In support of face-to-face meeting of S. Sudan leaders
By Zechariah James Machar
When he was here, there was peace, there was harmony, and there were commemorations and celebrations. Dr Riek Machar Teny, a uniting factor, has been a beacon of hopes and a centre of peace in South Sudan history since he joined the SPLM/A in 1984. Although his opponents would disagree to agree, history would fortify that amid an internal power struggle between the SPLM/A under the leadership of Dr John Garang de Mabior and the Anyanya dominated breakaway faction under the leadership of Col. Samuel Gai Tut and Hon. Akuot Atem, mostly in the then Upper Nile region, in early-to-mid 1980s, Dr. Machar, who was then the zone commander of the war-ravaged Western Upper Nile, managed to harmonize peace and stability among the most diverse communities of Western Upper Nile, an area that ranges from the borders of the former Unity State to far northern Upper Nile and all the way to Ethiopian border. The Nuer, Dinka, Mabaan, Chollo (Shilluk) and Anyuak in these areas lived in relative peace and in good terms with their neighbours despite inadequate resources and modern services. Machar did not only inaugurate peace and harmony, he also fought the NIF regimes and captured strategic border towns. This stability and peaceful co-existence lasted until the same known enemy of peace implanted seeds of evil and immerse hatred among the SPLM/A leaders that led to many defections between 1991 and 1997.
As soon as Dr Machar was pushed out of SPLM/A in 1991, the top cadres of SPLM/A including the two main founders of SPLM/A, who fired the first shots of liberation in Bor and Ayod in 1983, Gen. Kerbino Kwanyin Bol and Gen. William Nyuon Bany, respectively, were forced to defect. Soon after, a loop of defection between Dr. Machar and Dr. Garang and South-Sudan conflict continued until the two learned principles learned beyond reasonable doubts that the only way to end the to-and-from defections, circles of inter-ethnic acts of revenge and intra-SPLM/A conflict was only if the two leaders reconcile and work as team to achieve their aspirations and aspiration of their people. In 2002 that statesman and true patriotism was shown to South Sudanese around the world and the dividends of Dr Machar and Dr Garang reconciliation became the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), South-South Dialogue, peace and reconciliation in Southern Sudan and subsequently this led to attainment of South Sudan independence on July 9th, 2011. Neither Salva Kiir nor Dr John Garang would ever have achieved all that the three leaders achieved together in less than ten (10) years, 2002-2011.
Similarly, it’s worthwhile to also mention that South Sudan would have been in peace and harmony today if the enemies of peace did not push Dr Riek Machar to the limits in December 2013 while trying to eliminate him and his entire community. Like 1991, many senior cadres and the entire independence cabinet of South Sudan, which was composed of the SPLM/A leaders, was forced into exile or rebellion and subsequently inter-ethnic acts of revenge and massacres followed. This downfall continued until South Sudan had a second in May 2016 when Dr Riek Machar successfully returned to Juba to implement the peace agreement and to restore peace and stability.
For those two months, relative peace and stability returned to South Sudan. There were no more defections and refugees and IDPs returning home from refugee’s camps and IDPs centres. There were many celebrations in Juba as communities pour out their hearts, celebration return of Dr Machar and return of peace in South Sudan. Many communities including the Awanchan Community of President Salva Kiir, various youth organizations and religious groups came to Jebel Kunjur to celebrate the return of peace and stability until the enemy of peace strike again on July 8th, 2016.
As a consequence of July 8th dogfight that forced Dr. Machar out of Juba, again, many senior cadres including the most loyal Chief of Staffs, Gen. Paul Malong Awan, some of his deputy Chiefs of Staffs and recently members of the Jieng Council of Elders (JCE) have started defecting, over 2 million civilians displaced from 2016 alone to refugees camps and IDPs centers, death and suffering increased and economy continues to melt down.
Again, like in 2002, the only solution to end the current catastrophes in South Sudan is only through the return of Dr Riek Machar Teny. This is the contradiction that many South Sudanese must live to accept. South Sudan is Dr Machar and Dr Machar in South Sudan. For peace, harmony and unity of our nation and our people, the South Sudanese at home and in Diaspora must stand together to embrace the return of Dr Riek Machar Teny, who was has been under house arrest in Pretoria, South Africa, for the last two years.
It is for the love of South Sudan, our people and resources, that I hereby again take this initiatives to call upon our masses, wherever they are, to prepare themselves and mobilize friends and sympathizers of South Sudan to help us celebrate the return of beacon of hopes and shrine of peace, Dr Riek Machar Teny, to work together with President Salva Kiir and his comrades to restore what we are currently lacking – PEACE AND STABILITY.
Dear Leaders and Friends, it has always been our great regard to show the world how much our communities care to build a democratic and diverse nation where each and every one of us can enjoy the liberty, rights and freedoms we have struggled for so long to achieve.
As we are all aware, unfortunately, we have been robbed of these fundamental rights and freedoms and as a consequence, our people and our country are suffering, however, we now have another chance to restore our dignity through peace, forgiveness and reconciliations.
The return of Machar, as the world has envisioned, carries a significant opportunity to restore peace in our country and I, therefore, call on peace activists, partners and generally the South Sudanese people around the world to dedicate a day or two to gather in one place to welcome the meeting between Dr Machar and President Kiir.
It is in our best interest and the interest of our suffering populations to see all of us united, organized and matching in commemoration of this significant progress in our peace process, the return of Dr Machar.
Conclusively, we are calling on all the South Sudanese communities worldwide to come out and hold peaceful rallies in support of Dr Riek Machar’s release, the upcoming meeting between Salva Kiir and Dr Machar, and possible milestones that will be made in the revitalization of South Sudan peace agreement in the near future!
The author can be reached at [email protected].