Dear fellow South Sudanese,
South Sudan is a democratic republic, the seed of this democracy was cultivated by the citizens in free and fair referendum in 2011, this is a democratic standard we have fought for over 50 years and truly millions of lives have not been sacrificed in vein.
In this respect, IGAD peace talks in Ethiopia is violating the right of south Sudanese citizen by imposing power sharing as a solution to accommodate two political rivalling individuals from one party the SPLM. Power sharing in a democratic society such as South Sudan, should be attained by the ballot box not by the barrel of the gun. Unfortunately, IGAD is trying to undermine it by dividing people’s power to the SPLM/A alone disregarding other political parties who are part of this democratic society. Allow not your power to be misused or abused; if you do millions of lives were lost in vein.
Salva Kiir is a democratically elected President of the Republic of South Sudan, the citizen of South Sudan from all ethnic background delegated him the power to protect and serve fairly and justly the people who elected him to the post. For ten solid years President Salva Kiir did not serve the people nor did he protect them, instead he corrupted the National assets, divided the people and recruited a special armed militia force ‘the Presidential guard’ to murder thousands of South Sudanese citizens in Juba from the 15th December 2013. The SPLA forces under his general command as the Commander in Chief are right now fighting, killing and arresting south Sudanese citizens, where on the Earth of Democracy does the National Army kill the citizens it is supposed to protect? As you all know, President Kiir has invited the Ugandan Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) to fight the Nuer ethnic community just because they picked up arms to defend their civilian community and preserve their ethnic heritage. Where in the entire world would a president allow foreign forces to enter a sovereign nation to fight and kill his own citizens using cluster bombs; only in South Sudan.
Not long ago, thousands of Kenyans were murdered during political rivalry which includes President Uhuru’s Party, but the Kenyan Government at the time did not invite foreign forces to intervene nor did it use the National Army to kill Raila Odinga’s Luo tribe. Unfortunately in South Sudan, the president in the watchful eyes of IGAD, uses South Sudan’s National resources the SPLA and money to fund the UPDF target and murder the Nuer ethnic community because they happen to be members of Dr Riek Machar’s tribe, the man who not alone criticized President Kiir’s leadership. This is not the leadership you all suffered for during the fifty years war with Sudan, this is not the reason you elected President Salva Kiir Mayardit.
The power you gave to President Salva Kiir was to serve and protect south Sudanese people, you who elected him. As you all know, he has failed to serve and protect you. The President cannot and should not be given an automatic extension of term of office by the IGAD without your consent; the President should instead step down at the end of his term of office in June 2015. We must not condone such serious misconduct; you are the citizen of South Sudan who alone, have the superior power not IGAD, to sanction or reward the president. If you allow President Kiir to continue in that office beyond June 2015, you are allowing the next President to follow the same pattern, if this happens, you have lost your independence and democratic freedom and you would have to live to regret for the rest of your life.
The IGAD Peace mediation based on the premise of power sharing within a democratic system of governance in South Sudan is a mockery and ridicule to democracy. Where on the earth of democracy does democratically elected president, use national resources to systematically kill his citizens and desire to share power with the same people he tries to annihilate?
How can SPLM/A as one political and armed forces share power with itself, isn’t this a matter of power sharing between Salva Kiir of Dinka tribe and Dr. Riek Machar of Nuer tribe, what about the other competent and most credible men and women from the other 62 tribes of South Sudan, what will they share other than being given a fraction of 10%, is this what free, democratic and independent south Sudan means? SPLM/A is not different from Beshir’s Islamic fundamentalist regime whom they fought to earn democracy, equality and freedom of the very people now being tortured to death?
We should realise the power SPLM/A is trying to share is of those they have already murdered. Most of the people who gave Kiir’s Government the power to govern died in SPLM/A hands, some of their parents, children, brothers and sisters have become IDPs, suffering painfully in the UNMISS camps and many are in the refugees camps and many more are under threat of arrest in their own homes in South Sudan.
It is important that the peace negotiation in Ethiopia should focus exclusively on cessation of armed hostilities and peace not on power sharing. IGAD should know that Kiir’s mandate and legitimacy depends on his responsible use of the power delegated to him by the people, including those already murdered under his leadership, they elected him to protect and save, not rule, kill and destroy.
