Should Military Actions be potential tools to resolve political crisis?

BY Deng T. Liem, USA

MAY 26/2010, SSN; Should military actions be potential tools to resolve political crisis? The answers to this question depends on who thinks they should be a potential tool to resolve political crisis or not. The worst history is repeating itself as long as military confrontations are still unsolved on ground in old Upper Nile Region.

It’s worth mentioning that the chronic conflict that caused hypocrites to provoke unwelcomed generalization of Nuer Ethnic group as an anti-south’s liberation movement does not uphold the truth since it was an ideological disagreement between two groups. It was brought by inappropriate military actions taken by late Dr. John Garang De Mabior and his top commanders against late Mr. Akuot Atew, the Dinka, and late Mr. Samuel Gach Tut, the Nuer, in Itang, Ethiopia in 1983.

Those Military actions started in Itang and escalated to Bilpam, the Anya Anya Two military Headquarters, in about one or two weeks after initial attacked in Itang. Those military escalations were lamentable throughout southern Sudan as they led to predicated loss of lives and unequivocal disbeliefs amongst south revolutionary leaders.

Little compromises were achieved some years later between the two groups as some of Anya Anya Two military Commanders were peacefully surrendered to SPLA/M position leaving behind insurmountable pains ignited by SPLA/M’s unnecessary military actions against them for sake of south’s liberation struggle.

The most bitter ones completely refused to join SPLA/M position up-to-date. However, their resistance has made Khartoum a beneficiary of 1983 disagreement through the course of liberation struggle.

If those south’s revolutionary leaders in Itang, Ethiopia, in 1983, had given peaceful negotiations or dialogue a chance, over military actions, and democratically selected who fitted best to lead our liberation movement, things would have worked out differently and SPLA/M could have been a comprehensive liberation movement for the entire marginalized southern Sudan. All major disagreements which took places in SPLA/M after 1983 incident are precedence of Itang disagreement.

Coming back to the question, should military actions be potential tools to resolve political crisis in Jongeli State? Absolutely no.

Military actions are not a potential tool to resolve political conflicts between rival politicians because they are historically damaging to south Sudanese’ cause for longtime now, hence they should be used only as last resorts.

Due to GoSS traditional greediness, they were not calculated doleful consequences of war, but they were doing everything they could militarily to maintain undemocratic ruling. Despite that, GoSS Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Mr. Makuei Lueth described military actions as only ways and means to bring the matter to a halt.

General George Athor’s rebellion is brought by political feuds of rigging elections results. Therefore, it would have been resolved politically through third party mediations rather than militarily.

The dreadful statements issued by Minister Makuei Lueth as to kill or bring renegade General to Justice militarily are ridiculous and outrageous, hence it would have been helpful if Minister remained quiet or asked President Kir to accept peace negotiations with renegade General to secure peace and tranquility in south Sudan. The retaliations to his mournful statements are total dissolution of concluded elections, which is very bad.

The south separatists are deeply disappointed and saddened to learn the  Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister embraced perilous war amongst southerners in this critical moment, while southerners are uncomfortably waiting for self-determination referendum to determine our final destination, either to secede or remain in union with rest of the country.

They are also saddened to learn the Commander-In-Chief of SPLA, Lt. Gen Salva Kir, dispatched SPLA Generals in Jongeli State to launch military actions against renegade Former General George Athor. Instead of launching military attacks, the citizens believed that the president could initially form a third party to investigate the matter and fnd peaceful solutions to it.

Despite citizens’ countless calls and dissatisfactions with bogus insecurity on the ground in south, yet the president never listened and still calling for more military attacks against rebel former SPLA General, George Athor.

President Kir needs to mean what he says. It is obvious to the public that his administration has become a misguiding administration that never tells the truth. The most trusted administration amongst civil population is one that is transparent and accountable to allocate resources where they are necessarily needed.

The authoritative GoSS regime for its lifetime has never been transparent and accountable to allocate resources to where they are needed the most, but to corrupt them and use the remainders for worthless missions to clutch on to power.

Using SPLA Army and resources to kill or capture Former SPLA General George Athor is vehemently a worthless mission, but to protect Mr. Kuol Manyang Juuk of Jongeli State of his rigged governor seat; nothing more or less.

The GoSS lacks perfection, however, the most perfect government is one that's founded on democratic transformation principles and not the one that is founded under authoritarianism ruling. Five years ago, the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) was founded in monarchic environment where President Lt. Gen Salva Kir appointed all government positions from vice president all away through Cities Councils in the south Sudan.

Today in 2010, the south still is exposed or perpetrated by a dictator leadership ruling. It is upon south Sudan citizens to have their lives wandering under guidance of dictatorship or do whatever they can democratically to change a monarchy and introduce real democratic transformations in south Sudan.

Since Salva Kir took over as GoSS president in 2005 after Dr. John Garang died in a plane crushed, the people of south Sudan have gulped their bitterness, disappointments and frustrations of bad governance while waiting for democratic transformations that GoSS President had promised to them.

Eventually, they have seen incongruous democratic transformation that only needs SPLM candidates to win elections. One could argue that the democracy that is practiced in south Sudan is at least a paper-democracy. The Question is: would the south live under this incongruous democracy if Dr. Garang was still alive and ruling the south? I do not know answers to this question.

Coming back to topic, it is not the democracy south has fought for more than twenty years in bush. The GoSS did not any longer believe that democracy was still indispensable to all south Sudanese like it always been, until recently when Former SPLA General George Athor was unequivocally calling for total elections dissolution in south Sudan and forming temporary interim government to oversee referendum.

They vigorously believed that the democracy south has fought for should only work for SPLM royalists few. And that was the reason why they killed, harassed, and disenfranchised south voters while manipulating the elections results in favore of SPLM royalists few.

Finally, I am calling upon GoSS to accept peace negotiations with renegade General George Athor and coordinate a series reconciliations with south political forces so that we can put together enough votes for south to secede come 2011.

It is unthinkable to believe that we will form a prosperous south Sudan after 2011 on one hand, while on other hand, we are treating one another disrespectfully.

War is not a helpful solution to resolve any conflict, but genuine dialogue between brothers and sisters has done that for us most of the times. We can disagree without being disagreeable.

The author is a Sudanese political activist living in the United States. He is reachable at dengliem2009@yahoo.com.

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