Insecurity in South Sudan is a curse on self-determination

By Jacob K. Lupai

April 14, 2009 — Insecurity in Southern Sudan is not hearsay but a fact of life. One deeply worrying thing is that it is happening when the people of Southern Sudan should have been the most enjoying a high level of security in the world. This is because the people of Southern Sudan had been traumatised by a 22-year long civil war that life for many was nothing but a hell on earth. It was estimated that about 2 million people lost their lives as a result of the civil war and about 4 million were scattered far and wide where some sought security in foreign lands while others became miserable internally displaced persons (IDPs). However, in January 2005 a comprehensive peace agreement (CPA) was concluded, ushering in an era of what should have been an era of peace, security and stability in Southern Sudan. Shockingly enough southern wide insecurity has become a fact of life people are forced to put up with which is something that must be worrying to those concerned with Southern Sudan. One may wonder who is to protect life and property for public tranquillity. Naturally it is the government that is responsible for the security of its citizens. Moreover development was supposed to be one peace dividend to the people of Southern Sudan. However, in a situation of insecurity it is very difficult to see how investors can be attracted for development initiatives to eradicate poverty. Development and insecurity are not good bed fellows.

It should be understood that insecurity is a curse on the road to self-determination. Self-determination in the context of Southern Sudan may lead to the South forming an independent state. However, with insecurity now perceived as worse than during the civil war an independent state in the South with all the characteristics of independence may be a wishful thinking. An independent South, in a situation of rampant insecurity raging like wild fire, may become a failed state like Somalia. On the other hand an independent South may be like Rwanda where tribalism may turn very ugly. However, I would prefer the situation of Rwanda where people will battle it out once and for all with others paying dearly in order to establish a stable and prosperous independent Southern Sudan under a system that is seen as fair for all. However, it is hoped that southerners will be wiser and with determination neither the Somalia nor the Rwanda situation will be replicated in Southern Sudan.

It is regrettable that insecurity is a fact of life in Southern Sudan either perpetrated by southerners themselves as people of different tribes attack each other over resources or insecurity is engineered by an invisible hand. At any rate in his Easter message the Archbishop of the Episcopal Church of Sudan as quoted by a paper said, “There are conflicts among the Dinka, Nuer, Murle and Anyuak communities in Jongolei State which have led to the unnecessary killing of innocent men, women and children”. He said, “I am appealing to our communities that tribalism has become a major concern in our nation, and that if we are not very careful it will destroy the unity of our country. The division of people along ethnic lines is a very dangerous weapon that can be used against our communities by the enemies of peace”. For the highest ranking clergy of a church to express his concern of what amounts to insecurity means the problem is on the verge of going out of control. Another paper put the number of dead as close to a thousand people just in one month in the Wuror-Pibor-Bor conflict triangle in Jongolei State. During the 4th anniversary celebrations of the CPA in Malakal there were clashes between the Dinka and Shilluk communities sharing Malakal municipality. According to the paper in clashes over cattle, one person who was “shot down was in a military uniform and had on his shoulder two insignias of the rank of the first lieutenant, alluding to the fact that most of the cattle rustlers are either militias sent to destabilise the community or members of the organised forces in Southern Sudan”. The paper also shows that “ethnic conflicts are brewing up in the Bahr-el-Ghazal region as the Lakes State’s youth enter a precarious confrontation with the Warrap youth. Lakes and Northern Bahr-el-Ghazal states experienced bloody clan-based clashes among their communities last year and the years before”. The paper further claims that, “These sporadic clashes in various states of Southern Sudan, besides the LRA problem in Western Equatoria, amount to the fears that made the international community predict that Southern Sudan may collapse as a state”. This all does not paint an admirable scene of the security situation in Southern Sudan and it should be worrying to many conscious persons.

The question on the security situation is that what have the political parties done so far in Southern Sudan and also how is the government addressing the problem. This is because the papers are outspoken about the insecurity situation but there is hardly any mention of the role of the political parties and active government involvement in addressing the security concerns. It seems the political parties are doing very little while the government is trying but with limited success. It is in the interest of the political parties in the South for security to prevail for elections to take place as planned. As for the northern political parties they may be less concerned as the South is not their major constituency. The southern political parties are not doing enough either on the issue of insecurity in Southern Sudan. They may be simply worrying about elections but are not vocal on insecurity. There are no public meetings to encourage people to unite in promoting security. People need to understand and feel the need for each other that may translate into attitudinal and behavioural change. Members of the same party but from different geographical and tribal areas need to be seen by cattle rustlers working together as a team for the common good. There may be some impact when, for example, an Anyuak and a Murle of the same political party address their respective communities from the same platform on security and peaceful co-existence for a better future for their next generations in the area. This should not be a one off exercise but must be continuous as the need arises. Also during the campaigning for elections members of different tribes but of the same political party should move together as a team to reinforce the message of unity by the members taking themselves as a role model for a peaceful co-existence of the communities the members aspire to represent. In this way the people in the rural areas may appreciate the unity displayed by their leaders from the various tribes.

The Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) may need to do more. Peace and reconciliation meetings between and among warring communities are helpful but may not be enough to address the problem. The outcome of the meetings may need to be followed up with stringent measures to uphold the rule of law and the constitution. There is no way a peace and reconciliation meeting can stop the loss of hundreds or thousands of innocent of lives but the application of the rule of law can. The perpetrators of violence need a robust response with all guns of all law enforcing agencies blazing to ensure the security and safety of the innocent ones. A softly-softly approach may be harmful where innocent blood is being spilt unnecessarily when a decisive action is all that is needed in the circumstances to nail down the problem. Communities can be encouraged to reconcile but when one or all of them are proving to be stubborn or refusing to reconcile then the government must take over by intervening with the full force of the law to take its natural course. Cattle rustling must be met with the full force of the law as directed by the constitution for the security and safety of the public in Southern Sudan. Communities carrying unlicensed or illegal guns must be disarmed with the efficiency needed to safeguard innocent lives. Allowing communities to carry unlicensed arms means putting innocent lives in danger. The government and all law enforcing agencies should take their responsibility for putting away unlicensed guns or guns in the wrong hands seriously. Letting things to move like a river that meanders aimlessly and lazily, as it were, through a valley is not the way with people who behave like animals in the wild. In a society like ours the Law of Moses must apply, an eye for an eye, as a deterrent until a high level of respect for human life, which is now very cheap, is seen to exist. Other people may argue that is this not what the communities are doing already. However, it is the government to enforce the law but no community should be allowed to take the law into their own hands. This may mean the presence of law enforcing agencies in trouble spots at all times through mobile units.

A member of parliament (MP) in the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly was quoted in a paper as saying that in Jongolei State fighting broke out when members from the Murle tribe attacked the Anyuak killing and injuring a number of Anyuak and also abducting a child. The same tribe was said to have made another attack killing the chief of the area and a child, who was going in the company of his mother, was kidnapped. The report said a number of cattle were robbed. According to the MP “tribal conflicts continue to be a growing phenomenon that needs urgent action otherwise they might result into mass violence all over Southern Sudan”. It is reported in the same paper that, ”Last month there was fighting between the Murle and Nuer which resulted in the loss of 720 people in Jongolei State”. This is clearly insecurity at its worst. Who is to protect the lives of innocent civilians? It is of course the government of the day to protect the lives of its people. However, it is very strange that the SPLM is already boasting of capturing power in the Sudan come the general elections while the government dominated by the SPLM is unable to provide a semblance of security to citizens in Southern Sudan. Instead of highlighting its manifesto on security and development as pillars of self-reliance and how to win over the doubting Thomases, the SPLM seems to be preoccupied with the capturing of power probably for the sake of power. This is, however, not the way how to win votes from a section of informed electorate who may be described as intelligent. Elections are won on how a party articulates its programme to improve people’s lives when the party is in government. In short it is to be seen to care about the electorate’s needs and to convince people that the party is serious and the one to address the people’s worries. Here the party may need to show its track record but in the case of the SPLM it may be very poor indeed.

In Southern Sudan insecurity, tribalism and corruption are top priorities in people’s minds the SPLM may need to grapple with. However, the experience of the last four years of the GOSS of which the SPLM is the dominant party shows that the SPLM may have an uphill struggle to capture the hearts and minds of the struggling masses of Southern Sudan leave alone capturing power in the Sudan. The SPLM must first address the problem of insecurity, tribalism and corruption in Southern Sudan before boasting of capturing power in the Sudan. People are not fools to be deceived by niceties of words of mouth devoid of any tangible outcome. Fours years are a long time for people to make up their minds as who will be trusted for their own development and security.

The SPLM can no longer take people for granted because of its history of the struggle for the 22 years which brought the CPA. This is fast receding into history shelves and may soon be gathering dust. People now need a modern, innovative and reformed party that is in tune with their aspirations but not a party with people who want to monopolise everything while the party as a whole is very miserable in basic service delivery. A credible party must come down to earth to share people’s challenges. This cannot only be done once during elections time but must be a regular activity in interacting and sensitising people on teamwork and development. For now the SPLM is associated with all that is wrong in Southern Sudan as the dominant party in government. To salvage its image the SPLM may need to concentrate on development issues that are of concern to the masses. In this way people may find a common ground in promoting unity among the tribally diverse communities of Southern Sudan. This hopefully may bring a new culture of self-reliance and cohesion in supporting each other for a better future for all through development work. It is not yet too late for the SPLM to clean up its image of the last four years of the six years of the interim period to become truly a people’s party instead of a party of the government that is being associated with all that is going wrong such as insecurity, corruption and tribalism in Southern Sudan.

Importantly insecurity will be a curse on the already bumpy road to self-determination because the 2010 general elections could be postponed once again with the referendum date thrown into doubt. Security must be a priority to improve so that there is no excuse to postpone the referendum date for southerners to exercise their right to self-determination as per the CPA. The strength of the SPLM is also the prevalence of security in Southern Sudan. I hope all this is understood not as a negative criticism of the SPLM but a constructive one for an alternative way forward. The SPLM shouldn’t be a party that needs to hear undeserved praises it wants to hear for that will be self-deception characteristic of rigidly centralised parties of the old. There are of course dedicated, forward looking and charismatic SPLM members that may deserve louder applauses because of their strong desire to serve the people of Southern Sudan diligently without fear or favour. Nonetheless, for now the SPLM has a huge task to be presentable to the electorate. However, the work of the SPLM may be made much easier by the naivety of the other political parties in Southern Sudan. This will also depend on what image the SPLM wants to portray in contrast to its image of the last four years as the dominant party in the GOSS.

The author is a regular contributor to Sudan Tribune and can be reached at [email protected]