By Deng Turuk Liem
Worse still, Should Salva Kiir still alive in 2020 and president altogether, he will insist to seek third term in office as chairman and president
April 1, 2014 (SSNA) — Facts concerned root causes and rapid escalations of current conflict in South Sudan have been libelously distorted by certain opportunists who dared to lengthy the courses for status quo as baseless, useless and tribal war. First, the war Freedom Fighters are fighting now, is neither a tribal nor to revenge unfolded mass-killings in capital Juba last year, as opportunists are taking it. Second, it is, however, a war to deter future genocides from happening once again in South Sudan, either from this or future governments, and most significantly to impose extreme democratic transformations and ultimate freedoms of all sorts, which are the fundamental causes the south Sudanese have fought for many years. Third, it is war that has imposed on South Sudanese by President Salva Kiir, and that, those subjects who are not keen to fight it on grounds of self-defense, must either surrender to dictator or wholly leave the country. It is a task that President Kiir has given to us, either to take it by surrendering to him, or stand our ground as citizens and face him militarily.
Predicamently, the next target citizens should be massacred by Salva Kiir government should it allows to get away with Nuer massacre, trashes to dustbin Dr. Riek Machar, the most reformist and indisputable sole champion of historic self-determination that indispensably paved way to final destination for South Sudan independence (2011) and SPLM colleagues, and continues its ruling as legitimate government, will be a tribe that its member opts to challenge President Salva Kiir in SPLM party top post. For example, if Wani Igga opts to challenge Salva Kiir in 2020 party national convention to be SPLM flag bearer for presidential election as top senior member and hails from Equatoria region. Therefore, the Bari tribe from central Equatoria will be the next prime target.
Remember this fact, Dictator Mugabe of Zimbabwe was 82 years old the last time he ran for presidency. The age issue is not a matter for African dictators. A one can even governing the nation in his grave through spouse or offspring if allowed to do so.
If Salva Kiir still alive in 2020 and president altogether, he will insist to seek third term in office as party chairman and president. Should James Igga empties his stomach, tie’s belly and fully declares to challenge Salva Kiir for SPLM chairmanship, as Dr. Riek Machar and his colleagues did in 2013, so that the winner will be flag bearer in national presidential election. Salva Kiir will, therefore, manufacture another self-inflicted fails coup attempt against Mr. Wani Igga as he did in 2013 against group of senior SPLM leaders who vowed to challenge him for party chairmanship should a party national convention took place, and then to massacre Bari tribe or all Bari speaking tribes in central Equatoria state as he did to Nuer tribe in 2013. That business will continue even after the death of Salva Kiir as one from his Dinka tribesmen, the tribe that its members doomed with havoc illusion that they are borne to rule and not to be ruled, will take over and does the same political uncertainty to his/her political opponents, as well.
Most importantly, Nuer politicians were not the only attendees of December 6, 2013 press conference. There was a group of South Sudanese politicians from all walk of lives who attended that press conference for the benefit of group and not Nuer. Having said that, there were no logical reasons deemed appropriately to merely target Nuer Ethnic Nationality, if a press conference was an extreme triggered of coup suspicion. The killings would have been carried our universally, if they were sincerer instruments to handle such unfolded political crisis. When Nuer reacted to a targeted massacre against their community members by government agents and took serious retaliations around the country, the opportunists had called it a baseless, useless, or tribal war, and invented ills against Nuer Ethnic Nationality that it members had been pursued on Juba streets by their government agents like wild animals wanted to be executed for food. Their citizenship values was reduced to nothing and subjected to harsh treatments and killings.
What had happened in Juba last year, is an irresponsible act from power thirsty politician in Salva Kiir caliber to initiate massacre of unarmed civilians because one of their tribespersons, was challenging him for the top post in the party leadership. Those mass-killings of unarmed Nuer wouldn’t have surfaced even if Dr. Riek Machar indeed committed a military coup to overthrow government because Nuer would have nothing to do with it. The case would have taken against Dr. Machar and political colleagues who might have involved in a coup plot business, if evidently approved. Half of those who had been massacred in Juba by criminal Salva Kiir’s tribal militias through his order, were his diehard supporters. Those who thought they painted themselves with disdain president’s name alphabets; therefore, they would not be killed, then relaxed and exposed oneself to murderous presidential guards of Doot Koch Beny tribal militias.
Criminal has never be forgiven or protected. Salva Kiir is the utmost criminal who had massacred his own citizens based on tribal grounds for something that didn’t fit the situation. Worse tills, he bought foreign mercenaries using country resources, brought them home and killed his own citizens, as matter of fact, he will lengthy his tenure in office as president. Are these horrendous acts committed by Salva Kiir serves or lines up with typical qualifications and president’s fiduciary responsibility? He must go whether he likes it or not. Foreign soldiers can never defense a foreign land for two years against it owns citizens. UPDF had already failed to secure a victory for Dictator Salva Kiir and his tribesmen. IGADD will also falls in suit if it will deploy army to fight directly on government side and that will make East African Bloc fails miserably both politically and militarily to bring conflict to an end. From the point it deploys troops, its neutrality will be questioning and the opposition will have rights to look for either African Union or United Nation to mediate warring parties to bring conflict to an end.
Freedom Fighters are not fighting for Dr. Riek Machar to be president, if he will be president as result of this conflict, it will be because he is innocent person who works harder to reform SPLM and government of South Sudan into democratic institutions. We are fighting to make it abundantly sure that, be it cruel Salva Kiir, Wani Igga and the list goes on and on, must not kill any given citizen in South Sudan because his like, is looking for the top seat in the land, and the democratic principles are genuinely realized.
Portrayed opposition/democratic forces as cruel Salva Kiir’s like, is indeed a libelous misrepresentations of facts against the good cause to liberate South Sudanese from tyrannical regime. We are fighting to get rid of sufferings which have been the daily business in South Sudan for the last nine years. All South Sudanese are in fact vulnerable victims to Salva Kiir’s regime premeditated politics and policies put forth to govern the South Sudan. The freedom will not come to us alone in a golden plate. If we will not fight to get it, therefore, no other people must step in and do it for us. We need it, therefore, we must bring it home not in a golden plate, but through hard struggles and difficult challenges, and loss of lives is at the peak of these challenges.
We, in Democratic Forces/Freedom Fighters, are vehemently graceful for the tremendous task we have been doing for the fundamental cause to bring tranquilities and pure democratic transformations to all South Sudanese include illusionists who are doomed with negative impressions and hopes that they are borne to rule and not to be ruled. They will be ruled in their watches and nothing else they must do to avoid it, but to accept it likes other South Sudanese brothers and sisters who accepted it firsthand to be ruled by anyone who deemed fit to lead the nation at that particular moment and time.
The opportunists must refrain from negative views of distorting facts, but to joint up with true democratic fighters and discuss issues with substances must recuse our country from its total demise. Let push the dictator out along with his Loin’s share mentality and democratically elect a different person who can lead us with twenty first century ideas of economic, political, personal and properties rights to all given citizens in the country.
The author is South Sudanese and freedom fighter, living in the United States. He can be reached @ [email protected].