Padang Community Lauds Dr. Riek Machar‘s Call for Peace and Reconciliation We, the undersigned sub-communities of Padang in Diaspora are so pleased and grateful to congratulate Dr. Riek Machar Teny for demanding the peaceful settlement and reconciliation of the ongoing conflict between the SPLA Forces and Lt. General George Athor Deng Dut.
11 March 2011 Saturday, March 05, 2011. Mr. Vice president of South Sudan, we the Padang Communities in Diaspora are lauding your relentless quest for peaceful cessation of this haunting military hostility between the SPLA Forces and Lt. General George Athor Deng. We were also inspired by your SSTV televised speech during the welcoming ceremony of the former Sudanese minister, a paramount elder, and a former prominent politician, uncle Andrew Wieu-dit in Juba , hosted by his Ngok Lualyak Community. Your speech and that of Upper Nile governor, Mr. Simon Kun, were inspirationally resonating to entire populace of Greater Upper Nile citizens and South Sudanese as a whole. We, the Padang Communities in Diaspora are totally outraged and upset by the declaration of the military escalation between the SPLA and Lt. General George Athor Deng forces , as was ordered last Friday by the Commander-in-chief of the SPLA and president of South Sudan, 1st Lt. General Salva Kiir Mayardit, in his speech to the SPLA military officers at Bilpam military base in Juba. As peace-loving citizens, Padang Communities and South Sudanese in Diaspora as a whole, are vehemently saddened by Salva Kiir Mayardit‘s call for military pursuit against the forces of Lt. General George Athor Deng. It is being said that a fire cannot be extinguished with a fire as this may escalate into an explosive situation ahead of the declaration of the full recognition of the Republic of South Sudan as an independent sovereign state on July 9th, 2011. As Padang Communities and South Sudanese in Diaspora and back home in Sudan, we believe that the rebellion of Lt. General Athor forces can be resolved through peaceful means other than military pursuit. As you have alleged that Greater Upper Nile ( Unity State, Upper Nile and Jonglei) have become under total insecurity and a battle ground for all the current fighting, Mr. Vice president, you as a great son of Greater Upper Nile must play a greater role along with Uncle Andrew Wieu, and many other greater upper Nile politicians and elders to bring about an everlasting peace and reconciliation to this simmering military conflict in Greater Upper Nile. We, as Padang Communities and peace-loving South Sudanese citizens across the worlds are more outraged to see Salva Kiir Mayardit continues to issue a military order to resolve this conflict through the barrels of gun. Are we not ashamed of ourselves as patriotic and loyal South Sudanese citizens to pursue violence with violence when it is actually eroding the lives of innocent civilians and south Sudanese soldiers mercilessly at each other throats? Does the president of South Sudan have a sense of passionate compassion to spare the lives of the SPLA soldiers in uniforms not to be exploited for this egocentric and internal war fueled by some certain power-hungry politicians in Jonglei? Why Mr. President would the presidency of South Sudan under your guardianship continue to be a bystander in permitting few individuals in Jonglei and Juba to exploit the situation in what appear to be a selfish interest of few elites? Mr. Vice president, so many peace initiatives were attempted since last year up to the moment, but it seem to fall on deaf ears in vain. For instances, in the previous year, the South Sudanese civil societies, SPLM Chapters, faith-organized groups, Padang Paramount Chiefs and elders from the various states and counties did petitioned for peaceful resolution for this military conflicts, but all these initiatives were downtrodden and shredded. Again, UN Representative in Sudan has approached you as the South Sudan Vice president, but it was all in vain. In February of 2011, following the Fangak military clash, the UN Representative reiterated call for peaceful settlement as was reported last week but instead of heeding the call made by the UN Representative, the president of South Sudan ordered another defiant military pursuit against the forces of Lt. General George Athor Deng. Is this how the leadership should be handling the conflict? Well, Mr. vice president, it may be the interests of some politicians in Juba and Jonglei to resolve this rebellious military insurgency through gun, but our main concern is that we worry about the repugnant casualties of civilians and the unnecessary deaths of our South Sudan armed forces soldiers. We all have brothers in the SPLA uniforms and are dying unreasonably and unjustifiably for an internal conflict fueled by few egoists driven by personal politics of bigotry within. We demand that this conflict be brought to full cessation to save the lives of our patriotic brothers in the South Sudan Armed Forces. So far many of us have lost their loved ones in the military skirmishes as well as civilians and if it continue to be kept on, then more lives may be lost and maimed. This is why it must be stopped once and for all. We, Padang communities in Diaspora are also urging the presidency of South Sudan to deploy more SPLA troops along the borders to protect the civil populations of Abyei, Ruweng Abiemnom, Panaruu, Abeliang/Renk, and Aweil community from the sporadic raids of Messiriya militias and Popular Defense Forces. Instead of amassing the SPLA forces in Jonglei to fight selfish war, it would be wise and recommendable not to stretch-thinned the SPLA Forces when the border row is looming to be a recipe for possible return to civil war resumption between the co-signatories to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Moreover, exploiting the South Sudan Armed Forces to fight at each other throats is not only disintegrating us as South Sudanese, but it is diminishing the spirits of nationalism, patriotism, integrity and loyalty of all our citizens . And this demoralization of citizens and soldiers could lead to the downfall of South Sudan national-building and treacherous treason. Citizens are loyal, patriotic and nationalistic and law-abiding only if the national leaders and politicians run the nation by the rules of law and constitution and deliver adequate social justices for all without biases and injustices involved. Resolutions and Recommendations to the GOSS and Athor conflict. 