 |
| Bishop Santo Pio, |
A Paper presented by His Lordship Bishop Santo Pio, Auxiliary of the Archdiocese of Juba on the 1stApril 2014 under the name Road Map for South Sudan IGAD led Peace Talks
Catholic Church, present this analysis with sadness and pain at heart when Christians in Juba see the violence which started as political disagreement and power struggle between President Salva Kiir and the Vice President Dr Riak Machar which spilled over into ethnic killings between brothers and sisters of Dinka and Nuer of the same Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) Party and Army.
The destructions carried out by them in Juba, Bor, Malakal and Bentiu on human person, infrastructure and government installations made the church to think our history is an open wound that desperately needs healing. However the problem lies between the two groups: Dinka: The supporters of President Salva Kiir; Nuer: The supporters of Dr. Riak Machar.
June 2013
Dr. Riak Machar Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan and member of the Presidency, Vice Chairperson of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement Party (SPLM) openly began to criticize President Salva Kiir of the failure to Administer and manage the country properly, combats corruption, and stop culture of impunity in the Country.
President Salva Kiir reacted by withdrawing all the Presidential powers delegated by him to Dr. Riak and left him as Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan and Deputy Chairperson of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement Party.
Nuer Community and political leaders got disappointed and wanted to fight back but Dr. Riak Machar called for calm among his community.
July 23rd 2013
President Salva Kiir dismissed the entire cabinet and the Vice President through Republican Decrees: · No. 49/2013 which Relieved Dr. Riak Machar as the Vice President of the Republic
· of South Sudan.
· No 50/2013 relieved all the National Ministers of the Government of the Republic of
South Sudan.
· Decree No 51/2013 relieved all the National Deputy Ministers.
· The Chairperson's Order No 01/2013 suspended SPLM Secretary General and formed committee to investigate the SPLM’s Secretary General.
All the dismissed Ministers, most of them SPLM/ Army Generals were all senior Sudan People's Liberation Movement Party members.
The removal of Dr. Riak Machar from the post of Vice President did not go well with Nuer ethnic group. The situation became tense and all indicators were that there was going to be a fight between supporters of the President Salva Kiir and that of the Vice President Dr Riak Machar.
Killing of Traffic Police Officer:
Traffic Police Officer from Nuer ethnic community was killed in the Residence of the Minister Salva Mathok. Nuer community expected it was the work of the Dinka security guards in the residence of the Minister.
Killing of Custom Officer:
A young custom officer was killed and burnt in his car by unknown person whom Dinka believe it was the work of Nuer community and no one was found to have done the killing.
August 2013:
The Dismissed Ministers called on the Chairperson of the Party to call for the meeting of the Political Bureau to draw agenda for the National Liberation Council which the President/ Chairperson of the Party did not accept and ordered the dissolution of the two structures of the Party (Political Bureau and National Liberation Council) that they have exceeded their mandate and terms of the Office.
The dissolution of the two structures and the refusal of the Chairperson to call meeting of the Political Bureau made Dr. Riak Machar, Madam Rebecca Nyadeng and Pagan Amum to announce their intentions to challenge President Salva Kiir by contesting for the position of the Chairman of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement Party during National Convention and in 2015 to be the flag bearer of the SPLM Candidate for the post of the President of the Republic of South Sudan, something which was not well received by the Chairperson of the Party (Salva Kiir) and his followers.
6th December 2013:
Dr. Riak Machar and the Ex- Ministers gave a press conference in SPLM House in Juba called on the Chairperson of the Party to organize the National Liberation Council Conference and outlined the following problems in the SPLM Party:
a) Lack of democracy in the SPLM Party, b) No freedom of speech and press,
c) Building up of Parallel Army of 15,000 Republican Guards by the President from one tribe.
14th December 2013:
Dr. Riak and ex- Ministers planned a public rally in Juba to address the public and SPLM leadership also planned the National Liberation Council Conference on 14thDecember 2013 conflicting with the plans of the group that was with Dr. Riak Machar.
The Church leaders called on the President Salva Kiir not to hold National Liberation Conference. But, that Prophetic voice of the Church was ignored.
