Up for Khartoum Monitor Under cover Journalist!!

“You’ve made your bed and you must accept to lie in or on it” (English proverb)

By Deng Riak Khoryoam, South Sudan

November 7, 2010 (SSNA) — Two days ago, a journalist working under the disguise of Khartoum monitor daily English newspaper decided to write to me in what appears as a reaction to my article published in September about IDPs living in the Northern States. I did not know, and I am still reckoning with it whether the guy is working as an editor or under cover journalist for KM is not clear yet, until proven otherwise. One thing that caught me by surprise was the fact that he wrote to me using official Khartoum monitor email address and I was left wondering as to whether he was writing in the capacity of this popular newspaper or in his own capacity as a person, it’s not also clear yet. Worse still, he did not even reveal to me his identity, which made me think that he might be one of Northern elite brothers who are pushing for dead unity. It also remains to be seen why the guy decided to write to me (in response to my article) two months after the article had been published?

He castigated my personality and I wanted him to have the audacity to come out into the open and face me with valour since he wants to meddle on IDPs saga, which I based my previous article on when I urged the government of Southern Sudan to speed up the process of repatriating those who are willing to come back to the South but don’t have the means of reaching here. This has been a tendentious topic of debate in Sudanese political scenes and has thus generated hot debates on whether it’s lawful to repatriate those internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in camps and temporary shelters in Khartoum’s suburbs and other Northern towns because of the upcoming referenda for the people of Southern Sudan and Abyei. As far as my understanding or knowledge is concerned, his argument or his objection about IDPs repatriation back to their place of origin is not only shallow but immaterial and does not hold any water, to say the lest!

I think one does not need to be a rocket scientist to know what the acronym ‘IDPs’ stand for, which is internally displaced persons, and by definition “its someone or people internally displaced from one part of the country to the other as a result of violence/civil strife or conflicts and are living in make-shift houses (Manyatas in Kiswahili)”. Well let me quote him right here “Please be enlightened that sending back the so-called IDPs, which has become the official title for South Sudanese in the North by the any southern elite resident in south Sudan is a pity!

What do you understand by the Initials (IDPs)? Check you English Dictionary for a better understanding of those initials” having read his comment on the issue of IDPs, which was the central focus of previous article really sent me into a laughter mood when I came across it in my inbox. The guy wanted to enlighten me about sending back of those Southerners in Khartoum to the South when in fact it should be the other way round since he seems to be innocent on this given the language or the way he uttered those words. It was uncanny of him to think that I am one of those who he thinks are still in metaphysics stage to struggle defining this acronym, he actually used a wrong language and I think his argument about this IDPs issue is devalued at the stock exchange of reasoning. I think this was also driven by absurdity and naivety since his understanding of this acronym is severely limited!! The acronym “IDPs” is not a word to look for in the dictionary, even if one were to be in a metaphysics stage; its not there my friend, go back to the drawing board or remain a dipstick forever.

Another statement from the same Arab guy and he said “Be reminded that not all those South Sudanese in the north are IDPs.

Put them in the following categories: (a) Those who came to the north before 1956 are not your IDPs, (b) those who came after 1956 till 1980s are neither IDPs, (c) those who came to the north as students and resided in the north during the war are not IDPs, (d) those who came to the north as government officials before the 1983 period are not even in that category you name IDPs. “Lastly: why do you need them now within a time space of (three months plus), while you had the time space of 2005-2009, which could have taken back”?

I think this is what I predicted earlier on in that previous article titled “Repatriate all IDPs from North before December” that the Khartoum government has devious plan of trying to use those internally displaced persons to manipulate the referendum outcomes for their own benefit – the false unity. One would be tempted to ask this innocent question: Are these the last kicks of a dying horse or tremulous voices? Mine is actually a trenchant response to his loaded message and I forgive him for he is not well versed.

Be informed that an IDP is an IDP whether he/she went to the North before 1956 or yesterday, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is the fact that those living in temporary shelters or camps should, based on their own free will, be brought back to the South before the referendum. Another question is if those in category (a) and (b) are not IDPs, then who are those 1.5 million IDPs in North Sudan? Please I am urging you to revisit the article again and read it thoroughly, and at your perusal, whether it was talking about IDPs or our students and other civil servants in the government of national unity or not. What is it Khartoum government is promising these people since they are living in extreme poverty and destitution in their own country? And besides this, their basic rights or liberties are restricted by the extremists – the National Islamic Front or the NCP regime.The above utterance is more of a statement than a question. There is no doubt that the guy is a hooligan of NCP regime. Or he could be representing the conscience of the whole Arab community stance that is opposed to South Sudan quest for independence?

Please mind your business; because much as you are entitled to your opinion, you do not have a vote on this. I and other fellow Southern Sudanese do. I can see you are trying to play with fire, which sooner or later will backfire on you. Sudan can be split or fragmented into two or perhaps into three, depending on other people’s discontentment with the Khartoum based-regime, which has made it possible for this to happen given their mischievous behavior; after all Sudan is not a homogeneous state like Somalia, its a heterogeneous state. We are pertinacious to sail through no matter what! It’s unstoppable as Dr. Machar mentioned the other day, so please I suggest you guys find a new show, not South Sudan.

Aluta continua and over unto you my friend from the North!!

Deng Riak Khoryoam is in South Sudan and can be reached at [email protected] 

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