Will the Peace Hold in Southern Sudan after the passing of Dr. John Garang?

Will the Peace Hold in Southern Sudan after the passing of Dr. John Garang?
The roots of the conflict in the Sudan goes back to the early 19th century, several decades before the advent of the Western colonialism in the Sudan; which makes it one the longest wars in the world after the Israeli- Palestine war.
Also, the war in the Southern Sudan, between the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and the National Islamic fundamentalism (NIF) in Khartoum is among Africa’s oldest and deadliest conflicts and largest in the region. More then 3 million were killed, achieving a death toll over twenty times higher than Darfur’s do date.
The NIF viewed the CPA as an opportunity to direct the international community’s attention away from their ongoing genocide in Darfur. While they have made some cosmetic changes, the NIF hasn’t fulfilled their core obligations to the CPA and don’t appear any more committed to this peace agreement than to any of the other treaties they’ve signed. In fact the NIF has put enormous obstacles in place to prevent progress on the CPA. It seems clear the NIF has no intention of sharing either power or oil revenue with the SPLA.

On the one hand it is impossible for the SPLA or the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGDA) to know if the NIF is sharing oil revenues according to the dictates of the CPA because the NIF won’t disclose what the total revenues are. It is also likely that the NIF will use oil money to manipulate voting in the upcoming referendum on separation, which will take place in six years time.

The NIF’s continued support for the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Northern Uganda is another problem calling the success of the CPA into question. How could the LRA cross the east side of the river to west, without the logistical support of the NIF? Yei is the only source of food to the population in Juba and most of the Arab trades are not happy that food should come from Yei, because it will have negative impact on their business in Juba.

As know you the recent attacked on the convey in early September between Juba and Yei, the NIF is behind it. How could (LRA) cross the east side of the river to west, without the logistic support of the NIF? Yei is the only source of food to Juba population and most of the Arab trades are not happy that the food should come from Yei, because it will have negative impact on their business in Juba.

The United Nation Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), could have prevented the recent attack in Yei-Juba road, but the 700 UNMIS peacekeeping troops are based only in Juba unarmed and mostly allied with Khartoum’s regimes and who have large investments in the Sudanese oil sector. Most of the UNMIS peacekeeping troops from Australia, Russia and other European countries are enjoying themselves in Khartoum’s expensive hotels playing cards and smoking cigars instead of patrolling the North / South border.
Besides this, the mandate of United Nation Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) is very weak. They have no power to arrest treaty violators, detain suspects or fight back. This is a repeat of the situation in Darfur and if such attacks continue UNMIS will be as impotent as the AU in that region.
Furthermore, the NIF has not disclosed the number of troops it still has in Southern Sudan to the UNMIS, either in Juba or other part of Southern Sudan.

Added to this hostile elements are the 500,000 Janjaweed with their horses, women and children that the NIF relocated from Darfur to Rokon County, about 60 miles south west of Juba. Their presence tends to indicate that the NIF intends to unleash a campaign of atrocities on Rokon County similar to the one they have in Darfur.
Another tactic the NIF is using to destabilize South Sudan is the transfer of large numbers of Egyptian Arabs to that region. This is in keeping with their policy of Arabizing Sudan and the implementation of this policy is what leads to the violence in Darfur.

The NIF encourages immigration from Egypt by offering these migrants the following rights: freedom of entry to Sudan without visas; residence permits are provided free of cost; freedom of movement within the whole of Sudan; the ability to own land upon arrival; the right to vote as soon as they settle in Sudan.
All of this is going on while tens of thousands of Sudanese languish in Egypt in deplorable conditions with none of the aforementioned privileges. Nineteen thousand are registered with the UNHCR, but there are many more Sudanese stranded in Egypt, unable to return to Sudan.

The strategy is obvious; the Arabs are being relocated in the south while African Southerners are being kept from returning in an attempt to shift the demographic to favour Khartoum when the vote for independence comes in 2011.
The abuse of South Sudanese is not restricted to Egypt. There are countless Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) living in Khartoum or in the IDP camps around it such as Hagi Yousif , Kalakata and Al-Sal’ama Camp in Jebel.
Since the death of Garang the dumping of five to ten bodies of South Sudanese has become a daily occurrence. Those who had managed to scrape together enough to escape the IDP camps and eke out a living in Khartoum are being driven from their homes once again by landlords who are increasing rents by as much as 100%. Whole families are being driven back into the camps straining what resources are available there.

In another effort to keep Southerners from returning home the NIF has increased air fare from Khartoum to Juba from $100, to $200. These are just a few of the tactics implemented by the NIF to insure the CPA fails. It is up to the international community to monitor these violations and, more importantly, insure there are very real and very negative consequences for such abuse. Only through this type of foreign intervention will the NIF be made to respect their obligations under the CPA and implement it fully without delay.

Afro-Canadian MPs and african diplomats have a disappointing record on Darfur

Aug 24, 2005 (Ottawa) — If the Afro-Canadian Members of Parliament do not care about the genocide in Darfur, why should the Canadian government care about Darfur? Canada sent 1,400 troops to Bosnia because Canadians of European decent play a big role in Canadian government and politics today. Today, Africans do have a voice in Canada’s Parliament, but most have chosen to be quiet on issues affecting Africa. Bloc Quebecois MP Maka Kotto, a Canadian-African of Cameroonian decent, has chosen to keep quiet instead of supporting Independent MP David Kilgour in the fight against the genocide in Darfur, in Congo, and hunger in Niger, Mali and Ethiopia.

