Machar calls on “internet warriors” in the diaspora to write in support of peace
October 11, 2015 (NEBRASKA) – South Sudan’s armed opposition leader, Riek Machar, has called on his supporters in particular and South Sudanese in general to move away from the bitterness of the 21-month long civil war to supporting the implementation of the peace agreement whenever they write in the internet.
“Some of you also who are writing in the internet help to expose the war in the media, writing a lot in the internet. Sometimes it is bitterness when you write. Bitterness we even think you are fighting a war in the internet,” he told a gathering of thousands of his supporters who received him at a stadium in Omaha, Nebraska state capital, in US.
“There are some foreigners who come to visit us and say, your people are fighting in the internet, they are an internet warriors. If peace is coming, we don’t want to leave you in that stage of war. We want you to use your pen to promote peace,” he told the crowd which responded with applause.
The top armed opposition leader however admitted that the genocide committed by president Kiir’s government has inflicted bitterness on the people of South Sudan, including leaders, saying there was need to come up a workable system coupled with reconciliation to erase the bitterness and reunite the people of South Sudan.
You can see the bitterness of this war when the deputy chairman [Alfred Ladu Gore] spoke, what did you see? Disappointment of what is in Juba, bitterness of what had happened in Juba. How do we move away from this bitterness?” he inquired.
Earlier, the deputy chairman, Afred Ladu Gore, in his speech blamed president Kiir for lack of leadership which he said resulted to the disintegration of the society and genocide in the country.
“We fall backward because it happens that we had been led by brainless leader who is not different from those who are collecting cow-dung in villages. The main problem of South Sudan is the lack of the leadership. We must show Kiir that he is stupid. He is someone who could not be compared with Dr. Riek Machar,” Gore told the crowd who went wild with laughter and applause.
Machar further called on the supporters in the diaspora to preach peace and make president Kiir’s government understand that implementation of the deal was the best option for the divided country.
“How are we going to make those in Juba understand that if we had signed the peace agreement, there is a need and hope to implement that agreement? So these are the serious challenges because all of us were surprised on the 15th of December by sounds of guns in Juba. We want you to consolidate this peace. If the world sees you to like peace, they will follow you. Be part of the peace implementation,” he said.
He said although the peace agreement was not all what the opposition needed to change the country, it was a document people should “live with it” adding that it would also lead to federal system of governance.
The opposition leader criticized president Kiir for unilateral decision to create 28 states when he rejected the similar proposal during the peace negotiations in Addis Ababa.
“Yesterday Salva Kiir decided to create 28 states. This is a violation of the peace [agreement]. Why would you create states which you refused when we were negotiating? I hope someone told him to do that but this is a violation of peace, even the world will think that this man is not serious about peace,” he said.
He also reiterated the need to make reforms in all economic, security and governance sectors in the country, saying it was important to avoid making a similar mistake which Sudan had made during its independence.
Nebraska State is the home of more than 10,000 South Sudanese with majority being the ethnic Nuer community, and is believed to be biggest community in the United States.
The opposition leader during his tour last week also met with the governor of Nebraska state and discussed the political situation in the country, where Machar commended the state administration for providing jobs and other services to the South Sudanese communities in the state.
Machar also visited a number of other states in the US including California, Kansas, Minnesota, in addition to New York and Washington.
(ST)