1. Padang sub-communities in Diaspora and at homeland are demanding the GOSS presidency to deploy massive SPLA Forces to protect the civil populations of Abyei, Abiemnom Ruweng, Northern Panaruu, and Abeliang/Renk to deter the deaths of civilians in those border areas and protect their livelihood properties. 2. We call upon the presidency of South Sudan, Padang politicians and intellectuals to play tremendous roles and advocacies to approach and consult with Lt. General George Athor Deng to resolve this conflict through peaceful settlement. All Padang elders and intellectuals in Sudan should be granted chances to intervene and broker the reconciliation between GOSS and Lt. General George Athor Deng to avoid more bloodshed once and for all. 3. We request the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit to relinquish his ambiguous and murky call for use of military forces to resolve Athor‘s military revolt and give peace and reconciliation an abundant opportunity. 4. We urge the GOSS presidency to ensure secure and safe protection of the civil populations in Jonglei by separating and isolating military installations from the civilians’ local inhabitants in the state to avert crossfire incidents as was in the case of Fangak town. GOSS must also instruct and discipline the SPLA soldiers not to harass and rape the women in their vicinities as these wreck havocs and violations of human rights against humanity. 5. We call upon the UNMIS to play a vital role in protecting and defending the Abyei civilians from further massacring in their watches. The roles of the UNMIS is mandated by the Security Council to monitor and supervise the violation of the CPA in Sudan, but ever since the UNMIS was deployed in Abyei, Abiemnom , and Panrieng, hundreds of civilians have been killed by the messiriya militias or SAF but the UNMIS contingent forces and JIU had never intervened to save lives and properties of our citizens along the border towns. 6. We call for the humanitarian assistances to displaced civilians of Abyei following the recent skirmishes. We also call upon the GOSS to officially probe into the detention of the Abyei, Abiemnom, Panrieng and Nuer citizens in Kadugli town, el beid or in Southern Kordufan and negotiate for their absolute releases. Many of these IDPs or returnees coming from Khartoum or Northern Sudan are indiscriminately killed in cold-blooded and their precious properties robbed at gunpoint by either the Messiriya militias of SAF patrol security forces. In order for bilateral relationship to continue to blossom between the South Sudan and the North Sudan as well as border communities are no exception, both the GOSS and NCP must allow the peaceful movements of our South Sudanese civilians without robbing and murdering them on the highways along the border towns of Southern Kordufan, Abyei and Unity State. 7. We Padang sub communities proposed that Abyei district, Abiemnom county and Ruweng/Panrieng county be amalgamated to form the future 11th state of South Sudan after the declaration of South Sudan as a sovereign independent state on July 9th, 2011. Combination of Nine Ngok Dinka clans of Abyei, six clans of Abiemnom and 12 Panaruu Dinka clans are qualified to be a state of their own. Historically, these communities are one ancestral genealogy and origin and hence speak one dialect and practice one custom and tradition. 8. We demand the GOSS and NCP to complete the implementation of the border demarcation and transfer of the Abyei Ngok territory to be annexed to South Sudan as was ruled by the International Court verdict in Hague last year. We also urge the GOSS to pressure the Unity state governor, Taban Deng Gai to mandate the state supreme court to mediate and resolve the territorial annexation dispute between Ruweng Dinka and Nuer in Unity State. This issue of land-grabbing is a potential threat among the state ethnic communities and it must be resolved amicably and peacefully through legal litigation. 9. Eventually, an attempt to broker peace and reconciliation between the GOSS and George Athor Deng should involve the participation of Padang elders, chiefs, UN, and regional representatives with neutrality. Conclusively, we stand in mutual solidarity and cooperation with Dr. Riek Machar to endeavour the peaceful settlement of this conflict. Undersigned by the Padang Sub-communities in Diaspora: Abyei Community of Abyei Ngok Abeliang Community of Renk County Dongjol Community of Akoka County Ageer/Nyiel community of Meluth County. Ruweng Community of Abiemnom County Panaruu Community of Ruweng/Panrieng County. Ngok Lualyak Community of Baliet County. Rut/Thoi/Luac Community of Pigi County. Regards, The body of the Padang Coalition Community for Peace and Reconciliation (PCCPR) can be reached at [email protected] or please subscribe to the [email protected] for details. Thirik Lang Mijak, PIFU General Coordinator for Information. Posted in: Press Releases, Peace Documents -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "JFD info" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/jfdinfo?hl=en.
