By Pel K. Chol
February 23, 2015 (SSNA) — Some of the worst atrocities which prompted the world leaders to go after the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) have no different to the atrocities Salva Kiir’s regime is committing today in South Sudan.
Joseph Kony, the leader of LRA has been a wanted man for the last eight years by the Uganda government as well as the International Criminal Court (ICC) for abducting children in Northern Uganda to join his LRA movement. Other crimes against humanity to which he was charged with include raping and killing of civilians by his forces
However, while being fair to the LRA, anyone who is aware of the extent to Sava Kiir’s criminality would acknowledge that Kiir is incomparable to no one when it comes to perpetrating of crimes against humanity.
At the beginning of the war, many Nuer civilians were targeted based on ethnicity and were brutally executed some of whom were burnt alive for punishment as well as the concealment of crimes. This is nothing to what Kony had done in Uganda. Kiir has armed every community in South Sudan to kill Nuer. The situation in Lake State tells it all as Dinka civilians far away from Nuer areas have turned against each other using Kiir’s rifles he initially aimed against the Nuer.
While Kiir is collage of crime continue to breed, the UN has learnt a new indictable offence, the abduction of 89 children near the UNMISS compound in Malakal by Kiir’s right hand man, Joseph Oliney, who abducted the kids to fight against Machar’s forces.
No one would know if Kiir is aware about the severity of this crime as he is a big fool leading a big nation which his intellect is not suit for. However, the truth of the matter is that conscripting children into national armed forces is a serious offence under the Geneva Convention’s article 136.
It was due to this offence that prompted the Obama administration to send US marine into the jungles of Uganda and DRC to hunt for Kony.
The intriguing part of this is when one compares these hideous crimes. Kony was labelled as the worst human being for abducting kids from their homes while the world continue to shake hands with Kiir who has done worse than what Kony did some of which include this abduction of kids at the UN compound. Yet the world is not even condemning the severity of this man’s crimes leaving the UN only to issue rhetoric. What a world!
The Author pf this article is awaiting graduation for a Master Degree in the Center for Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism. He could be reached at [email protected].