Embracing our unity in diversity is the only future for South Sudan
By William Kolong Pioth
Aweil
I begin this piece with a heavy heart, as I continue to see the people of South Sudan suffer every day. We collectively fought for this country; we lost millions of lives, shed enormous amounts of blood and saw our property destroyed on a massive scale, yet we seem to have sadly forgotten it all. What went wrong after we attained our hard won independence? We have all of a sudden turned against one another killing each other, destroying our own towns and destroying our economy for reasons we will one day come to regret. People of South Sudan have suffered for too long and it is high time we say enough is enough of this war.
The purpose of this article is to appeal to the people of South Sudan to embrace peace so that we may once again turn our attention to development of this young, beautiful and resource rich country. Throughout the ages, war has never been a solution to differences, be they political, economic or social. Conflict only brings death, suffering of innocent people and destruction of property. It is high time South Sudanese of all ways of life come to their senses by shunning this senseless conflict and embracing peace in diversity.
I am aware that some of our fellow citizens are propagating hatred among the people. These people should know that the consequences of their hate speeches and writings do not spare their love ones. Every South Sudanese is feeling economic pain today; the current economic situation does not distinguish who is where on South Sudan's political divide. I was shocked to learn about two weeks ago that some youths from Northern Bahr El Ghazal region had issued a statement saying that they do not want Equatorians in the area. This statement came as a shock to citizens of Greater Northern Bahr El Ghazal because sectarian fighting and targeted killings have long become obsolete in the region. There is no history of ethnic targeted killing in Northern Bahr El Ghazal, not even during the long war of liberation. This is what made everybody wonder how the idea was conceived in the first place by the anonymous youths. I applaud the promptness with which the governments of the three States of Greater Northern Bahr El Ghazal condemned the statement and for ordering security apparatus to apprehend the culprit behind the statement. The United Nations has designated former Northern Bahr El Ghazal State as a Green State because it is the only State in South Sudan where every national and none national live and work without fear or discrimination. To underscore this point, no single person has been deliberately killed for motives related to the conflict since 2013. In fact, Northern Bahr El Ghazal has been accommodating IDPs from war affected States and these IDPs have found a home they can call their own. This good image cannot be tarnished by some youths whose motives remain unknown.
During the war of liberation, Northern Bahr El Ghazal (Aweil) was heavily destroyed by Khartoum-sponsored militia groups known as Muraleen or Janjaweed in Darfur today. The people who were used by the Khartoum's successive regimes against the people of Northern Bahr El Ghazal are living peacefully today in Aweil and no one has ever thought of taking revenge on any of them over past atrocities they inflicted on the local residents of Aweil. If the people who fought with us for more than 21 years during which they killed several people, kidnapped children and destroyed property, could be welcomed with open arms by the people of Aweil, who in his right senses can ask a South Sudanese to leave the area. The statement of the unidentified youth will continue to be condemned and Northern Bahr El Ghazal shall remain a home of everyone regardless of tribe, race, religion or political affiliation.
I would also like to appeal to brothers who are targeting their own fellow citizens along Yei, Nimule, Kajokeji and Torit roads to cease these targeted killings immediately. What have these innocent citizens who are traveling on the road have to do with the politics of South Sudan? Some of the people killed recently could be students returning to their parents and are regrettably denied their future and the investment made on them goes to waste. Imagine the pain you have brought to their families. Citizens of South Sudan must live and work anywhere and everywhere without discrimination. This act of targeted killing should be condemned by all South Sudanese and it must stop immediately.
The spirit that we had when we were in the bush seems to be fast fading away. In particular, my colleagues and I who were forced by devastating conflict to be sent to Ethiopia at young ages in search of safety, were nurtured, trained and indoctrinated with an ideology of patriotism, oneness, sense of sacrifice and nationalism by the leadership of the SPLM/A. Although we came from different backgrounds and tribes, we were trained to see ourselves as brothers and sisters. We never knew anything about tribalism or regionalism. This is the spirit that should be inculcated in our people so that we are able to see ourselves as South Sudanese who are bound together by common history and destiny.
I know every citizen in South Sudan has a right to criticize his/her government as stipulated by the constitution of South Sudan when they don't agree with certain policies of the government. However, constructive criticism that provides suggestions or solutions to problems is what a responsible citizen is required to do. And if we keep criticizing the government, especially our President, without providing suggestions to solve the problem, then we are only doing a huge disservice to our country. I urge fellow countrymen and women to learn how to disagree with government policies or decisions in a constructive way instead of engaging in unnecessary propaganda that only endangers the stability and peace of the country.
We all love this country and it is our responsibility to preach peace and reconciliation. Because of love of this country, many people have left their jobs in places like the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and other countries to come and help build our infant country. I had a well paid job in British Columbia, at Metropolis in Metrotown. This is the second biggest mall in Canada. I loved this job because I was treated well and had the respect I deserved from the management of Ivanhoe Cambridge. Had it not been for the love of my people and country, I would not have come back to volunteer. I decided to come back to South Sudan in order to participate in the building of this young country. I know many other people who had even better jobs also decided to come back and use the skills and knowhow they gained while abroad to build South Sudan. Since we all love this country to this extent, why are we destroying it? Let us not destroy what we brought together.
I would also like to appeal to media houses in South Sudan to dedicate more time and space to peace building and reconciliation because the media have a great role to play in propagating peace. I would appreciate if media outlets could commit at least three hours of their times per day to peace related programs. This way our people would be able to understand why they need to embrace peace. This appeal also goes to electronic media outlets, particularly website managers who at times publish hate propaganda pieces. Managers of websites should be wary of the fact that each time they allow their medium to be used to promote hatred, lives of innocent people are lost as a result and the blood of these people lies squarely on their hands.
I want to conclude this article by advising young people in the Diaspora to sit back and reflect on the harm they are doing to people of South Sudan on social media. Social media has done more harm in the ongoing conflict than any other medium. A lot of false propaganda has been propagated, much of which has fueled the conflict terribly. For instance, when the statement by unidentified youths in Northern Bahr El Ghazal was published, someone posted images of a truck full of dead bodies and claimed that the bodies were of Equatorians killed in Aweil. When I saw the posting, I was sitting with my Equatorian friends who actually condemned the posts. As a Regional Peace Coordinator, I strongly condemn such hateful propaganda that only endangers peace and unity of the people. This is how social media is being used to destroy our country. The youth in the Diaspora should know that each time they participate in promoting conflict they should remember that their family members would also suffer together with other families. It is time youth in the Diaspora stop hate propaganda and engage in meaningful debates that would help get South Sudan out of its ongoing political and economic crisis. The youth in the Diaspora have a big role to play in preaching peace and reconciliation so that our country may be stable again and embark on its developmental path. I was impressed by the unity of our people in Vancouver during my last visit. When I went to Vancouver in May this year, I was warmly received by the entire South Sudanese Community in British Columbia. This is what people of South Sudan need to do wherever they are. Fellow country men and women, let us embrace peace in diversity because history will not forgive us if we fail.
William Kolong Pioth is Managing Director of PADA and a Regional Peace Coordinator. He can be reached at williamkolong@gmail.com