Genesis of Lakes State crisis (Part 1)
By Peter Gai Manyuon
September 30, 2014 – Lakes State Comprises of eight Counties and most of them are for Dinka tribes but different sub-clans perceptions are too different with each others in the state. There has been cattle raiding, revenge killings in various parts of State. Lakes state is where most cycle of revenge and cattle raiding remain since CPA was signed in 2005 between Republic of Sudan and the former rebel the Sudan People Liberation Army /Movement (SPLA/M) which was lead at first by Late Dr John Garang De Mabior before he crashed in a terrible accident that need proper investigation in the nearer future.
The genesis of crisis of lakes state is within the politicians who adopted the new civilization of divide and rule policy, which comprises of corruption, hatred and sectarianism among the people. Many senior politicians in Lakes state have nothing to do but their main aim is to dismantle the unity of the communities in the state and as well participating in confusing the community to acts negatively by inciting communal violence that has so far reduced the State population.
The ideology of hatred was introduced due to too much poverty and illiteracy in most of the African Countries where South Sudan is number one and Lakes State, have taken the lead in committing crimes that will one day take most of the politicians of Lakes to jail one day one time.
Hence, the ongoing crimes being committed by the government of South Sudan on the Lakes state Communities population has taken the image of the Republic of South Sudan to be level as the failed state in the world context. Everyone knows that, Lakes State comprises of different categories of sub-clans within the Dinka tribe and their language and culture is the same but they are having different ideological problems that emanated from the ancestors, crocks politicians and the incumbent Military Governor who is imposing illiterate ideas to the entire masses and people are not willing to work with him in the state.
Besides, Lakes state problem became worse and worse beginning from the time of John Lat who was the Governor of Lakes after the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed in Naivasha Kenya in 2005. John Lat was former Chief of Military Intelligence as well participated in confusion of the community by that time. As times goes on and on, John Lat was removed and the former Deputy Speaker Comrade Daniel Awet Akot was appointed as the Caretaker Governor of the State before the Independence of the Republic of South Sudan in 2011.
Many people know that Awet Akot was a tribal leader in South Sudan context. When he (Wet) was in Rumbek as the Governor, problems came to exists in different kind of levels within the State government; sub clans and the entire State become volatile. There was killings that emerged from (Gok of Chueibet, Agaar of Rumbek and subsequently Atut of Yirol) respectively during the regime of Comrade Daniel. After he (Awet) was sacks from the position he was elected as the Deputy Speaker of the National Legislative Assembly where he deputized James Wani Igga the South Sudanese Comedian and the current Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan. More so, during the time of Wani and Awet in the National Parliament, nothing moves well for the last eight years but what they achieved was serious scandals of resources in the Parliament and preaching about hatred within the Assembly. I witnessed in one of the session in the Assembly when I was a Senior Reporter of the Citizen Television (CTV) in 2012 before I resigned to go for further studies.
In reality ,everyone is aware that the former Deputy Speaker of South Sudan’s parliament, the National Legislative Assembly and Chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) in Lakes State is among the people behind the crisis of the Lakes State Communities. His lack of good public Relations caused hatred among the same community of Dinka in Lakes up to date. People of Lakes state cannot fight among themselves if there is no root causes of the genesis of the scene. The problem is within the opinion leaders of the Lakes State especially the paramount Chiefs, politicians, senior officers within the Sudan People Liberation Army and the President of the Republic of South Sudan for bringing in illiterate and dictator to the people of the state. How can illiterate leader bring peaceful co-existence in the society?
Briefly, Daniel Awet Akot, famously failed in his attempt to be the SPLM’s candidate for Governor of Lakes state in the 2010 general elections, he was defeated due to his tribal agenda and hatred he exerted/ imposed on the community.
Awet’s opponents claim that he was behind the decision of South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir to remove the elected Governor of Lakes state, Chol Tong Mayay, in January 2013 which to me is absolute and a factual.
By then people where asking themselves whether the problem of Lakes state was the issue of Awet Akot being the governor or it is the gene within the people of State that caused hatred among the clans and Communities. Some people justify up to now that, the serious violation of human rights that are going on in Lakes state is the influence of Daniel Awet, John Lat, Marial Benjamin, Mayom Akech, Telar Ring Deng and the current Military Governor Matur.
Lakes state’s democratically elected Governor Chol Tong Mayay was removed from power by President Salva Kiir under his constitutional powers that allow him to replace governors for reasons of national and internal security.
An election should have been held within three months, according to South Sudan’s transitional constitution but no elections are planned until the 2015 general elections but nothing was implemented and up to date there is mess, revenge killings going on in the state and the reason is that, most of the Community of Lakes want Engineer Chol Toang Mayay back in to leadership. But am not sure whether miracle can happen for re-appointment of Chol Toang or not?
Absolutely, Lakes state problem is being designed by crocks of politicians who lack what to do in the Republic of South Sudan rather they are advocating for revenge killings and preaching politics of hatred among the same communities.
To be continue………………..
The author is independent journalist and columnist. He can be contact on www.independentjournalistpgm.wordpress.com or [email protected]