S. Sudan rebel commander calls for united front
January 31, 2015 (JUBA) – A commander with South Sudan’s armed opposition has called for a united front to dismantle and establish a democratic and diverse system to replace the “tribally-dominated regime”.
“There are a lot of ambiguities in the current leadership. There is no vision as to where the country is heading. The government under Salva Kiir is quite incapable of steering the country to towards the right direction. He has created a system which has no sense of accountability, a system which generates crisis and killing,” said Kenyi.
“With all these, I believe, there is a need to struggle together to establish a democratic country which reflects the diversity of our people and which will accept establishing federalism as a way to deal with all these messes and sectarianism,” he added.
Kenyi called for a federal system of government, saying federalism will end ethnic killings as well as the targeted massacres.
The rebel commander accused government of allegedly reducing South Sudan to the level of colonialism, hence the nation’s demise.
“It is always the interest of the people to have a united front to fight against such a genocidal regime, nepotism, sectarianism and tribal tendencies imposed on use necessitated the resistance,” said Kenyi.
He claimed South Sudan leader Salva Kiir was promoting an ethnic domination, a practice South Sudanese should not allow to prevail.
“[The] SPLA (Sudan People’s Liberation Army) will fight as one entity to dismantle and establish a democratic system in the country,” he told Sudan Tribune.
Kenyi said he was initially persuaded by the overwhelming pressure and calls to establish Equatorian front, separate from the armed faction under the leadership of the president Kiir’s main political rival, Machar, but later decided to join efforts with other comrades and colleagues because they were also fighting for the same cause.
“There is a call for Equatorian front because people of Equatoria have repeatedly found themselves marginalised and even now in the government of Salva Kiir. They are right. There is no question about. They have been marginalised and even treated as underdogs and called all names, including being branded as cowards even when some of us led in battles and we captured major towns,” the commander explained during the interview.
He said it was in Equatoria where the first liberation movement was started.
“They are things which affect everybody in the country, regardless of whether they are people in Bahr el Ghazal, Upper Nile or Equatoria. So it is important that we put our ranks together and fight as one united front to dismantle the tribal and dictatorial regime in Juba,” Kenyi said.
CALLS FOR WITHDRAWAL OF FOREIGN TROOPS
Kenyi further called for the immediate withdrawal of all foreign forces fighting alongside government troops, saying they were causing friction among people in the country.
“I advise them to go because Salva Kiir will not stay permanently in power. They should know that governments come and go but people stay. There are no permanent governments. They need to understand this so that their participation in the war does not become an obstacle in future relations between our people,” Kenyi explained.
“I want them [foreign troops] to reflect deeply on this and to decide immediately,” he added.
(ST)