Is South Sudan Becoming Another Lawless Somalia?

BY: Jwothab Othow, USA

Since the Dinka took the majority rule in the GoSS, insecurity has increased and land grabbling of tribal lands by Dinka has become a widespread phenomenon. The whole trouble started in Madi and Acholi lands in Eastern Equatoria State, and then spread to Maridi land in Western Equatoria State, and now it has reached the Shilluk Kingdom in Upper Nile State which borders Northern Sudan. By no means are tribal conflicts nothing new in South Sudan. Perhaps what are new are the scale of the conflict and the involvement of SPLA in it. 

The conflicts between the Shilluk and Dinka started before the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed. History tells us that Dinka Ngok migrated from Bahr el Ghazal to Upper Nile during the reign of Reth Abudok Nya Bwoc around 1660. The land the Dinka Ngok currently inhabit used to belong to Anuak tribe. They came to the area in search of good grazing lands that resulted in many fights recently in Nakdiar and Lul areas between them and the Shilluk. 

The current problem between Shilluk and Dinka Ngok started when the latter wrote letter to late Dr. John Garang in 2004, claiming the ownership of Malakal town and many Shilluk lands. When Salva Kiir took over the Presidency of South Sudan after the tragic death of Dr. Garang, this issue was immediately brought before him.

However, President Salva Kiir made no attempt at resolving the matter. His argument was that the war is not yet over and, therefore, there is no way for the Dinka to return to their original birth places. This is nonsense.

The current feud between Dinka and Shilluk flared-up during the fourth anniversary of CPA celebration held in Malakal, the capital of upper Nile State, on Friday 9 January. The Dinka agenda was to seize and occupy areas that historically belong to the Shilluk on the banks of the Nile and Sobat River. The attack, which was alleged to have been carried out by Dinka SPLA soldiers, killed dozens of Shilluk in Nakdiar and Lul.

It is an undeniable that the ethnic conflicts in the post-CPA era are the most influential destabilizing forces in South Sudan which will destroy the unity of Southerners and hold back southerners from achieving their aspiration for an independent state. For the Dinka politicians, this is the only legitimate source for exercising their non-democratic rule over other minor tribal groupings.

The act of evil ideology of the Dinka is widely viewed as an expansion and occupation with catastrophic consequences similar to that of Somalia, not to mention Rwanda. The Dinka Ngok massacred dozens of Shilluk in their Villages who have nothing to do about the celebration of the CPA taking place in Malakal. So many peace-loving people among the Shilluk like Uncle James Ogilo Agor and Rev. Daniel Amum wrote several letters to Mr. Salva Kiir before to resolve the issue of land dispute and claim of ownership of Malakal by Dinka Ngok. However, Mr. Salva Kiir ignored the matters altogether.

It appears President Salva Kiir and his government is trying to adopt same methods used by the current brutal regime in Khartoum to marginalize minority tribes and decimate them as well. Like the rest of the world, we have to respect our diversity, to establish healthy coexistence, and to maintain the existing boundaries that separate different communities in South Sudan.

This is proving that the Dinka have a hidden agenda. Mr. Salva, as a leader, has a definite hand in all of these. This is evidenced in his handling of the earlier conflicts between the Dinka and Madi, Acholi tribes in Eastern Equatoria State. Now, the whole thing is spreading like wildfire in Shilluk lands of Malakal, Upper Nile State. This seems to be the same behavior that shocked the world in 1994, when the Hutu extremists in Rwanda carried out an organized genocide that killed more than 800,000 Tutsis minority in a matter of weeks.

This kind of brutal act by the Dinka Ngok could set back South Sudanese aspiration for self-determination in 2011. This fact gives many Northerners a strong argument that we Southerners cannot govern ourselves. Four years have now passed since the semi-autonomous South Sudan was given a chance to prove to the whole world that it can govern itself democratically without alienating and humiliating other minor tribes.

In pursuing their control over all units of government, the Dinka have virtually proved the contrary to the world that left alone we can't rule ourselves in a civilized way. Dinka can not rule the South alone and neither can the other minority tribes rule the South without the Dinka. We need each other in order to have a viable independent state.

The Dinka are ethnocentric people who promote intolerance and dehumanization of other minorities in South Sudan as seen by the massacre of the Shilluk people in Upper Nile State. The ethnic hatred has not been provoked and channeled by the ordinary Dinka, but by the Dinka politicians whose aim is to strengthen their hold over power.

The Dinka seemed to have used the article in Semi-Autonomous constitution of South Sudan, which states that the citizens of South Sudan can live anywhere in south Sudan, for their own political gains. The correct interpretation of this article is that the citizens of South Sudan have the right to live in anywhere in South Sudan provided that they do not occupy the lands that already belong to others.

The political domination by the Dinka over other minorities in the South appear to be most obstacle to the realization of Peace in South Sudan and true enemy of the South Sudanese aspiration for an independent state in 2011.

Many people from various minority tribes in South Sudan have, because of what happened in Madi and Acholi lands in Eastern Equatioria State and Shilluk Kingdom in Upper Nile state, doubts about the honesty and integrity of the Dinka. If the behaviors of the Dinka go unchecked and the perpetrators who carried out the massacre of dozens of Shilluk and land grabbing are not brought to justice, South Sudan will be extremely very unstable for all of us. It will be impossible for South Sudanese to achieve the goals for an independent South Sudan from North Sudan in 2011.

The Dinka should recall history: Whether militarily or politically the Dinka stand no chance against the other minorities in South Sudan. History had shown this: When Mr. Abel Alier of Dinka tribe was ousted from power as the President of the High Executive Council when the minority tribes in the Regional Assembly united and elected General Joseph Lagu. In cohort, the minorities in the assembly selected Mr. Joseph Tombura from the Zande tribe to lead instead of a Dinka. I'm of the strong belief the Dinka domination will be a short-lived one because of backlash from the very people they want to dominate.

Dinka should get it right that Shilluk will never allow anyone to occupy their land. The Shilluk will do anything within their power, including the use of military means to defend themselves and their existence.

God forbid, I hope the current conflict between Shilluk and Dinka will not escalate into full scale war that will impact negatively the outcome of the 2011 referendum for self-determination for the South. It is therefore important for the South Sudanese to have peace, harmony, and coexistence among the diverse ethnic groups prior to attaining independence from North Sudan. These are both necessary and sufficient conditions for the attainment of an independent state for the South.

Let us be vigilant and not be sidetracked by issues among us as Southern Sudanese because the Arab North is working hard day and night to defocus us from our main goal of getting our own independent state by exploiting any differences among us for its own benefit