Deng Akok Muoradid
October 15, 2018 (SSNA) — On behalf of my fellow youth and on my own behalf, I would like to strongly condemn the inhumane, cowardice and pathetic act by the armed criminals to set ablaze the house of Gogrial State governor Hon. Victor Atem Atem in Mayom Chol Payam, Ajoko County on the night hours of Date 7th October 2018. The burning of the essential properties such as livestock, cattle and other valuable goods in the house is both a sin and a crime. Deliberate burning of such properties in the house is a crime that cannot be committed by a Satan leave alone human being.
It is not in the culture of Dinka Rek, Malual, Twic, Bor, Apadiang, Gok, Agar or any Dinka subsection to set ablaze the house which contains valuable properties such as livestock, cattle etc. Such a crime is unprecedented in Traditional Dinka Society. It has never happened in Dinka Society or in any pastoral tribe for the yuoth to deliberately destroy the livestock, poultry and cattle by burning them. Even the Arabs whom we considered as our primary enemies have never inflicted such losses on our domestic animals.
However, the failure of my fellow yuoth to differentiate political differences from the personal differences is what have resulted into such crimes. The criminals who committed such crime might not be the ordinary ones because it is my first time to hear that the cattle raiders have intentionally burnt the cattle, livestock and poultry.
According to Dinka perspective, livestock and cattles are the main sources of livelihood and are also exchangeable and rotational. They can be exchanged from person to person and from clan to clan through dowry, barter trade etc. Therefore the burning of Victor Atem Atem’s livestock and cattle is a great loss to the Almighty God who created them as well as the criminals who burnt them. Those criminals will have benefited from the livestock and cattle which they set ablaze through bride price as you know that each and everyone has a young daughter, sister or niece who will be married in a near future.
The state government in collaboration with the national government should work hard to make sure that those criminals are brought to book. The punishment of the criminals who committed such a crime will discourage the yuoth with similar ideologies from attempting it in future. I think if the government fails to bring those criminals to book then the God of the animals will not forgive them.
I am calling on the state government to organise a sensitisation campaign on the consequences of being a criminal or anti crime campaign. The government should also open many agricultural schemes in the states in order to create job opportunities for the youth. Keeping the youth busy will not give them a chance to involve in criminal activities.
In conclusion, I am appealing to all the yuoth of South Sudan to be God fearing people and not to be used by politicians to commit crimes that have never happened in our socities. I am also appealing to my fellow youth to refrain from committing crimes and get involved in agricultural activities.
The author is a political activist living in Juba, South Sudan.