Political assassination in Yambio
By Justin Ambago Ramba
August 15, 2009 — Yambio woke up on Saturday 15/08/2009 to the shocking news of the brutal death of Mrs. Mariam Biringi the Chairperson of the Women’s Desk in the National Congress Party (NCP), that occurred at around 11:00 pm. Mrs Biringi who was a teacher by profession comes from the Moru tribe, was attacked and held at gun point for over three hours by armed people who number around 5 to 7 men and according to family members who witnessed the assassination said that the murders were dressed in military uniforms.
During the three hours ordeal before Mariam was killed, her attackers threatened her and took away unknown sum of money. Unfortunately though some people managed to report the incident to the local police at a time when this respectable teacher, politician, community leader and a lovely mother was begging for her life, the police never turned up for her rescue. She was walked out of her compound and gunned down in the street where her body was left lying up till 10:00 am on Saturday. The thugs set the whole compound on fire before walking away with their loot without being intercepted by the police knew exactly what was taking place as they were informed right away from the start of the attack.
Nevertheless the general consensus is that Mariam’s death is politically motivated as the political parties are busy campaigning for the forth coming elections. As the general atmosphere remains tense, the other non SPLM politicians are now made to rethink their positions in as far as their own safety is concerned.
Western Equatoria State once the most peaceful and the most beautiful in the whole Sudan has been reduced under the SPLM rule to a no man’s land. Yambio the capital of the state is now both the head quarters for the state government and the main garrison for the Ugandan rebels of the Lord’s resistant Army, making it a place of mafia type crimes, abductions and harassments by anybody carrying a gun.
The assassination of Mariam Biringi should be understood in the context of the general insecurity engulfing the semi – autonomous south Sudan. With a very weak government in juba, and underpaid security staff, and unclear political vision by the dominant SPLM, the survival of the citizens even within the main town is entirely a matter of luck. Once out in the remote states like Western Equatoria, Jonglei or Warrap, survival becomes only for the fittest as jungle law and impunity are quite rampant.
Mariam Biringi was not a criminal, nor was she an enemy to any body. And being a member of the NCP should not allow of her brutal and inhumane assassination. The government has already said that they are investigating in the case, which is nothing by hypocrisy. How can the same police and the same security authorities who turned deaf ears and never turned up for her rescue do any thing tangible after her death when they were notified of her being held at gun point before her being killed .
This case which is more of a political assassination given the circumstances will in fact mark the beginning of Somalisation of south Sudan even before holding the much anticipated elections. Political leaders from now onwards will have to have private security personnel if they have to survive the campaign period and worse still would be how to remain alive till April 2010.
However people should never be put off by what has happened and the bottom line remains that the elections must be held and this weak government must be changed. Is it not rather strange that Salva Kiir awarded governors, Kuol Manyang and Jemma Kumba as his best governors while the people of Jonglei and western Equatoria states are being killed and abducted in their thousands? And now how does Mrs. Jemma Kumba feel while heading a state that make stands out for the first political assassination of a female politician?
It is sad that though we look forwards to see the assassins of Miriam Biringi being brought to the book, still our deeply seated distrust in a the current incompetence in the security services in south Sudan ends demoralizing any person who still maintains any little hope for a peaceful democratic south Sudan, that is run by people who have value for human life. May those who orphaned Mariam Biringi’s children never ever live to see the light of the next day.
Oh God Almighty, may her soul rest in eternal peace.
Dr. Justin Ambago Ramba (MB, BCh, DRH, MD) Secretary General , United South Sudan Party (USSP). He can be reached at: [email protected]
oshay
Political assassination in Yambio
It is a politically motivated death. The SPLM cannot tolerate political opposition or dissent. I warn all people to wake up and see what will happen after 2011 if these pack of primitive savage bush fighters hijack the South.
Akol Liai Mager
Political assassination in Yambio
This tragic incident should not be used as a political card for election compaigns.
Dear Mr Justin, you deserve right to freely express yourself in the way suitable to you and your party, I respect you too. But, you seemed to have no clues at all about the ways justice and law deal with crimes.
The police do not jump to say a criminal is guilty as they catched him/her at crime’s sence with the weapon of which the crime was committed, instead, the Police make arrest and make criminal stand before judge and only judge will determine base on the answers provided by criminal whether or not a criminal is guilty. Additionally; by law criminals are assumed innocent until proven guilty.
If this is the case, then SPLM is innocent until you provide materialistic evidences; otherwise you and your party plus NIT itself must be ingestigated for possible roles to play smart political game.
I will not hesitate to condamn SPLM if proven guilty of Ms Mariama gunning down. I hate NIF, NIF-DC, UMMA and Arab Ba`ath parties, but I do not want anyone from these parties to be bodily or mentally harm. They must be changed peacefully.
Only peacefull change is what the SPLM stands for in the South, Sudan at large and the SPLA guns are for self-protection. If these guns are used to gun down women, Ms Mariama would have not survived day 1 of the SPLM/A in power in Yambio, I might be wrong, but think before making misleading statements as those statements will have reverse impacts.
Bayugopai
Political assassination in Yambio
This kind of impunity is promoted by a lack of response to other impunities. An investigation and report was promised after the Yambio police were massacred by SPLA in November 2007. There never was a report of the investigation findings. Without consequences impunity continues. The pattern of insecurity and atrocity fits with the way the GoS rules. Does the SPLA rule the same way?
Freedom Fighter
Political assassination in Yambio
Mr. Ramba,
I have no comment for her death, but just to remind you that Mariam wasn’t the first female to be killed in the South for political purposes. A female from Thiet in Warrap state named, Angeer Aghor Malang was. She was killed by Jallaba force in 1984, and her body was denied right of burial and left over laying in the football field. Her alleged crime was providing food and water to the SPLA in the area. NCP has killed two million Southerners including 30 freedom fighters who have offered their blood cheap in the battle for liberation of Yambio in 1990. Yambio wasn’t handedover by NCP forces after peace agreement the CPA, but it was liberated and cost lives of our comrades. Mariam’s death is quite understandable and no comment. Those who are falsely dreaming of stealing the struggle, and let the sacrifies made by our comrades go in vain should think twice now. No joke.
thieleling
Political assassination in Yambio
Dr. Ramba,
First of all, I sincerely register my heartfelt condolence to the family of our dear mother, Mama Mariam Biringi, the Azande Community, Equatoria & our large family of South Sudan. This is indeed a sad news for the future of south sudan.
It is indeed not wise for SPLM to spread hatred and fear through this political assassination. It is certainly scary to trigger fear and revenge among south sudanese. SPLM will not achieve anything through this. SPLM has no monopoly over political assassinations & it just opens the door wide open for doomsday of the south.
I don’t think anyone wish death to Mama Nyadeng Garang or Mama Awut Achuil Deng in SPLM circles or any other south sudanese political parties. But this political killing of our dear mother is inviting ugly retaliatory revenge that will only lead to Somalization of south Sudan.
I wish SPLM never open the pandora box of political assassination of this magnitude against our dear mothers. This legitimizes the next political assassination and the cycles begins. it is dangerous for south sudan future.