We must not allow the president to be misled by some of his colleagues in the government who are only interested in power sharing to continue oppressing and ransacking your wealth. The president should realize that he is the only person responsible and accountable to south Sudanese people not the ministers and some politicians who even failed the last election. The reputation of the president is seriously damaged; his nationalistic credential is now questionable. I fear tomorrow his colleagues will abandon him, instead they will enter in political prostitution with another to continue pursue of their interest, the President should step down so these political prostitutes will not continue with their selfish desires.
Don’t you know that hundreds of Dinka community are terrorised and killed every day in Lake State alone under the watchful eye of the Governor handpicked by the President, thousands of IDP live under the protection of the UNMISS because they believe the president cannot protect them, hundreds of citizens of Western Bahr Ghazal were systematically murdered by the Government security forces just because they opposed the transfer of their State capital, Ma’di people were shot dead by SPLA army in Moli Tokuro and some in Panyikwara Magwi county by tribal militia forces sponsored by one of SPLA General, the right hand friend of the President from Magwi County, traditional chiefs were too shot dead in Bahr Ghazal, Rumbek and Nimule; till this day nobody has been arrested for these crimes, how long would you wait until you realise your fellow citizens are killed and tortured under the leadership of President Salva Kiir.
There is nothing good the President can be remembered for, but the death of innocent people murdered by the SPLA under his direct leadership as the commander in chief. There is no reason the president should continue, unless he wants to destroy all evidences of the massacred Nuer in Juba before he leaves the Government, this is what he wish to achieve as head of the Interim Government, otherwise what is it?
YOU South Sudanese people, if you are really honest and do believe in democratic and accountable government, YOU should call the president to step down peaceful to save the dignity of our new nation. He should step down chiefly for what happened under his watchful eye and direct command, in Juba from the night of December 15th 2013, he is the president, he alone should take the responsibility of the current crisis NOT Dr Riek Machar who the world now know is also a victim of President Kiir. The president should take full responsibility for bringing the UPDF to violate the sovereignty of our country and for their role in murdering Nuer in Jongolei State which according to the UN using cluster bombs. President Museveni is not the best role model because he did not assume his presidency by peaceful means but through the barrel of the gun, everyone knows how political opposition parties in Uganda have suffered over twenty nine years, since he came to power.
This war is not Dr Riek’s attempt to fight for leadership, but a revenge by Nuer people, for their murdered relatives in Juba by the Presidential Guards and SPLA Army under the general command of the President, the Commander in Chief of SPLA. Isn’t this enough for the president to do the honourable thing? Many millions in Equatoria, Upper Nile regions, including Lakes and Western Bahr Ghazal States believe he should.
The members of the Legislative assembly in Juba did not speak out in support of the people they represent, because most of them were appointed by the SPLM leadership of President Kiir. That is why the the MPs in the legislative assembly in Juba did not condemned the murder of Nuer people in Juba and those suffering the brutality of this war, this evidently shows that the SSLA condone impunity in a democratic government which they are supposed to protect in the people’s Assembly.
Equally so, the Governors of Equatoria who are at least elected by their people, have also kept blind eye, they supported and protected the president throughout this period, they condoned the killing of innocent Nuer people in Juba, they failed to hold the president to account on behalf of the people they represent. They were only concerned about protecting JW. Igga’s Vice presidency position, even though he doesn’t represent Equatorians in that position other than serving President Kiir, where is the nationalistic duty of these Governors? This is also how ALL the Governors have indirectly participated in protecting the president in this crime against humanity. It is true for other people in the position of power, they too have indirect hand in the death and suffering of the people and for making the country slip into destruction. They should all be ashamed for denying justice to the victims and for encouraging the president to pursue his rule of injustice, tribalism and dictatorship.
Brothers and sisters in the various Government positions, former detainees and SPLA Commanders, you should look hard into yourself in the mirror, while doing so ask yourselves about the right and wrong of what is happening to your people, if it is wrong ‘’Kindly tell the President to step down’’ to stop the magniloquence of Power Sharing.
Brethren, know that President Kiir alone is the problem to the current armed conflict and he alone can create the condition for true peace and reconciliation, he must put the people of South Sudan first before his, the only way he can do this is, by stepping down at the end of his term of office in June 2015.
