By Dekewa Merekpara
This was a dream our forefathers shared, which was inherited by our fathers and consequently descended to us.
Some of us got the chance to go to school, spent 18 or more years of hard work, determinations and sleepless nights in pursuance of the dream. While our brothers and sisters who did not get access to school were absorbed into the struggle pursuing the shared South Sudanese dream. As if the commitment was not enough during the course of the struggle, we consequently received sad news of the demise of our beloved comrades in the various fronts in the country in a struggle to have a country today we call South Sudan.
Just like me, I believe there are many South Sudanese outside there who did not know the love of parents or the joy of living together as family because their loved ones laid down their lives to create a space, so that South Sudanese will have equal opportunities to exercise their rights as human beings in the virgin South Sudan. All the hardest works, tribulations and sacrifices of all South Sudanese paid off in 2011, when we surcease from Sudan. Having achieved that, we thought we were liberated, free and independent to pursue the shared dream of brighter days in this our beloved country South Sudan.
No sooner had the sweet melodies of liberation songs, joyous ululations turn to cries of torture, exploitations, enslavement, silencing, massacre and un ending threats by fellow comrades turn misleaders. We have become shields in their quest for more powers and dominance and slaves for their daily meals, their families’ enrichment and education.
They started political power struggle amongst themselves that ended in mass massacre of the innocent poor civilians and the enslaved sons and daughters of the poor civilians called soldiers; this was evidenced in 2013 and 2016 senseless massacres.
Today, we(south Sudanese) can justify beyond reasonable doubt that the president, Salva Kirr and his first vice, Dr Riak and other misleaders in their present government have not only failed us but also dragged us a decade behind from the time of cessation in 2011. This can be evidenced by the collapse of our economy, the destruction of major towns in South Sudan during the 2013 and 2016 senseless power struggle, the countless lives of our fellow country men and women along Juba – Nimule road and other roads connecting towns in South Sudan, the mass unemployment of our youths being abandoned in the hands of NGOs and foreign companies, lack of political will to implement the recently concluded peace deal, to mention but a few.
Therefore, bringing the above to light, calls for a way forward in pursuance of the shared dream of brighter days in this our beloved country, South Sudan, that was initiated by our forefathers. Continuous rebellion against the misleaders only increase the sufferings of the already suffering poor population and further destruction of our towns while the misleaders lavish in luxurious hotels with their families and children abroad in good schools being prepared to further mislead the deprived poor South Sudanese. As such, we are left with the option of demanding for our rights in the legal means documented in our constitution and known to the world, that is, Mass demonstration.
Hence the need to march to the streets of every town where blood of South Sudanese was shed to liberate this country, South Sudan.
As a call by the PCCA for the president, Salva Kiir and his first deputy, Dr Riek Machar and their fellow misleaders to step down, it is in the interest of all South Sudanese that the misleaders step down immediately to give chance to new breed of leaders who is competent, patriotic and capable of uniting the South Sudanese diversity.
The government threatens to shoot us with live bullets with excuse that they lack rubber bullets, how can they use rubber bullets when their thirst is for blood? What have the government of Salva Kirr not done to South Sudanese? Is it the massacre in 2013 or that in 2016? Is it the killing of innocent lives along Juba Nimule road including the nuns or the killing in Tombura? Is it the killing of youths in Tonj or the daily unknown gunmen in Juba? The government have always been killing us even without course and now that we want to seek our legal rights through peaceful means they claim to use live bullets? as if they have never used them on south Sudanese before, that is an act of evil. We have experienced hell, are experiencing more hell and with the signs of war all across the country, we are likely to experience most of all the hells in the hands of this government and that is why we need to march to the streets and inform the whole world about the criminalities of this regime of Salva Kirr.
The consequences of silence are still fresh in our memories, that is, the incidence of 2013 and 2016 of whose victims we still mourn to the present day. If the government think we have forgotten, we stand to tell them that we shall never forget the tanks that ran over our innocent civilians just because we entrusted our lives and properties in the hands of the misleading Kirr’s regime.
This time South Sudanese are here to say enough is enough, Kiir’s government must go and give chance to new breed of leaders who have South Sudan in their hearts. Leaders who share the dreams of unity, peace, prosperity and brighter days again in South Sudan.
God bless South Sudanese!
God bless our activists!
God bless our quest for regime change!
Ana Junubi
The author is a concerned South Sudanese citizen. Reach him via: dekewamerekpara@gmail.com.
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