The Rejected War Veterans in South Sudan

Are they victims of the “KIIR FORMULA” ?

By Dr. Justin Ambago Ramba, M.D.

April 12, 2008 — Wars come and wars go usually leaving behind them more problems than solutions. It happened in the two world wars, in the American civil war, in Vietnam, in the freedom struggles in southern Africa, East Africa and all the liberation struggles in South America as well in other places as far as the Far East. It is true that people always to war with the hope of finding solution to national, regional, racial or even personal ones when greed has eroded the bridge of dialogue. But frustratingly enough the history of mankind and the wars fought has more records of sufferings than any gains to the majority of those who found themselves caught up in the killing mania under the banner of liberation.

It seems what can not the solved peacefully, can only be made worse by fighting, especially when the root causes are political. In our present era, once the corridors of sound dialogue closes due to human miscalculations, people easily resort to the rifle, even without a prior vision into what cost they are imposing on their our population and those worse to suffer are always the rural citizens who always shed the most blood as opposed to the much learn affluent politicians. And when the war is over , is sadly enough to see that it is the politicians who direct every single post war chances towards satisfying their personal interests.

WE have all heard about war veterans who basically leave on handouts as the governments that they instated in power can hardly employ them due to the realities of the day as opposed to the beautiful promises of yesterday. If we all just take a moment and imagine ourselves in the shoes of these veterans and see how frustrating it is, may be we can come to their help. It is true that when war is over, the logical thing is to organise a reasonable number of the former freedom fighters into a regular army and civil servants but then bulk majority unfortunately does end up out of the above tight frame work. This brews a lot of frustration and discontent simply because those who fought the war and survived it, assumed they in the first place to be the lucky ones as all war situations are always full of risks. The challenge becomes greater if you have to choose a few out of the survivors for government post and without even a word of the least appreciation do away with the rest. The easiest question that comes to the left over fighters mind is about the criteria applied in the selection process and usually in settings as what it is like in the SPLA and especially taking into consideration their records in the bush and now what their leaders , sadly to say, have been perpetuating in the south Sudanese politics, it makes it obviously that the inclusiveness of the former fighters into the regular army of south Sudan will not be done differently from the well known KIIR’S Formula of tribal favouritism, thus leaving out people who might have even better merits than those favoured. Just have a good look at the current GOSS cabinet and the key positions and you will be familiar with the KIIR’S FORMULA, no rocket science there

IN the petition presented by some SPLA (former SSDF) soldiers who were told point blank that they are no longer wanted in the SPLA and that they can choose to go any where. The one help which was offered to them as they claim it was that they are now free either to go back to the bush, or rejoin the Jallaba if they wish. These unlucky fighters have sent their petitions to all the external observers of the CPA looking for a way out, while the options offered to them by SPLA seniors remain to be the likely ones given the records of the history of the South Sudanese struggle. And although on several occasions the chameleon styled SPLM leadership have acknowledge the gross insecurity in the south Sudan as being biggest deterrent to foreign investments , yet their actions seem to encourage the eventual. If our leadership has no programs ready for war veterans at this particular moment in time, then it would be wiser if they are left in uniforms and sensibly engage them in nation building.

THE whole world is now engaged in a hot debate as how to avoid the looming food crisis as the prices started to sky rocket beyond the limited incomes of most poor families especially in Africa and Asia, but are those “Luxurious Elite only Tent residents” along the Supiri River in Juba ever aware of the world food situation? It might have nothing to do with the lavish dishes served to them with cool soothing beers throughout their mornings and evenings, but of course it is definitely a concern to the poor South Sudanese population who are majority returnees from refugees and internally displaced camps Asia. So instead of turning these rejected SPLA fighters into becoming bandits or even frank anti government militias, why not involve them in a program of food security. We need bridges, schools, hospitals, roads, food production and many others, then why not start these schemes and these very people can do the job. These rejected fighters are still the members of the SPLA and even during this fragile peace time and we think that their rifles are no longer needed but still they can continue to fight the war on hunger, poverty and reconstruction. Many post war countries have been reconstructed by people in uniforms as the military discipline bounds them to confirm to orders. We can have a post war construction military Corps which transform the post war south Sudan into another Japan.