Equally, Dr Riek and the former detainees must not play politics with the lives of the south Sudanese people from all ethnic backgrounds, for these tribes are the PILLARS of South Sudan as a nation, Dinka, Equatorians, Shilluk and Nuer tribes alone do not make the South Sudan a strong nation but all the ethnic groups. This war is not a political war, it is a war between the president and the people who elected him, ‘the citizens of south Sudan’. Know that the president, by targeting the Nuer community has targeted all the ethnic communities, the PILLARS of the Nation and therefore, all south Sudanese people from the Dinka, Shilluk, Equatoria, Murle, Ndogo and all the tribes should raise their voices up loud to call for President Salva Kiir to peacefully step down to save the country from total destruction. South Sudan is a country because of all the ethnic tribes, small and large; all has equal right and duty in protecting democracy as well as preserving the cultural heritage of their respective ethnic groups.
The SPLM/A In the Government (SPLM/A-IG) and In the Opposition (SPLM/A-IO) should instead call for an ‘’Interim Government for Peace, Reconciliation and National Unity without Kiir and Riek, NOT Transitional government of national unity based on power sharing. They should allow the formation of the Interim Government through open nomination from credible and competent candidates from which the head of the interim government will be appointed independently by the south Sudanese people’s representative conference. This open and inclusive approach will give people the right to participate in peace process, as suggested a National Representative Conference would be appropriate to take such responsibility and other issues of contention. It is appropriate that the people should have the final say in this process in order to restore their confidence and trust in the new administration and also in such difficult situation, the people must be allowed to exercise their authority as citizens.
Let us all accept the truth about this conflict without political bias and prejudice before we begin to protect President Kiir or Dr Riek for political reward through power sharing or because of our tribal affiliation with them. The IGAD and President Museveni also need to understand and accept the truth about this conflict without political bias and prejudice before they continue to protect dictatorship and deny the crime committed against humanity just to protect the political and economic interest of their Nations at the expense of the lives of our people.
The hard truth without political bias and prejudice is, thousands of Nuer ethnic community were targeted and systematically murdered by the SPLA and the illegally recruited Presidential Militia under the direct general command of President Salva Kiir. As a result of this the Nuer community protested and mobilized a resistance force to protect their people and decided to fight Kiir’s government. Self-defence in the court of law is not an upright crime, but this is not to defend the Nuer community from taking revenge on fellow countrymen the Dinka, in Bor, Malakal and Bentiu. The Nuer elders would have to stand up soon to face the families of their victims when the environment is created for justice, truth and reconciliation to take place. It is however, important that the pain of Murle, Nuer, Bari, Ma’di, Shilluk, Moru, Dinka, Kakwa and other ethnic communities in south Sudan do not go in vein, the SPLM/A leadership should be held accountable for the atrocities caused until justice is served.
The IGAD head of states and the International Communities including the TROIKA must listen to the TRUE voice of the people not the parties in conflict or their affiliates. The power of democracy start with the people and ends with the people, so waste no time to encourage bloody war at this point, the SPLM/A have failed the people and country, help give power back to the people now before there are no people to uphold democracy. Do not encourage dictatorship, corruption, human right violation and crime against humanity, but hep the people to stand up to defend democracy, justice and human rights.
The urgent thing IGAD should do instead is as follows;
Help South Sudanese people to appoint a body to serve as pre-Interim Administration lasting between 45-90 days, this could be done in consultation with community elders, the power base of the country and the legislative assembly as symbol of democracy;
Call for UN/AU Peace keeping forces to take overall control of security in South Sudan mainly in the most troubled areas and Juba the capital to establish security control and to create favourable environment for free movement and speech, this would allow create a system to provide interim security control and restore the rule of law;
Form a credible Interim Government without Riek and Kiir to allow;
-Independent commission to investigate the cause of war and crime committed against the citizens, without the influence of the two political leaders;
-The necessary reform to take place, leading to reconciliation, justice and true peace;
-Repatriation of refugees and IDPs, national census and general election to take place, a process that can save and protect democracy in the country.
Allow peace to come to South Sudan on two legs not on life support bed.
THE PEACE AND FREEDOM OF SOUTH SUDANESE PEOPLE DEPENDS ON YOU AND ALL OF US
Benjamin Taban
For all concerned south Sudanese people
Building Alliance for Peace, Reconciliation and National Unity.
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