Reactions to government agencies’ conspiracy against Greater Bor community
By Manyok Abraham Thuch & Kuch Kuol Deng
A monkey business or a donkey business in the government of the republic of South Sudan against the citizens is unacceptable. Therefore, we as youth of Greater Bor in diaspora react as follows:
The government of South Sudan and the rule of law. It has been a game of ethnicity as a political mechanism employed by the states’ security to terrorize, target and create counterinsurgencies in the Republic of South Sudan in order to use it as a scapegoat to remain in power for their selfish gain. What does it mean to say politics? Does it mean to kill, massacre and assassinate? Politics means good governance characterized by sound administration and formulation of policies for the country but in the Republic of South Sudan; it mean creating militants, conspiracy for arrest and torturing of an individual without investigation.
Mr. President, enough is enough! Since you have been running the country with one man`s constitution as you always wrongly quote yourself, which has put the country into political quagmire, it is a high time now for you to relinquish your position and peacefully resign or else release the eight (8) gentlemen whom your men have wrongly arrested and detained without justice. Mr. President you have gone too far several times against this community and others but apparently we convinced ourselves as a community thinking that we are not your enemies, but today your government have gone too far again. It has come a time we will not tolerate this anymore.
Your government is an apocalypse to South Sudanese because it does not give an acquiescent to public demand. From your resistance to any change and resolve to defensive position, the Country has failed under your custody as a result of a state refusing to apply rule of law. Therefore the common citizens are left with nothing but to take law in their hands.
This means that the state fails when it refuses to apply rule of law which always results in death of the masses, hence there is a gap between a political class and the common citizens. This cannot be blamed on anybody apart from you and your government.
The country is in a political turmoil because the constitution is a one man`s document, which is always quoted on one side that gives the president full powers to issue decrees at a time he wants without approval from other wings of governance, including policies which could be approved by the public through a plebiscite. The country did not fail because of Bor community. Mr. President, Bor Community, especially the youth who are the target of your powers, wants to know why they are the victims.
Mr. President you were the same person who directed Bor Community during Ajuong-Pakeer Massacre prayers in 2013, thus: “My in-laws, why are you running away from the lion while you have a weapon in your own hands?” But now at the time when Greater Bor Youth retreated and reacted in response to series of Murle attack on their community positions, then it is when you call an emergency meeting and form a committee to look into the case between the two communities. Where were you all along when Murle had been attacking to attack Greater Bor communities in Jonglei State? Mr. President, it looks as if the Murle were doing your will!
It was clear when greater Bor youth rose in a defense move to Murle early this year (2017) and you came out condemning it with strong words possible and termed it as a national threat, while all along when Murle used to attack our villages, massacre our people, abduct our children and steal our cattle. The community has made many attempts to report and complain to your government but all the same no response from the authorities concerned. You only later response in questioning the community why they are always complaining about Murle while the government is not receiving the same complaints from the Murle side.
Mr. President, you used David Yau Yau as political project in order to cause a political turmoil in Jonglei State and this was confirmed in 2013 when you called him back to Juba after a one-sided peace talk because you knew very well Yau Yau could collude with Dr. Rick Machar’s rebels, a move that could complicate matters on your side and make the war difficult. David Yau Yau later told you that he did not want Bor Community, Lou Nuer and other victimized communities in the peace talks, which you readily accepted, yet you know very well, as from the All-Jonglei Communities Peace Accord that was signed in your presence in May 2012, that there is no peace agreement that could be negotiated when the parties to the problem are not in attendance.
Mr President, you negotiated the peace with David Yau Yau through your secretary, Akot Lual with assisted by Catholic clergy. That nepotic appointment of your office manager turned Presidential Envoy to solve the problem of Jonglei Communities in their absentia has resulted in bad faith on your authority by Bor and Lou Nuer communities, the main victims of the Murle aggression. Mr. Akot Lual was welcomed by the Murle with all their rituals, including witch doctors who gave him some divine qualifications to influence his judgement. For example, the promise that his wife would give birth to four babies the same day, which is said to have been fulfilled several months later.
