South Sudan: Impacts of power vacuum at the states level

By Gattiek Gatkuoth Wichar

OPINION – South Sudan has marked two months and 14 days since the formation of the national R-TGONU. The government should have been formed by February 22nd based on the agreed timeline. However, due to political stalemates, the parties couldn’t form the government until March 12th 2020.

Since then many citizens were hopeful for the first step expecting that things would be easy especially when it comes to States distribution between South Sudan parties because people are traumatised and badly  exhausted by endless instability that the Nation had gone through for six consecutive years until the signing of an ineffective ceasefire in 2018. Unfortunately that little hope is now murdered by deadlock and reluctance of the political parties to reach final resolution over the States allocation, this issue has exposed the Country to state of anarchy and chaos and  its repercussions are still being mourned till this minute.

The power vacuum in States is a pre-planned strategy made by the incumbent government and specially by some political opportunists in order to terrorise the people of South Sudan.

The Iranian foreign minister Mohamed Javad Zarif said and I cite ” the classic definition of  terrorism  is a means of exposing the civil population to hardship in order to achieve political objective”.

And this is not far from what is taking place in South Sudan. The leadership vacuum in States is a political motivated policy and there are many evidences manifesting that within government there are some heartless politicians who are using this state of anarchy as tool to terrorise populace  by using two methods, direct and indirect method and in this point i would like to to highlight tactic they used in a direct method.

(1. ) Direct terrorism is to set-up South Sudan Communities, the government is trying to condition our diversity through this  method where each tribe or community would believe that they are natural enemies to other tribe or community and the government is achieving this tactic by instigating frequent  inter-communal clashes, killings, and cattle rustling among communities and sub-clans in the Country.

This conspiracy is evidenced by the recent attack organised by government  through armed Murle youth against innocent population in Lou-Nuer land,  again, the  government has victimised civilians in Moyom county in Unity State and for the same policy the youth from Mayom county of Unity State as respond to attack done against them organised counter attack against innocent population in two payams of twice, Aweng, Ajak Kuac and Mayen Jur of Gogrial east,the same thing the attackers also through the help of government launched an offensive against civilians in Mayom county, all these were  motivated in Juba and they were implemented through our innocent youth who are unable to identify the hidden intention of politicians but all these mess were caused by gap in States authority.

Yesterday some innocent youth from Lake State had launched an atrocious attack against civil population in Panyijiar county of Unity State ,however that offensive could have been prevented if the  two sisterly States have State authorities, four days ago wit the related reason some youth within Unity State specially cattle keepers from Leek and Jagei  fought over cattle issue, the same scenario repeated itself in Unity State over the last two weeks where some youth from Panyijiar county went and attacked innocent civil population in Mayiandit County all these were caused by power  vacuum in States.

In Lake State youth also engaged in sub-clans and inter-communal  killings against themselves all these shouldn’t be blamed on youth or certain community but to some predatory politicians within Juba, our weakness as South Sudanese and particularly as youth including those who calls themselves intellectuals is because we don’t pay little time to make good analysis whenever something bad happens.

We’re always being driven by our  emotions  instead of logic and this is where our problem is, and it’s in this narrow analysis and state of emotion that our politicians milks  mostly because politicians always felt happy whenever their intentions are  not known, the lack of consciousness of not knowing where problem originated is what let our sister Marryreen Think insulted Nuer and described them as “Animals.”

Over the past few days, she has right to think that the problem is Nuer as community because that was result released by her analytical system on which she is conditioned to, but she has missed the target, her description would have been sheerful and fitful to government if she just said, we’re being led by “Animals ” because gov’t is neither Nuer nor Dinka but it’s combination of different politicians from all 64 tribes with exception of few who have gone through marginalization since day one because it’s government policy that caused many innocent lives in our States.

So because of all these coordinated attacks in our States as result of negative policies incited by politicians in government for instance a common citizen from Nuer would think Dinka are his enemies and in the other hand Dinka  would think Nuer are his enemies, Shiluk would think Anuak are their enemies and as well as an Equatorian would think Murle are are their enemies and vice-versa but actually  it’s in this set-up and conditioning of tribes to see their diversity as threat to their social co-existence that prolong our suffering.

Politicians are not always happy when they see us laughing together as South Sudanese regardless of where we came from because our togetherness put them in a weak point that’s why they created everything back home to make citizens and even relatives to see themselves as an enemies but if you’re conscious enough you would judge the root cause not result because if we continues being set-up and conditioned badly in our watch as an enemies to each other by default we will end up without Country because South Sudan cannot exist without tribes and its tribes cannot exist without sub-clans, so let us be mindful  enough and aware at both social and political life so that we will be able to identify our fundamental problems that are facing us.

(2.)The indirect terrorism comes as politicization of coronavirus (covid-19) in South Sudan and exposure of vulnerable citizens to novel virus without taking good care of  them on time , the government is also enjoying this indirect tactic of terrorizing citizens by not showing political will to resolution of States deadlock, the lack of authority in  States is  very risky  to  citizens during this covid-19 pandemic.

The government is advertently starving citizens in South Sudan by imposing  lockdown  on people  whose income depend on their daily struggle( manual works) you cannot impose curfew on people that you don’t provide with basic needs, hence, as i write this piece there is no food, water and all essential stuffs on table for our citizens  while elites are busy disposing the States budget that could be allocated to citizens to their personal accounts.

In ten States no authority to direct and orient citizens on how to adhere to protective measures, citizens believe on traditional speculations that it’s only God that would help them but at some points God requires you to help him in helping you but no one  instruct citizens specially in States  observe those measures.

Despite the lack of protective gears in South Sudan capital Juba and the States as well the government with its indirect tactic of terrorism has badly politicised corona virus  (covid-19 ) to the extent of assigning only politicians to the task force on covid-19.

Politicians have dominated the  high level task force on covid-19 at the expense of health experts that could rescue our people from deadly virus, and to make matter worse this initiative didn’t reach States as result of vacuum in the States, the task force is politically driven instead of being responsibility of  Doctors to whom the profession belongs, that’s an indirect terrorism,how can politicians handle heath problems which they are not professionals at. That’s indirect mean of terrorising people.

Lastly, i would like to conclude it by urging the South Sudan government in Juba to announce the States governors in the Country in order to bridge the gap in States so that citizens will stop killings themselves let us not relax all process on peace implementation under disguise that the Country is facing covid-19 pandemic when in fact the lack of States leadership is reason to more bloodshed and suffering of citizens in the Country .My advice to South Sudanese and youth in particular is to stop being used against themselves by political connmen.

Thanks

Gattiek Gatkuoth Wichar is a concerned citizen of South Sudan and can be reached via:  gattiekwichar@gmail.com

---

The views expressed in the ‘OPINIONS & ANALYSIS’ section of the Sudans Post are solely the opinions of the writers. The veracity of any claims made are the responsibility of the author not this website. If you want to submit an opinion piece or an analysis please email us here.