USSP open letter to foreign ministers of U.S.A, the United Kingdom and Norway on the situation in South Sudan

TO: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,

United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Rt. Honourable William Hague (MP),

And Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Støre,

Date: 7^th April 2011

Dear Madam/Sirs,

We write this letter at a time when the people of South Sudan are passing through tough times. Insecurity and uncertainty have found their ways in many parts of the region.

Mindful of the enormous difficulties and challenges of the post-referendum discussions between the NCP and the SPLM, the political situation within South Sudan itself remains volatile and matter of grave concerns thus, requires an immediate attention from your governments and the international community.

The South's ruling party, SPLM has failed to uphold the resolutions of the "All Southern Sudan Political Parties Conference" held in Juba in October 2010. As you may be aware, that conference brought together all the political parties, civil societies and faith-based organisations to discuss ways and means of consolidating unity of purpose and march united for referendum on self-determination of South Sudan. As a result of that unity, the people of South Sudan voted overwhelming for the independence of South Sudan scoring a record 98.83%

In its final communiqué, the conference set out number of important tasks to be carried out in the post-referendum era; these include among others the formation of national constitutional review commission. The SPLM has violated this agreement and seems to have immediately forgotten the unity of purpose witnessed by the entire world during the referendum and now wants to do things to the exclusion of other political parties.  No doubt that the SPLM wanted and still wants to exclusively monopolise the constitutional review process where the President decreed 41 positions for his SPLM while only allowing 11 from the opposition parties collectively, one civil society and two faith-based groups.

It is important we bring to your attention that 9 South Sudan political parties have since withdrawn from the constitutional review technical committee in reaction to SPLM continuous violation of the principle of consensus previously agreed on by all sides and continues to use its mechanical majority to dictate decisions.

However, it is regrettable because despite the absence of the other parties from the committee, the ruling SPLM party continues unilaterally to work on the constitution making it a one-party constitution which lacks the national consensus.  USSP at this juncture would like to bring to your governments' attention that there is every reason for concern when the SPLM chooses unilaterally to handle issues of grave national concerns like the constitution. A one-party (SPLM) reviewed constitution

which is to become law in South Sudan on 9^th July 2011, will be a recipe for totalitarianism, dictatorship and far away from the expectations of the masses who lived through all types of oppression while struggling for independence and freedom.

We are truly grateful to your people and governments for the huge efforts they have put into the realisation of an end to the five decades of the north-south civil war. And we have every reason to believe that you would like to see a sustainable peace, stability and development in South Sudan whose people have suffered so much for so long.  However, the new nation of South Sudan can be spared the man- made catastrophes which mired the independence of many African countries in the late 1950s and the early 1960s.

In this 21^st century, where in reality the world has become a small village, we don't see how the international community could turn a blind eye when South Sudan trod its way through anarchies, dictatorship, tribalism - and all kinds of rudimentary governments which has   no respect for human rights and the freedom of expression.

We appreciate the joint statement by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, United Kingdom Foreign Secretary William Hague, and Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Støre, urging   the presidents of the North and South to resume the post - referendum negotiations. We also appreciate your governments in asking the two sides to double their efforts and take steps against alleged actions that destabilize each other's governments and territories, and to lay the ground for mutual cooperation with the goal of creation of two viable states in July 9^th 2011.

While USSP strongly campaigns to maintain and establish good relationship with all the neighbours of our new state of South Sudan, we understand how necessary it is if we are to have a viable independent state come 9^th July 2011, there is a real threat to political inclusion as the ruling SPLM remains entirely bent to monopolise every political decisions to the exclusion of all other political parties.

Through this humble message, we would like to call upon the Sudan Peace Troika, the United State of America , the United Kingdom , and the Norwegian government, that the realisation of real peace and stability in South Sudan can never be achieved by only working on the North-South relationship. Much of what is needed for the establishment of a viable, peaceful, stable and friendly independent South Sudan need to be  realised by reforming the existing anomalous political system in which the whole South Sudan is treated by the SPLM as if it is their personal property.

The SPLM-led government of South Sudan over the past 6 years has been characterized by the highest level of rampant corruption ever seen by our people, no respect for Human Rights and a total absence of the rule of law. The people of South Sudan tolerated all these vices so as not to disrupt the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), in the hope to safeguard the referendum on self-determination. But as the people are over with the referendum, they feel that now is the time to have a change and inclusive institutions in the country that is democratic where transparency and accountability is the order of the day. In this respect, we appeal to your governments to continue to lend a helping hand to the people of South Sudan to realise their aspirations.

We believe that our future as a nation lies in the following: a  transitional constitution that recognises multi-party democracy, broad-based transitional government with 50:50 % representation between the ruling SPLM and the opposition parties; there should be a transitional period of no more than 21 months or two (2) years  after which general elections should be held;  the elected Parliament following the transitional period shall be the one entrusted with the duties to promulgate a permanent constitution for the Republic of South Sudan .

Of equal urgency is the deteriorating security situation in the territories of South Sudan . We also appeal to your governments to put sustained pressure on the government of South Sudan to reach peaceful settlement with the different rebel groups, within the coming few months before the declaration of independence. Otherwise if South Sudan is left to reach the 9^th July 2011 and declare its independence when some of its citizens continue to hold guns against the newly independent state, then the curse of the old Sudan which started in 1955 will have continued with us.

Last but not least we humbly request your governments to use their influences on the 10 thousand strong UN peace keeping troops now in South Sudan so that they can actively become involved in the protection of unarmed civilians. For reports reaching us from the town of Malakal ,  Upper Nile state, and its suburbs which saw a terrible military confrontation between first and second week of March 2011, remains heartbreaking.  Civilians have reported torture, sexual abuses, burning of villages and indiscriminate extra-judicial killings.

USSP condemns in the strongest possible terms the massacres of innocent civilians. There is much to be accounted for what continues to take place in the Shilluk (Chollo) villages around and beyond  Malakal town, and Mvolo County in Western Equatoria State where also civilians were killed and villages burnt to ashes, forcing the survivals to seek refuge in the bushes. As such we would like to see that these extra-judicial killings and abuses are investigated by neutral body under the UN or the International Criminal Court (ICC) and not the government of Southern Sudan (GoSS), otherwise we wouldn't be doing the victims any justice as the latter has repeatedly pushed the findings so many other similar events under the carpet over the last five years or so. What will be the future of South Sudan from today to the day it is finally announced as an independent nation will very much depend on how you and your governments will address the issues raised.

 

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Justin Ambago Ramba

Secretary General

United South Sudan Party (USSP) Juba , South Sudan

Tel: 0908246849

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