From our own sources, weapons have been supplied by some of your security operatives as well as some Murle bandits both in Juba and Pibor. Now in Juba the Director of National security, Gen. Akol Khor Kuch, is using threats from your government on our youth, and this behavior gives Murle unfair advantage against our Bor communities.
Mr. President, one of the preposterous moves by your government is the appeasement of the Murle with the rewarding of Rev. David Yau Yau with the military rank of a general and the position of a deputy minister in the Ministry of Defence and Veteran affairs. This was a slap in the face of Hon. Kuol Manyang and our community, against whom Yau Yau was waging his ethnic war in the name of fighting your government. This is part of your legacy of rewarding the killers of innocent people with top positions in the army and government. The aggrieved communities and victims of are still in pain following the promotion of the Juba-Nimule, Juba-Yei and Juba-Bor highway killers, who have massacred our people. To make it worse, they even come in disguise of joining the so called National Dialogue and promise you that there will be no more death along these highways. Yet death is going on.
Mr. President, having given the examples above, nothing will make us not believe that it is a policy of your government to eliminate us as a community using proxies like the militias and National Security soldiers. This brings us to the recent arrest and torture of the Bor youth members in Juba over dubious accusations. For whatever reasons they were targeted for, we hereby demand the release of those young men, who are under the custody of director-general of National Security Services, Gen. Akol Khor.
Please, let this not force our community into violence like others. We are concerned about their safety because it is now a tradition of your security officers to kill our people without reasons and due process in relations to the laws of the land. Is it our mistake not to have joined that behavior of your soldiers and the rebels in destroying this country, so that we are also rewarded for killing others? No, that is not our culture. We as a community have stood behind you with blood and sweat, only to be led down the same way of Aweil Community.
We, as Bor Community youth in the diaspora, which is the same voice from those who cannot exercise their rights of expression at home, therefore bring it to your knowledge that over the last decade of your rule, we have lost top intellectual members in the hand of your body guards and security apparatus. Prominent names of youth figures like Moulana John Akuach Jook, Rev. Isaiah Abraham (Diing Chan Awuol), Dr. Diing Chol Dau, Malueth Anyang, Maj. Ayor Mach Thiong, Maj. Barach Mayen, Aguer Yak, Aguer Bul Yai, Ajok Garang Ajok, Deng Garangthi, Kut Alier Apollo, among others who have died under unclear circumstances in the hand of your regime in Juba. We wonder if any other community has lost such top cream of its youthful generation like Bor.
In short, South Sudan has lost its future by such top quality youth. Therefore, since it is a practice of your security goons, this message of ours will be the source of another threat and manhunt to those who released it as well as those who will read and share it out there. Should this happen, then it will be clear declaration of hostilities against the youth of Bor by your Security apparatus. We are hearing of some profiling of our youth leaders and activists now going on (the list of 90 on Radio Tamazuj), should any other member be threatened or lost mysteriously, the Bor youth are human and can react in a self-defence move anywhere. Those who threaten or kill the South Sudanese people are known.
To conclude, we are still waiting to see the role of the committees set up to solve our problems, including the recent one that deceived our community for another Murle strike, the one headed by your First Vice President, Gen. Taban Deng Gai and Hon. Michael Makuei Lueth, among others. The so-called peace was negotiated and signed between Jonglei and Boma states youth leaders who were ferried by air to hotels in Juba, only to go back and fight just a few days before the ink dried up on the peace paper. We are still wondering why over 40 innocent civilians were massacred in Kolmarek (Aboudit) or Jalle while peace was being handled by the government, yet no accountability to date! Someday, Greater Bor Community will demand an accountability of all the innocent women, men and children, including their property, lost during your reign as head of state, Mr. President.
We therefore remain ceased of the situation and observant upon your reaction to the areas of our concerns as community as elaborated above.
Signed on behalf of Bor Youth by:
Manyok Abraham Thuch & Kuch Kuol Deng
Nairobi, Kenya.