South Sudan: New Year with New State

by Steve Paterno

Hanuary 2, 2011 — On January 9th, 2011, the people of South Sudan will cast their ballots for a referendum. The general consensus is that they are going to vote overwhelmingly for the independence of South Sudan. Therefore, the month of January is going to be marked in commemoration of independence of the new nation of South Sudan. Ironically though, January is also the month Old Sudan is celebrating its supposedly independence.

Even though South Sudan has been technically forced to be part and parcel of the so-called Old Sudan, since its independence of 1956, South Sudan in reality and practice has nothing to do with the independence of Old Sudan. As the country was preparing for independence from the Anglo-Egyptian colonial rule, Southerners were already anticipating that by being forced to be under the rule of Khartoum, it would mean a continuation of colonial rule by the dominant Islamic-Arab north. Hence, by 1955, the Southern resistance movement was born during the Torit Mutiny. In response, the successive governments of Khartoum thought the Southern resistance could be crashed militarily, in order to silence any grievances that the Southerners put forward. Since then, over five millions Southerners are killed and millions more are displaced from their ancestral homes.

Despite the brutalities inflicted against South Sudanese from Khartoum, the Southern resistance persisted. By 2005, a Southern resistance movement, the SPLM/A, signed a peace deal with the ruling regime in Khartoum that ensures a referendum on South Sudan self determination—a referendum, which is to be held after six years of interim period; on January 9, 2011. Since the signing of the agreement in 2005, there have been founded fear that the referendum might not take place, due to deliberate efforts from the ruling regime in Khartoum to thwart the South Sudanese rights for self determination.

The most immediate and worst fear is that the country can revert back into full scale South-North war. This fear of the renewed war largely hinges on the attempts to alter the date for referendum vote—the date, which according to the Southerners is “sacrosanct” and can never be tempered with. However, with few days now left before Southerners will cast their ballots for self determination, the fear of another round of conflict seems to dissipate, at least for the near future. Northern Sudanese of all political persuasions plus their Arab allies in the region, have finally acknowledged the fact that South Sudan is already gone. Their culprit now is the regime in Khartoum, which they blame for contributing for the secession of South Sudan. All Khartoum can do is resort to last desperate efforts in futility.

It looks like the international community is taking serious its role to prevent another South-North conflict. For the last several months, the United Nations redoubled its effort on Sudan and so is the African Union. The USA and its allies are also stepping up efforts in ensuring a transparent and timely referendum. Civil societies and human rights activists from across the world are also doing their parts to deter any war. For example, a coalition led by Hollywood superstar, George Clooney is sponsoring a private satellite over the South-North borders to monitor any impending atrocities that the government of Khartoum is about to commit against the South Sudanese. A private satellite is effective in dealing with notorious regimes such as the one in Khartoum, because it readily display the imagery to the larger public as oppose to the state satellite, which is shrouded in secrecy and only privy to few. So, Khartoum is put on spotlight, with the world watching them from the above as well on the ground.

In its part, the SPLM/A has done tremendously well in capturing the imaginations of South Sudanese people by advocating for their aspirations of self-determination. Perhaps it is for the first time in its history that SPLM/A popularity across South Sudan swells, because in spite of all attempts to derail the conduct of referendum, the movement is standing firm in defense of South Sudan self determination and for the referendum to be held on time. The SPLM/A commitment toward the referendum went as far as forging a coalition of all the South Sudanese political parties to form a one strong front in defense of self-determination. This has clearly denied Khartoum from most of its potential Southern allies, which could have been used for proxy war against Southerners.

But perhaps the sentiments of South Sudanese seen today was expressed by none other than the leader of SPLM/A, Dr. John Garang who set the tone that is still reverberating today within SPLM/A officials and among South Sudanese people. Dr. Garang still remains a complex person who different people understand him differently. To the Northern Sudanese, he is fighting for a united Sudan and for the Southerners, he is fighting for separation of South Sudan. The Southerners believe he is for the separation of South Sudan, because after signing the 2005, peace agreement, Dr. Garang posed a very reflective question to all South Sudanese by stressing, “when time comes to vote at referendum, it is your golden choice to determine your fate. Would you like to vote to be second class citizens?” South Sudan President Salva Kiir who succeeded Dr. Garang echoes the same message, but even more explicitly. To president Kiir, voting for unity of Sudan will tantamount to “second class citizens” for South Sudanese. So, it seems things are finally falling into their right places.

At this moment and time, the South Sudanese are pumped up and empowered, especially when their leaders express the sentiments that is so well resonates with their aspirations. For the last several months, the people of South Sudan have been displaying in Southern Sudanese style, their true feelings; mostly through street demonstrations. For them, those street demonstrations are symbolizing freedom, because for the first time they can be able to freely express themselves in such a manner and with hopes for the future. Throughout South Sudan, the people are demonstrating their expression for freedom in posters, signs, T-shirts, billboards, songs, etc. They even erected a referendum countdown clock to mark the dawn of their freedom. South Sudanese are indeed going to practically experience a new year with a new country of their own. For the South Sudanese people, freedom is on the horizon.

Steve Paterno is the author of The Rev. Fr. Saturnino Lohure, A Romain Catholic Priest Turned Rebel. He can be reached at [email protected]