Addis Ababa, May 31, 2015 (SSNA) — A South Sudanese peace ambassador on Sunday welcomed the hunger strike for South Sudan campaign currently being spearheaded in Washington, DC, by South Sudan’s activist, Simon Deng.
Gatwech Koak Nyuon, who was named South Sudan’s peace ambassador last year by an Ethiopian Church, said he is not happy to see the former child slave risking his life behind The White House. However, he praised Simon for his hunger strike campaign and reminded him that his call to bring an end to the ongoing armed conflict in South Sudan has been heard by the US government.
“It has been so awful and strains to see the Former Child Slave Simon Deng who had been behind the White House for the last two weeks. Simon Deng might think that his effort to bring peace in a Country he loves through risking his dear life has not been heard by President Obama,” Gatwech said in a statement extended to the South Sudan News Agency (SSNA).
“…if American citizens who are lead by Barrack Obama visited him…this means that the President has indirectly visited him or even heard him as well. South Sudan had been brought to its existence by America. There is no way an elder brother [USA] can leave his little brother [South Sudan] being beaten by another or committing a direct suicide in an open space,” Gatwech said.
Gatwech also said he is happy to see American citizens visiting Simon Deng behind The White House, saying the visit alone shows that the citizens of the United States are concerned about the raging civil in his country, adding that the visit could resulted in lifting-up South Sudanese who are basically on what he described as “death row.”
The Ethiopian-commissioned Peace Ambassador further commends the United States for her good record on democracy, human rights, and good governance. Gatwech also calls on the First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama to “quit her breakfast” to help raise awareness about the hunger stike.
“I appeal to America’s First Lady, Michelle Obama for she is a woman with kids while women and kids are the very people who die daily in this crisis in my Country. I want her (Michelle Obama) to quit her breakfast as part of Hunger Strike for South Sudan so that women and children are saved,” he urges.
Gatwech wonders why the world makes noise when 200 girls were kidnapped by Boko Haram in Nigeria and keeps quite when 70, 000 South Sudanese children and women died in the ongoing civil war.
“If the World could pay more attention to only 200 girls abducted by Boko Haram in Nigeria, why the World keeps silence when it comes to the death of 70,000 children and women in South Sudan? I don’t want to paraphrase that it’s not fair, but to me it’s not logic,” he questioned.
The peace ambassador further urges IGAD, African Union, Troika, European Union, and the international community to increase pressure on South Sudan’s warring factions to drop their demands and work for the sake of their nation.
Fighting broke out in December of 2013 between presidential guards after months of serious political disagreement between senior leaders of the ruling SPLM party.
Tens of thousands of South Sudanese have been killed, Millions have fled their homes, and hundreds of thousands more fled to the neighboring countries.