Rumbek marks fourth CPA anniversary

By Manyang Mayom

January 11, 2009 (KHARTOUM) –The Lakes state community marched out on Friday to Rumbek Freedom Square to mark the celebration of the fourth anniversary of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) while a senior politician in the state, Samuel Mathiang Keer, said in an interview with Sudan Tribune that he is really upset by the security situation in Rumbek.

Mathiang, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) state secretary in Lakes, addressed the crowd in favor of the peace and implementation of the CPA in the country.

His remarks followed clashes last week in Rumbek East County between the Panyar and Aliap clans, which resulted in 12 people killed and more missing. Four of those missing were found dead, announced a state police spokesman on Thursday, bringing the number of dead to 16 even in the midst of a peace initiative consultation which was expected as a footbrake for Rumbek youth grievances in the state.

Speaking by phone to Sudan Tribune, the official made an appeal for diplomatic strength among Lakes state youth to recognize peace and to have a spirit of accord to win the 2011 referendum for independence of South Sudan.

The SPLM state secretary felt upset over Rumbek youth grievances. “I really appreciate the role played by Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) President Salva Kiir Mayardit for the great support he made during Agaar Community peace initiative consultation by providing the state with funding of one million Sudanese pounds,” he said.

Inter-clan fighting became common in Lakes state since 2005. Other political conflict overlaid these clashes, with state processes stalling in the Assembly during a power struggle in late 2008, and the media becoming a target. “Lakes state SPLM secretariat is alert to the media catastrophe within Lakes state government since the assembly was at odds with executive,” affirmed Mathiang.

“Our political intervention in the press is most important because this country is approaching to election door and without press, then the election result will not be free and fair. The media crisis in Lakes state will be given solution before the election is held,” he indicated.

During the public rally Friday, Mathiang had ensured that the SPLM party in Lakes state will work together with the National Congress Party (NCP), the ruling party of Sudan since coming to power in a military coup in 1989. He then called upon the NCP Lakes state Deputy Secretary Arkangelo Deng Kuok to raise together their hands in front of the rally showing a signal of togetherness.

The NCP in Lakes state operated since 2005 without its office being officially opened by either the former or current governor, and its few newly replaced MPs ran into opposition being sworn into office in November.

Mathiang had arrived to Rumbek after spending 60 days out of the state. He had left on November 8 to attend his medical checkup in India. He spent 20 days in India and 4 days in Khartoum while 18 days in Kampala the capital of Uganda as well as other days in Juba before arriving to Rumbek on January 8 to attend the anniversary celebration.

The SPLM figure did not speak favorably of Sudanese students from Lakes who had been sent to Uganda to study. SPLM leaders in Lakes had blamed education authorities for allowing over 3,000 students to Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, for higher education. “These students will forget our cultures and this Lakes state will lose her standard economy,” said Mathiang at the CPA rally.

Yet the official referred to the development policy laid down by the late Dr. John Garang De Mabior of “taking the town to the villages” as the objective that his party working on now. “We are now taking the town to villages and actually we have done a lot in the villages like more water hand-pumps are now available for citizens wherever they are in their cattle-camps,” he said.

He said that our present partnership between NCP and SPLM will make Lakes state bear the fruit of the CPA, of which the Sudanese people will benefit most. The Lakes state local authority immediately welcome the proposal of building Rumbek Hospital, to which President Omar El-Bashir promised to contribute during a speech in 2006 in Rumbek Freedom Square.

Mathiang also spoke about the controversial national census, whose results have not yet been published. “If the election are going to be based on the Sudan 5th population census result, surely the Lakes state is poor in census because during the census house-to-house count, the census staff numerators did not go to the villages, they indeed faced various challenges like banning of the census form in Rumbek North (Maper) County and rain that prevented numerators from going far deep; also insecurity was high in Lakes state.”

(ST)