Is it realistic for a state government to neglect one county out of many?

By Peter Gai Manyuon

Since the inception of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the longest civil war between the people of South Sudan and the Arabic’s in the North Sudan, People of Payinjiar County are still suffering up to now then the rest of the other communities in state level due to what is known to the incumbent governor Taban Deng.

The county is located in the southern part of the state capital; it has good populations that deserve to be given social services by the State Capital, the county is blessed with the good land escape and good dignity of its people who are the in habitants of the area. And the participation of the people of Payinjiar during the liberation struggle is well known by the people of the Republic of South Sudan, and even the God the almighty is must aware about the goodness of this community.

There are no roads that connect the County to the rests of the Counties in the State, no network in the whole county since the inception of the comprehensive Agreement that was signed in Navasha in 2005 In Kenya. People are surviving due to their good minds which the God almighty given to them, they don’t have any support from either the State government or even the international Organizations in South Sudan.

Most of their weapons which they normally use for protection were taken by some people who were taken from the SPLA division which is in the Lake State since 2010 up to this year, all their machines were taken from them that is why, most of them were killed by the Gun men from Rumbek north and central and government did not have a say when the incident happen up to now. What does it mean really? Can we move like that in South Sudan? Can the people of Payinjiar revenge or? Do we really respect human rights and rule of Law in the Republic of South Sudan?

People are being killed always in the county due to the problem of lack of the network that can be used for communicating with the niebouring counties. What show that, there is the government in the state? According to my own observation and analysis, there is no system at all in the State; government of the Republic of South Sudan should look in to that, before the end of the year otherwise, innocents civilians are finishing in Payinjiar County.

I never since the State government, sending their condolence message to the people of the Payinjiar County up to now, that is an indication that shown to the people of the Payinjiar ( the green county) , there is something behind the government of the state toward the community of Payinjiar.

Neglecting of the Payinjiar community by the authorities in the State shows that, the State government does not give services to its population. How can you convince me that, the frequent death of the citizen of Payinjiar in Unity state is not motivated by the individuals?

People of Payinjiar should this time think wisely, since the election is approaching in the Republic of Republic of South Sudan. 2015 is not far from now; there is no way they should look for the votes since they are the failures in their regime.

When you look logically to the issue of Payinjiar is like, some individuals are contributing negatively toward the disorganization of the county.

I was informed that, network was supposed to be there since the beginning of this year and up to now, there is no progress at all, and all those are being caused by the State government.

I don’t know which term I should use to describe the people behind the down fall of the green county of Payinjiar in the Unity State level.

I don’t have any problem with anybody but my problem is with the system that is trying to let the County down from the rests of the State counties.

My messages to the government of the Republic of south Sudan and the International Community and the indigenous organizations is that, people of Payinjiar County in Unity State are being denied their rights by the State authority in the Capital Bentiu.

People of Payinjiar have the right to have the network that can make them communicates with the rests of the people in South Sudan regardless of what might be the circumstance.

They are being denied access to good roads by the State government in Bentiu, which need central government to look in to this issue critically.

Recommendations to solve these problems of the people of Payinjiar;

• There is need for the government of the Republic South Sudan to question state government why neglecting some counties like Payinjiar in particular and Mayendit.

• State government must be brought to the rule of Law, since the death is frequently happening in the Payinjiar County and the State government is relaxing.

• People of Payinjiar should contribute their resources so that, they can approach one of the Network in the Republic of South Sudan to go and connect the county with the mobile phone network, so that people can talk effectively to the rests of other people in South Sudan, since the state government is against the community.

• Government of Payinjiar especially the Commissioner should look for his own ways of overcoming the frequent killing and raiding of cattle by the Lake State people especially, Rumbek North County and Central, the commissioner should have good relations with them in order to harmonize the current situation in the County.

• Member of the Parliament of the Payinjiar in the National Assembly in Juba, should engage the government of the Republic of South Sudan and the humanitarian organizations to look in to the crisis of the County, in term of providing the basic needs to the citizen of the affected County, since most of the people depend on the cattle’s because the role of the MP is to advocate for the rights and the wills of the people worldwide.

• Payinjiar community worldwide should contribute some money for the establishment of the network, if worse is becoming worse, so that our community in the grass root should have access to good communication strategies in the County then bothering state government which has loss value among the citizen of the Unity State.

• International Organizations and indigenous Organizations should give the humanitarian assistance to the community of the Payinjiar otherwise people are dying now since all the cows have been taken by the group of gun men who were from Rumbek and on top dressed on the SPLA uniforms. Look at that critically?

• Whoever that will go to Payinjiar and look for votes in 2015, must help the County now then waiting for that very year, I mean those need political positions in the entire Republic of South Sudan.

• Those SPLA soldiers that are deployed between Payinjiar and Rumbek should go to their Division, where were they before the attack took place? There is no justification in that issue, after losing very important lives and missing 7,000 head of cattle’s. Peace should come after; all those cows are given back to their owners like what happen some years back when Payinjiar Community return back Rumbek community cows.

• Commissioners of Rumbek North and Central should work with their chiefs and collects all the 7,000 head of cattle’s taken by those people, if not government should give a degree about this issue so that, they will not take other people wreaths again.

Conclusively,

Since the liberation struggle in 1945 people of Payinjiar known by the name Nyuong Community did a lot of things then some people who are now enjoying services of the Republic of South Sudan.

This is the right time for the Payinjiar Intellectuals to come together and work as one community with one objective then being used always as tools by other enemies of Payinjiar.

Let us leave the state government alone, let us do our own things as the County because I know the County is having variety of things that can be used for development.

Peter Gai Manyuon is a civil society activist in South Sudan who writes for the Citizen Newspaper and works for Reporters Without Borders.