Why is Maka Kotto so silent on Africans’ problems? Why are Senator Donald Oliver, MPs Jean Augustine, Hedy Fry, Marlene Jennings, Rahim Jaffer and Deepak Obhrai silent in the issue of Darfur? Thanks to Gurmant Grewal and Bhupinder S. Liddar for their continued support of Africans: you are true sons of Africa, may God bless you. It is a shame on our African MPs.
Additionally and most important is the silence of the African diplomatic corps (with exception of some embassies). I think when Europeans come to Africa as diplomats they are very vocal in the press in the countryside, with the people, but our OWN African diplomats as a unit are very silent except for photo opportunities during Independence Day celebrations and parties; leaving their children in Canada when their term has ended. Therefore, I’d like to see the Dean and the African Heads of Missions in Canada form a coalition to ensure that the government of Canada plays its part in peacekeeping in Darfur and to push their weight collectively to answer all of Africa’s concerns.

In 2003, I wrote a letter to Jean Augustine in reference to rape victims in the Sudan and asking how she could assist. I received no formal reply from her office until now. How many times has Ms. Augustine written to the prime minister about the suffering women of Darfur? Not a single letter, that I know of. Last May I wrote an open letter to all MPs regarding genocide in Darfur. I received no responses from any of the Afro-Canadian MPs. So why should the world care about Africans and the Caribbean if black senators and MPs are not concerned about Africa?

It’s too early to know how much the newly appointed governor general will do for the victims of the rape in Darfur, peace in the South Sudan, genocide in Congo, and hunger in Niger, Mali and Ethiopia. I do hope she will not turn her back on Africa and Caribbean. Can she make injustice visible?

©By Justin Laku,
Founder of the group Canadian Friends of Sudan

REINSTATEMENT OF SENIORITY WITH CORRECT RANKS, AND PROMOTION ADJUSTMENTS

May 29th, 2012

To: H.E. Major General Alison Elia Magaya

Minister of Interior

Juba, Republic of South Sudan

RE: REINSTATEMENT OF SENIORITY WITH CORRECT RANKS, AND PROMOTION ADJUSTMENTS

Dear Mr. Magaya,

I am a concerned citizen of South Sudan, researcher, an academic, socio-political activist, civil society member, and watch-dog. I am writing to you regarding reinstatement, and promotions of some of South Sudan Police and Prison Officers who have not been promoted according to their batch. The un-promoted Officers have served under the national government of Sudan with competency, efficiency and effectiveness, reinstated and integrated into South Sudan Police Forces with the lower ranks, while their peers of same class were promoted to higher ranks such as Major Generals.

As you know complaint regarding the Police and Prison Officers were submitted to your predecessor’s desk and to your office to look into the promotion concerns of the Police and the Prison Officers who are still not promoted to the same ranks as their colleagues and peers. But the office of your predecessor failed to address and resolve these issues holistically, and now it appears that the current office of Minister of interior is following similar policy of delay, depriving and suppressing the promotions and reinstatement of certain Police and Prison Officers.

Furthermore, I would like to remind you that during the 2010 swearing in ceremony of the President of government of South Sudan, President Salva assured the un-promoted Officers that, he will address the reinstatement and promotions issues promptly, once and for all, and in timely manner. However, it appears that nothing has been done to resolve reinstatement and promotions of the current active Police and Prison Services Officers.

In addition to this, the research showed that there is a new list of inactive Police Officers before President Salva’s desk awaiting Presidential Decree for their reinstatement and promotions. Furthermore, most of the inactive Police Officers were out of police services for over ten years, and some have lived in the Western countries for many years and might have forgotten the police system, while the outstanding Police Officers with excellent performances, excellent academic credentials and excellent experiences are left out from the current promotions and deprive from all constitutional rights. How could South Sudan Police system and the Ministry of Interior explain this discrimination of its own Police Officers? This discrimination will demoralized the effectiveness of police toward crimes reduction. This discrimination will help deprive Police Officers not to act or deter and prevent crimes the high rate of killing crimes in Juba and other parts of South Sudan, and why should priority be given to inactive Police Officers who spent many years abroad without active duty? The first priority should be given to South Sudan Police and Prison Officers who are currently active on duty.

Finally, as a concerned citizen of South Sudan, researcher, an academic, socio-political activist, civil society member, and watch-dog, I would like to see the promotions, reinstatements, and readjustments issues and concerns be addressed as soon as possible, so that the Human Rights and equality be recognized in a timely manner. People of South Sudan fought because of injustice, inequality, and discrimination in the old Sudan regime, and some of South Sudan Police and Prison Officers are experiencing similar injustice, inequality, and discrimination under the current South Sudan government system. Peace without justice and equality is not a peace.

Thanks for your interest in the concerns of citizen of South Sudan and I hope to hear from you soon with favorable results.

Yours sincerely, Justin Laku

P.S. I enclosed to you attached list of deprived and un-promoted Police and Prison Officers

Cc: H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit, President

Cc: H.E. Riek Machar, Ph.D., Vice President

Cc: Hon. James Wani Igga, South Sudan Parliament’s Speaker

Cc: H.E. Clement Wani, Central Equatoria State Governor

Cc: H.E. Louis Lobong, Eastern Equatoria State Governor

Cc: H.E. Joseph Baksoro, Westernn Equatoria State Governo

Cc: H.E. Joseph Bol, South Sudan Senate Speaker

Cc: H.E. the U.S.A., Ambassador to South Sudan

Cc: All Members of National and State Parliaments

Cc: All Foreign Mission Ambassadors in South Sudan

Cc: All International Media House

Cc: All Donors Members States

Cc: All Members of Diaspora

© Laku's Research Centre 2012