A simple request to H. E. Dr Peter Adwok Nyaba

May I start by expressing my sincere condolences to the families that lost dear ones in this unfortunate incident. May the Almighty God rest the souls of the dead in eternal peace while wishing the injured and the sick a quick recovery and pray to God to bring the people of South Sudan to their true senses to realize that they are all brothers and sisters in land and in struggle.

I don’t have much to say about Dr Nyaba’s article because many good responses have been made by the youth here on this site. Dr Nyaba is only sensitive to the insults meted on him but doesn’t care about the unburied dead, the untreated injured. Let me remind Dr Nyaba that a farmer harvests what he sows. Your article apart from being incisive was more abusive. What do you expect from people when you call them wicked, poor (of course you mean in their perception of issues) and ignorant? I am, by no means encouraging the youth to be disrespectful to their elders because that goes against the noble Collo up- bringing and norms. However, elders should take extra care to avoid dragging the youth into that.

Coming back to the article itself, I don’t think any person who knows you will be surprised by the numerous in it. They are part of the contradictions in your position regarding the Collo –Dinka conflict. At one point you posted article highlighting the Dinka expansionist policies and desires about Collo land only to contradict it in a later article. Never mind that, I for one will take you as you are and will continue to dialogue with you constructively. Your denial that there no land issue to fight for has been sufficiently addressed by those who responded before me. But I want to add that there is a land problem, which dates back to the 1970s. You have been well reminded about Anakdyar and Abarnimo incidents. What I want to tell you is that a soldier from Robert Gwang’s forces is in hospital at Kodok as we speak today. He was shot while checking his fishing nets near Lulo on Monday 7 March 2011. The situation in that area is that you are shot at once you approach the river Nile even from the west bank. Rober Gwang may be a little bit patient up to now. But don’t be surprised if he starts fighting back soon. What will you call him then? Ignorant, instigated and misled general?

Olony and brothers are indeed not ignorant neither are they instigated nor misled by your perceived diabolical. They are people with hearts that feel the suffering of their people. They neither accept nor turn a blind eye to their mothers and sisters being raped in their presence. They don’t fear to lose whatever position they have when their brothers and fathers are being massacred. They don’t tolerate young children being burnt by drops from alight plastic bottles. They are responding to the call and following in the footsteps of former heroes Daniel Cwogo, Paul Adung, Ajang Landit, Akway (Wad Nyalyec) – the list can go on for Collo martyrs who gave their lives for the cause of South Sudan. But southerners forget so quickly and turn against each other. It happened in the 1980s when guns were turned against Collo people in a manner not different from what is happening now. It was the hero Obwonyo Wad Sadig and his youthful brothers who sacrificed their lives and indeed saved Collo from that evil. It was done again in the 1990s and that time it was the hero Okwic Markona who rose to the challenge and liberated Collo from their suffering. The ultimate point I am driving at is this: If Obwonyo and Okwic have done it earlier on their own accord, why should Olony and brothers need to be instigated by a diabolical only Dr Nyaba knows? May I point out to Dr Nyaba that patriotism is in-born to the majority of Collo people; hence they don’t wait for another person or power to push them.

Wicked? Yes, there is wickedness for sure. But who is the wicked? Is it Olony and brothers or the diabolical perceived to be behind them? The answer is a big no. The real wicked are the political and tribal leaders who have the opportunity as well as ability to change the situation of the Collo nation but are not doing anything about it. They are ignoring the problem at will not out of inability. Rev Desmond Tuto has been quoted as saying that ‘if two persons are fighting in front of you, one is well armed and the other is not, and you claim to be neutral, you have actually sided with the powerful’. Is there any more wickedness than siding with the powerful against the innocent unarmed civilians?

Another wicked is the group that has enough time to blame Collo when reacting to the treatment they receive from offenders. This group on all occasions condemns Collo’s reactions but it never has the slightest courage to tell the offenders about the wrongs they do to Collo. It doesn’t help blaming the victim all the time without restraining the offender.

Let me finalized my article with an advice to Dr Nyaba to take his role as an elder Ocoolo first, then as a political leader in SPLM. As Ocoolo, Dr Nyaba is older in age than both Dr Lam and Pagan. All the problems of Collo circle around the three of you. Whatever decisions you take will always trickle down to the Collo people although a positive one well be more than welcomed. Dr Nyaba, can you take lead to convene a meeting to try to discuss and possibly resolve whatever political or personal differences are there between you? You may recall that a group of people made this request at the time of your first appointment as minister. We requested you to build on the compromises struck during the SPLM convention in Juba by then. As the situation is more serious today I am making that request again and hope that you will give it a serious consideration.

As a leader in SPLM could you articulate the true grievances of Collo and consistently discuss them with the leadership of your party? Of course, not in isolation of similar issues in other parts of South Sudan. Even if you don’t succeed people will know that you tried. That will be more beneficial than writing on Pashoda website trying to educate people who actually know a lot but at the same time do not have power to change much. On the other hand, your party SPLM, which controls the government in the south, has everything required to change things not only in the Collo land but in the entire country of South Sudan.

The Lord Jesus says blessed are peace-makers because they will be called children of God.

Amen

By Elder John Nyawelo Akol