not using SPLM/A military ranks in the government but only in the mainstream military. 6) GOSS is not representing all southern ethnic groups at the government higher level because of: i) Limited positions ii) GOSS or any government is not served through tribalism but professional qualification. 7) GOSS is open to any southern Sudanese that have government/leadership skills. I hope you understand what was missing before. Please remember that peace is not the absent of crime. Bad people will always be present to do wrongs during peace time and during wars. Justice is the only system that will fight them. Government is the body that chases them to face justice.
Only when I changed myself will the situation change
mayom mabuong
Stop blaming Journalists
Dear Makazu, people say that Facts are bitter, it happened now to some guys opinion that you are telling them lies.
a person will lobby for a querrell which is bad on all sides.
I praise you man.
Deng Dekuek
Stop blaming Journalists
I do not know why you people keep rambling on about nonsense. Jieng and Duor would never have met if Juba wasn’t the capital.
I therefore, think the only thing that will shut the Equatorians up and move the so called Dinka (whoever they’re, because there is no such tribe, we only know of Monyjang or Jieng) away from the land is to change that ramshackle God forseeken town called Juba from being the Capital. A new capital should be created in a neutral area were all will come as equal and none would complain of being the “son of the soil” who has been dispossed of his lands!
That is the foolproof solution!!!
Tito Palson
Stop blaming Journalists
Who ever you are, Please narrow your comments to the issue in hand( Equatorians complaining about the killings of their loved ones) but don’t be tempted to descend on to that dark road of critizing these reformed,peacloving and rehabilitated beloved people called Nuer.
Warning: Please, don’t start as you will get intimidated if they respond to your comments. I hope they have not read your historical accounts about the SPLM/A. And by the way, don’t even bluff about Heroes like Nyuon, or Kuach Kang or who ever you fear to name in your comments.
Lets preach love and unity in the South.
SudanSudan
Stop blaming Journalists
Don’t try to defend something that is factual. Only when you tell me that cowardness is imprinted in your DNA is the only way I will accept your claim. People who love peace do fihght thier enemy. Were you Equatorian not peace loving people during Torit Mutiny in 1955? It’s because of hatred that you guys refused to fight a long with your southerners during 1983-2005. If you are not a coward, then you are selfish and mean like a tiger.
SudanSudan
Stop blaming Journalists
Here is more
Don’t lie to me about how patriotic you are about south Sudan. Torit Mutiny was started by Equatorians; however the whole struggle was supported by all southerners till the end. That was everyone’s participation. Other southern ethnic groups have not claim Torit Anya Nya One to be Equatorians dominated struggle. This showed how fair minded other Sudanese from the south are. Where were you Equatorians during the 1983-2005 civil war? Didn’t they not knowing what was happening? Where they not informed about the struggle? Because of jealousy and selfishness, most of them refused to serve because the #1 one man was not from Equatoria. It’s because the 1983 struggle was not initiated by Equatorians. This is all about you so called Equatoria being selfish. You guys wanted something that give you benefit immediately, and if not, then you will not take part no matter what. You guys have no trust in other ethnic groups. You don’t think that some is going to be done right when you are not present. You guys refused but choose to complain for nothing. That is why I called you stupid, lazy, and coward. Remember that is never a crime to change youur judgement. Please you need to change how you think about south Sudan.