By Duol Wuow Rut
May 8, 2014 (SSNA) — As it is the United States of America foreign policy to build and sustain a more democratic, secure, and prosperous world for the benefit of the American people and the international community, the time is now for the US to do more than the old political rhetoric to rescue the poor mass of South Sudanese from the world’s newest dictator whose mission is to enrich himself and his cronies and kills more to remain in power. As the citizens of this land of the free and home of the brave from South Sudan, we have made to believe that our US government has learned its lesson from Rwanda genocide of 1994 and genocide should never repeat itself in their watch. Thus, genocide had been committed in Juba by President Salva Kiir Mayardit in around December 15, 2013 in the present of American diplomat, Ambassador Susan Pages and remains looming into full-scale while US continue to stand on a sideline watching genocide taking place on a large scale on a daily basis in South Sudan. Most Americans from South Sudan felt the US is on the side of the people of South Sudan and not the failed government of Salva Kiir Mayardit until recently when US secretary of States, John Kerry met with him on Friday, May 2, 2013, and called Salva a legitimate president after a mass murdered of approximately 17,613 innocent civilians citizens of the Nuer tribe in Juba, subjected the nation into a full-scale genocide, descending it into a full-scale civil war amid a looming humanitarian catastrophe.
As the members of this most powerful nation in the world, we demand the United States to act now and make a concerted effort to revert the ongoing genocides of our people by Salva Kiir and his foreign mercenaries. It will be a big loss for the people of the United States who have put their hopes and resources to build this nation and its people. As a result, US should redefine its mission and interest in this nation in which they have put millions or more dollars of our taxes payers hard earned money to the developmental aids to build and sustain a more democratic, secure, and prosperous South Sudan. Therefore, as we have interest in this nation, we should not now allow it to become another fail state in the world while we can easily averted the looming civil war and the possible full-scale genocide.
Currently, there is growing international concerns that the country is descending into full-scale civil war amid a looming humanitarian catastrophe. Another issue in question is whether or not genocide was committed presently in the South Sudan. This has led so many diplomats, including US State secretary, John Kerry, to warn the world that South Sudan is in the verge of facing a possible genocide. Ironically, the world body has been made to believe that the genocide has not been committed by the failed government of President Salva Kiir Mayardit in Juba after a record numbers of deaths made avail by rights agencies and UN that revealed the opposite. If the world is quite serious enough, they should have considered investigating victims in UN camps in Juba, Unity State, Upper Nile, Jonglei, and other areas within South Sudan and its surrounding borders as well as re-examine the record already obtained and made recommendations to the United Nation Security Council to deliberate on such documented evidences of alleged genocide.
Better yet, United States of American has a legal obligation to protect its citizens globally and I am certainly sure that the citizens of the United States who were residing in South Sudan during the beginning of the crisis are no exception to this rule. With this, I would like to see the US to immediately start investigating the murdered of its citizens in Juba and across the South Sudan in around December 15, 2014 to present. Until this step is taken, ethnically motivated killings in South Sudan’s mini-civil war will not be averted by speeches and empty promises.
Interestingly, little that these foreign diplomats and the rest of communities of nations may know is that, South Sudan government has already committed genocide given the mass killings of approximately 17,613 men, women and children in Juba alone between December 15, 2013 through January 2014 ordered by President Salva Kiir Mayardit. In response to these mass killings of the Nuer in Juba, members of South Sudan army, who are from the Nuer tribe, entered Jonglei State, Unity State, and Upper Nile State and killed a record numbers of Dinka in retaliation to the mass killings of Nuer in Juba leading into the current crisis.
Recently we have learned that 147 internally Displaced People of the Nuer community members, both men, women and children, who were sheltered on a UN camp in Bor town, Jonglei, were killed and over 200 of them were wounded in an attack by Dinka youths. Also, in the same week, similar killings were reported by the United Nation personnel after the captured of Unity State by the rebel (SPLM/A-In-Opposition). Again, we have learned that on Friday, May 2, 2014, US secretary of state John Kerry has met with President Salva Kiir Maryardit in Juba. In this meeting, President Kiir has promised the US diplomat that he is ready for face to face talks with rebel leader, Dr. Riek Machar Teny.
It was unfortunate to witness President Salva Kiir lying in a broad day light for the second time to the world, especially misleading the US secretary of State John Kerry to believe that that he (Kiir) is ready to discuss a transitional government with rebels “to bring peace and restore legitimacy”. However, while he was meeting with the US secretary of State, John Kerry, his troops, the South Sudan armed forces (SPLA), along with the Ugandan People Defense Forces, Justice and Equality Movement of Sudan (JEM) and the Sudan People Liberation Army of Sudan (SPLA-N) were preparing to invade Bentiu town in Unity State, Ulang and Nasir Counties of Upper Nile State in total violation of the January 2014 cessation of hostilities. Let alone President Salva Kiir Mayardit dishonestly mislead the US foreign policy expert, John Kerry about his government plans in regard to peace but also believe he can fool the world as long as there is no swiftly sanctions after he had committed the genocide of his people.
As a citizen of this beautiful nation with rich heritages and countless potentials of becoming the world’s food basket, I refuse to give up hope and believe that one day our country would rise up and find a peaceful way to settle its differences like any other nations before it. Today, I fully came to realization that my country is at a cross road and need an immediate solutions to prevent full-scale genocide and civil war.
Immediate Steps that should prevent full-scale genocide and civil war in South Sudan are as follows:
With deep sorrows,
Duol Rut, MA, is a former Chairman of Nebraska SPLM State Chapter, a License Mental Health Practitioner and a post-doctoral student in Psychology with specialization in criminology and legal studies at the University of the Rockies, Colorado Springs, Colorado. He can be reach via his E-Mail: [email protected].