I can sense that South Sudanese have become war addicts, though their political leaders have been crippled by war fatigue especially after tasting the thick oil money, but the scenarios unfolding in Abyei administrative area no one in his/her sound state of mind will say that the north/south war has become something of the past. The NIF keep saying that since they have signed a peace deal with SPLM/A, then they no more for war, but the records show that they always fought wars by proxy. In Darfur they kill, rape, maimed, loot, burn villages, displace local populations and commit maximum atrocities under the banner of the notorious Janjaweed. In Abyei the NIF fights as the Misseriya tribesman and in the Unity State in order to protect the flow of oil before the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, NIF fought the war disguised as the former SSDF under CDR Paulino Matip. NIF has been fighting and is still fighting the SPLA, so where is the peace. So under these very apparent facts why does HE Kiir want to hand over the former SSDF fighters t go and fight on the NIF side? Will it not be wise to wait till we cross the bridges of Abyei and the referendum before we start dismantling the fighters?

Though I am for any war at any time, not even with the north, leave alone amongst us as fellow southerners, but now I can understand why there was brake away in the ranks of the SPLA/M. It seems that the arrogance of some leadership in the SPLM/A has reached with a certain level that they can do the whole liberation on their on without the participation of other ethnic groups. Otherwise what does it mean if there was the Juba Agreement to incorporate the former SSDF into the SPLA and now they are being told that their services in the SPLA is no longer needed and they can either choose to go back to the bush or rejoin the Khartoum regime ? IS this not a naked invitation for more instability in an already unstable situation?

THE wisdom of the GOSS is one big thing which surprises every single citizen and H.E the President’s way of doing things are even more and more becoming unpredictable, because if he were to have made “The Thieves” like Arthur Akuen and others vomit the public money looted in this three years of SPLM rule, for sure he would have the funds for engaging the veterans in the nation building. But no doubt he thinks the SPLA (former SSDF) fighters are the shortest wall to jump over while leaving his deadly pythons to swallow what would have been used wisely for the inclusiveness that we all hope to see practised, as that is what the people were made to believe to be the ultimate cause for the 50 years of the South Sudanese struggle.

CAN some sensible people in the leadership of the ruling SPLM just for the sake of the future of South Sudan, risk and talk to the president on some of these issues. I know that he did dismiss Mr. Telar from the cabinet as well as the SPLA/M due to some political differences, so does this explain the deadly silence in Juba? Well if no one wants to talk, then the people will talk in the COMING election time, but I am afraid that the dismissed FIGHTERS may talk earlier than that and where would that take us!!! Hello SPLM! Are you running for the Presidency of the Sudan in the forth coming elections? And if the answer is yes, who is your potential candidate? Is it going to be your current Chairman who hardly knows of what is happening in Khartoum leave alone the other parts of the Northern Sudan? Please if you what the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, his current performance will not make him survive the Presidential elections. These 7,000 former SSDF fighters currently fired from the SPLA is quite a substantial number and if ever they have to vote genuinely expressing their frustrations towards the SPLA’s breech of the Juba Agreement on military integration, you will be in a political disaster.

OBVIOUSLY when we reach the year 2011, we will be expecting more surprises if these very faces still remain in power in Juba. As we form the new nation of South Sudan at that time, many war veterans will come to understand what I am trying to highlight now. If today it is the former SSDF of the Cdr. Paulino Matip are asked out of SPLA in a number as high as 7,000 fighters, then the next time if KIIR FOMULA survive to be applied in the post referendum south Sudan, no surprise the New Army will definitely come the loyalists and cronies in order to consolidate their ever lasting grip on power in so as to cover up the current on going corruption at all levels of the governments in south Sudan. Worse still would of course the continuation of the Mugabe style settlement of the favoured veteran fighters turn farmers in vast areas of Eastern and Central Equatoria. Nimule and Morobo areas may need a change in government if the real owners are to have their farm lands back as the true land grabbers are people right at the top of the government of South Sudan. And what the Governor of Central Equatoria State told people of Munuki Payam the other day arguing them to vote for SPLM even if he personally might not have delivered, because he personally believes that it is only the SPLM party that can safe guard the CPA. This is quite interesting, because the poor performance in the SPLM dominated and lead GOSS has its roots right in the ambiguous structure of the SPLM itself coupled with its corruption addicted top cadres and the top men deeply entangled in favours and kick backs. So what is it that is left for the people of Munuki which they don’t know yet if the seat of GOSS and the South Sudan Parliament are both located within their neighbourhood? The coming election time must be viewed as the time for change especially for those whose lands have been forcibly taken, those veterans rejected from the SPLM/A for merely ethnic reasons, and above all those who would want to see a corruption free and competent government in south Sudan, where decision and laws are made in the parliaments rather than from the State Houses. We need a new government to weed off this rampant misappropriation of the public funds and install the rule of law.

The author of this is article is a South Sudanese doctor living in the UK and can be reached at: [email protected].