The Problem of South Sudan Diaspopra.
My experience of the dilemma of South Sudanese Diaspora is witnessed
from here; yet, I never thought one time of disowning my own country.
19 July 2012
By Deng Bior Deng.
Any war will always bear blame and praise for it’s disadvantages and
advantages. The war for South Sudan had inflicted many known and
unknown-untold disasters and suffering to the people of this country
since it’s history immemorial. Displaced and dispersed all over the
World by wars, the South Sudanese return to their country after
independence seems to be as difficult and hard as when they fled the
Country.
This personal opinion is an attempt from my own perspective and
experience, to cast a picture about the difficulties and the dilemma
of our country’s diasporas who may or may not want to return home. A
prelude from my own stand point is worthwhile to start with how I
became a refugee, how and why I returned after war and what experience
did I gain in exile and on my return ; perhaps some may share my
experience.
1982 was ripe for South Sudan to go back to war when President
Nimeiry abrogated the Addis Ababa accord of 1972 with the first South
Sudan liberation fighters known as Anya-Nya under the command of
General Joseph Lagu. Each and every South Sudanese was unhappy in his
own way but the South Sudanese Army officers in a special way. In
Sudan, by then, we lived as relatives, families, a community, Society,
and a political unit in our own right being South Sudanese. This gave
us an undeclared unity of purpose.
One day in December 1982 at Malakal, I approached Major Arok Thon Arok
and ask him why they the South Sudanese officers were just keeping
quiet when the situation in the South was as deteriorating as it was.
His answer was that they would be ready if there were a senior South
Sudanese officer who could be ready to command because such and
operation by Junior officers would be easily crashed; but taking my
concern seriously, he suggested John Garang as the only South Sudanese
senior officer whom he could approach because of his friendly
association with junior officers including himself.
Fortunately enough in the same month, I happened to be in Khartoum
where I had a chance to ask the help of John Garang giving me a ride
to where I lived. On our way, I asked him what he was doing in
Khartoum when Southerners were in dire need of him during that crucial
time; his answer was positive that he was going to Juba to see what to
be done.
There must have been such more serious contacts by the higher echelons
of our South Sudan political and military spectrum; that is why his
answer was so easy, I sensed. Major Arok, on my return to Malakal,
whispered to me that they might be on the move soon; John Garang is in
Juba he said. The objective was accomplished in may 1983 (this is a
story of its own).
By association, I felt I had become a part of the objective, therefore
I dropped my scholarship and started to plan joining the war which I
did in August 1984. At this point, I did not consider myself exiled
from my own country, but was fighting for it.
When, why, and how did I become exiled? Answering this question is
another story of it’s own and may mislead me to writing history which
is not my theme here; suffice to say that differences in the objective
of the war had led to it’s undesirable circumstances at the time. I
therefore decided to seek asylum to the United States in 1995 against
my conscience for the need to prosecute war to it’s last conclusion
which by chance might determine it’s own outcome; but with my will
because, I learned, the movement, SPLM, had started to eliminate the
separatists, especially when the information about the murder of
justice Martin Majier began to unfold.
Thanks to the UNHCR and IOM for facilitation and The Government of
United States for hospitality. Like blessing in disguise, I found
myself with the LOST BOYS of our war contributing more effectively to
the independence of the South through the American People. The
independence of the South Sudan did not come by gun alone but also by
politics; I did both.
Additionally, I gained the experience of a civilized World of
freedom, democracy and justice for all; a World where the love of
humanity governs the moral aspects of leadership, and a World where a
Government is responsible for life and security of it’s citizens and
where the rule of law is morally a divine culture.
But, all the same, I maintained the moral heritage of myself belonging
to South Sudan. The only negative thought I had was perhaps the worry
of my children going to be oriented against my home cultural norms in
a World where the Government is directly responsible for disciple and
welfare of children. Despite the progress of my daughters in schools,
like any Diaspora, I still had the worry that I might be caught up in
the complexities of the free World leading me to homophobia; so, what
next? I began to imagine, one time I will go home which I did in 2007.
My experience when I returned home in 2007 is another story. I was
called with five others by Dr. Lual Deng, then Minister of finance of
the old Sudan, to go and occupy positions in his ministry according to
CPA power sharing arrangement by which I became a director general in
the chambers of accounts.
Unfortunately, I served only for six months before I was pensioned off
because of my age limit prescribed in the civil service regulations.
The same regulation could not even approve me a pension because my
period of service could not qualify me for this benefit.
Being a veteran, I swished to the SPLM Government in Juba. I stayed in
Juba for four years appealing to my Government and my Army, the SPLA,
to at least consider me for privilege of a veteran like my other
comrades in Arms but to no avail; why? Because I was known to be
among the founders of SPLM-DC; which was true, except for the paradox
of depriving me of my war benefits for my political affiliation. My
experience of the dilemma of South Sudanese Diaspora is witnessed
from here; yet, I never thought one time of disowning my own country.
There are many difficulties and problems that seem to justify why the
Diasporas appear reluctant to return home after independence of the
country. Among these are:-
1- The despair and frustration of the way our SPLM Government is
maiming and dehumanizing the same
people they claim to have liberation.
2- The shame of the international outcry and condemnation of our Government..
3- The corruption, reign of terror, nepotism, tribalism, favoritism,
opportunism, etc. being the way our
SPLM Government control their power has become an alien culture to a
people who have seen how the Free World of justice for all works.
4- Like any refugees, they have no ability to repatriate themselves
even if most of them may want to Return home.
5- Education of their children is a moral responsibility which they
cannot comprise when they hear the
schools are not working especially, the universities.
6- Our SPLM Government sees the Diaspora as competitors for power;
therefore keeping them out is
The solution.
7- The recent killing of South Sudanese American in Bor may add to their fears.
8- Some diasporas are children of the martyrs who have become orphans;
they may not return unless there is a Government programmed project
for them.
In conclusion, my advice to the Diasporas is that it would be self
defeating to disown ourselves from our own country; it is our presence
that can change things.
We shall be abusing the hospitality of our host countries by being so
much apathetical passive to allow our people and us being oppressed by
a small elite group in our country.
Last but not least, we are not born free because life itself is not
free. South Sudan, the country of Prophet Isaiah with honey and milk
is not yet free; it is a matter of struggle. If we do not liberate
ourselves from this small SPLM clique, let us not blame Salva Kiir or
Riek Machar; they may, let me guess, have been besieged by their
inherited children of war.
Democratic change is the solution. Let us go to Juba and wake up all
who are sleeping waiting for heaven to liberate us.
Thanks.
Deng Bior Deng (email: [email protected])
Posted in: Opinions
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