Republic of South Sudan: The near free-fall Moral Dilemma

BY: John Moi Venus, JUBA

DEC. 15/2011, SSN; Throughout the implementation phases of the Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005, including the very emotional moments leading to the Sudan’s referendum on self-determination for South Sudan, which finally witnessed the birth of Africa’s 54^th republic, there were quite spirited, stubborn and persuasive arguments, which were advanced with a great show of optimism to counteract the prevailing opinions and judgments that have already predefined and prejudged South Sudan into the category of failed states.

Some leading academics and politicians have even proffered to describe South Sudan as a nation that was beginning life as a pre-failed state.

New terminologies such as Rwandaization, Somalization, and balkanization of the African continent were emotively used generously by the enemies of people’s choice to instill fear in the nerve of the international community and make it a daring venture to recognize the new republic and be associated with as such.

How wrong are they and at the cost of what amount of shame and contradictions should we begin to re-evaluate our naively hard won positive thinking about this country we hold so dear?

It appears to me that South Sudan’s law makers and politicians are not playing deft to George Santayana’s famous quote” Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” We are really in for an endless Sisyphean moral dilemma, so it seems.

We are daily confronted by a fundamental paradox at this stage of our history: whether the custodians at the gambit of power have even the slightest political predisposition and will to read into the imbroglios the nascent state is currently wallowing through will continue to baffle all the peace loving citizens who would wish to see positive prosperity index.

Have a look at the all-time-enduring security dilemma that continues to bedevil states such as Jonglei, Unity, and Lakes and to some extent Warrap: cattle rustling, cyclic intra/inter-communal violence, child abduction and the immense energy to kill fellow human beings for a sport.

It appears we are beginning to experience the subtext of this madness to that effect with the state of Eastern Equatoria too and one is wondering whether in Chinua Achebe’s own terms: the centre cannot longer really hold for South Sudan, in the event that these insecurities are spreading like wildfire.

Build on the portfolio of events in Eastern Equatoria State, we could not but afford to get the scenario much clearer: Disturbingly so, on October 24, 2011, there was this unprecedented incidence of torture and killing of the Ma’di people in Opari and along Opari-Magwi road.

The following day on October 25, 2011, there was again, in a show of clear disrespect and scorn for order and national justice systems, a harrowing undertaking of house to house search, beating and torture of Ma’di people living and working in Magwi town, including the burning down of their houses and properties reportedly by the Acholli Youth from Magwi County; this headquarter has been shared administratively by the two communities since the creation of the county.

Morally repugnant indeed, what is there to gain for this unfortunate Acholli Youth of Magwi County of Eastern Equatoria to drag South Sudan into 1994 Rwanda’s experience when South Sudan should now embark on promoting respect for the human dignity, long lost in the hands of the Jallaba?

That is a menacing question the Central Government and the state of Eastern Equatoria State should continue to struggle with.

When you look at such outright delinquency, you would only be left to conjecture as to the level of persuasion and engineering, by some of our politicians, including some rogue military personnel, needed to push the youth to act and implement such despicable project.

What intensity of hate would push any level-headed youth, keen in developing a conscionably sound personality, to indulge in such an act of extreme violence that by nature compromises one’s life-long moral balance and renders one morally a pariah? 

The most telling thing about the Magwi County events was the sheer silence of both the state and the central government to categorically and publicly condemn the extreme acts of collective violence and reign on the perpetrators, ensure justice and put a stop that clearly demonstrate the will power of our cherished nation-state.

No any functional government would allow events of such nature by non- state actors to pass with such a degree of cover as things stand now.

The events in Magwi County are a clear reflection of leadership deficit, which is increasingly becoming pervasive for the entire South Sudan.

As one of the law makers of the Republic of South Sudan says, the world and the entire international community would like the communities of South Sudan to compete for development in order to reconcile with the spirit of war and violence. That is it.

More disturbingly, Juba, the capital, has even become more insecure than most villages in some parts of South Sudan and it is increasingly becoming harder to separate the criminals from those entrusted with the responsibility to ensure security to all, for both have been transformed into somewhat predators of the most ordinary citizens, as our only city continues to witness regular slaughtering of people particularly in this month of December.

Decent accumulated historical experiences have shown us that the provision of impartial and equitable security is one of the most critical lens through which citizens of a sovereign state see their place in the making of the nation; these parameters, of course, go hand in hand with the ability of our service men and women to secure our borders and prevent lawlessness both in the village and urban setting, including having an overhauled justice systems imbedded with the needed competency to impart justice equitably to all the citizens of the nation.

By any means and standard, these would provide our nascent country a decent framework for citizens to resolve their dis­putes without any recourse to violence.

We need not remind our government that the security at the level of rural community and individual is very central for economic development and democratic process to take shape.

Open violence that is currently pervasive in South Sudan is a clear reflection of the potency and shape of institutions that govern our political, civil and social engagements.

The least we would like to see is the gradual emergence of a solidified predatory institutions that know no mechanism of providing security to all, irrespective of our communal backgrounds and impartial rule of law that are basic to advancement of prosperity and culture of human rights protection; we have had enough of that from the Jallaba.

John Moi Venus, Concerned citizen of South Sudan