The National Liberation Council Conference was opened on 14th December 2013 as planned. The conference forced the group that was with Dr. Riak Machar to call off the Public Rally to attend the National Liberation Council Conference.
His Grace Archbishop Paulino Lukudu Loro; in an opening session of the conference, appealed to the SPLM’s Leadership for Reconciliation but his call was not taken into context.
Differences between the followers of the President Salva Kiir and the Group with Dr. Riak Machar became more apparent and on Sunday the Group that was with Dr. Riak Machar boycotted the last sessions of the conference.
According to the Sources close to the SPLM Party, the President did not feel comfortable with the boycott of the Conference by the group and ordered that Presidential Guards from the Nuer Community be disarmed. The Nuer Community disobeyed the order to disarm.
15th December 2013:
Residences of Juba were shocked to see brothers and sisters of the same Party Sudan People's Liberation Movement were killing each other in targeted manner which quickly turned into ethnic killings between Nuer and Dinka in Juba, Bor, Malakal and Bentiu.
INTERVENTIONS
IGAD Heads of States:
Were quick to respond and called summit of the IGAD Heads of States in Nairobi and called on both parties to call off the fighting and begin dialogue within four days.
African Union:
African Union called summit of all Heads of States to discuss the situation in Southern Sudan and resolved the matter must be quickly brought to an end. Republic of Uganda dispatched Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) to support the Government of South Sudan against the coup.
African Union Security Council:
Called the meeting of the Security Council to discuss the matter and approved to send 5,000 African Peace Keeping Force to South Sudan which up to the writing of this paper have not arrived in South Sudan.
United Nation:
Secretary General of United Nations called meeting of Security Council to discuss the situation in South Sudan and immediately approved the sending of additional 6,000 Peace Keeping Forces to South Sudan making the total of 12,000 Peace Keeping Forces in the country under UN Mission (UNMISS).
14th January2014:
The two groups of SPLM (SPLM members in the Government and SPLM members in the Opposition) began peace talks on 14th January 2014 in Addis- Ababa and on 23rd January 2014 two Agreements were signed.
i. Agreement on cessation of hostilities, ii. Agreement on the Status of the Detainees.
However, neither diplomatic pressure nor the IGAD and Africa Union efforts had any impact in restraining warring parties from fighting.
Way Forward:
The process should have three tracks:
1. Should aim at stopping the fighting by the two Parties and allow the Negotiations to precede otherwise no meaningful peace talks will take place while fighting is going on.
Provide Humanitarian Aid to all the affected Areas.
2. Catholic Church supports items, 10 and 11 in Communiqué of the 25th Extra- Ordinary session of IGAD Assembly of Heads of State and Government dated on 13th March 2014. Namely
(Quote): "Reaffirms the need for an inclusive political dialogue and further call on the parties to include in the negotiations all South Sudanese Stakeholders particularly SPLM Leaders (Former Detainees) other political parties and representatives of CSOs as deemed necessary by the mediation process"
Draft Agenda Two of Phase 11 of lGAD-led South Sudan Mediation Process
Declaration of Principles (D.O.P)
Governance and Democracy
Sudan have tried highly centralized the system but have failed; Tried Decentralized that have brought more trouble. People of Southern Sudan 1955 called for (Federal System of Government but Government of Sudan refused to implement; time has come to consider introducing Federal System in the Republic of South Sudan to address the issue of Tribal/Ethnic imbalances).
3. Political Dialogue towards National Reconciliation and Healing
"Let us Re-found our nation on a new covenant"
· At this time, more than ever, the bold Prophetic Voice of the Church needs to be heard. We have been shocked by the events that have rocked our new nation since 15thDecember 2013.
· We have witnessed things that should never have taken place on the soil of this nation, as brother fought against his fellow brother, leading to so much unnecessary death and displacement of individuals and communities with many fleeing as refugees to neighboring countries, and the most appalling destructions.
· We cannot remain silent in the face of what we have witnessed and heard. We speak on behalf of those who have spoken to us.
His Lordship Bishop Santo Pio, Auxiliary of the Archdiocese of Juba on the 1st April 2014