Date: Fri, 2 May 2014 18:59:11 +0200
Memo to Macahar
Gamal Nkrumah writes that a better way than war for former South Sudan vice
president Reik Machar to reward his supporters is by pursuing peace
Friday,02 May, 2014
Behaviours based on memories of slavery and internecine tribal infighting
run deep. And there is no sign of a move to discard the abominable habits of
the past. Forces opposed to South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and loyal to
former vice president Reik Machar seized Bentiu, while ethnic Dinka
residents of Bor town in Jonglei state attacked a United Nations compound
and administrative office last Thursday where about 5,000 people - mostly
ethnic Nuer - were sheltering and proceeded to mercilessly butcher them.
In retaliation, Nuer paramilitary troops hunted down Dinka refugees seeking
refuge in churches and mosques in the economically vital oil producing
regions of South Sudan such as Bor, capital of oil-rich Jongolei state, and
oil hub Bentui, capital of Unity State.
South Sudan desperately needs a leader with a steady hand. Kiir has his
constituency in South Sudan. However, he has his detractors, and they insist
that he has intervened messily on the domestic front.
The international community wishes to keep the South Sudan crisis at bay.
Not only because of the imminent humanitarian crisis, but because the
political stability of South Sudan - a crucial country in the Nile Basin and
its leading oil producer - is vital. UN Security Council members are
currently considering imposing sanctions on South Sudanese warring parties.
The protagonists do not seem to be taking the threat seriously.
Herve Ladsous, the UN peacekeeping chief, called for the cessation of
hostilities and warned that more than a million people face starvation in
South Sudan, a country that he explained faced "a humanitarian catastrophe".
One million South Sudanese have been rendered homeless.
The Ladsous strategy for South Sudan seems sensible enough, but it needs
fine-tuning. The scars of the atrocious massacre in Bentiu on 15-16 April
plunged the country into unprecedented depths of despair. The dreaded
so-called "White Army", nicknamed because its fighters smear themselves with
ash, direct their venom against anyone deemed to be standing against Machar.
A descent into darkness of South Sudan does no country in the Nile Basin any
good. Machar's men have seized key strategic oil towns and regions in the
northern and central regions of South Sudan. Machar's militias for the time
being do not seem so keen to march on the capital Juba.
For a brief moment it seemed that South Sudan's slide into civil war might
be halted. The Addis Ababa peace talks, however, did not produce tangible
results on the ground.
A torrent of sleaze allegations against Kiir and his circle resulted in the
escalation of the crisis in South Sudan. Key projects on the River Nile that
forms the pulsating heart of South Sudan urgently need consideration, and
especially the Jongolei Canal project that was first envisaged by the
legendary late Sudanese People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) leader John
Garang. His study and research work on the project, the subject of his
doctoral thesis, indicated that not only South Sudan, but also countries as
far afield as Egypt could benefit from the development of the Jongolei Canal
project.
Beyond the river, much remains to be done. South Sudan has become
politically charged because of the rivalry between Kiir and Machar. Most of
the country's neighbours have sided with Kiir. Machar has few friends in the
region. However, of late it seems that East African leaders' criticisms of
Machar have been couched in terms of recommendations that reconciliation is
reached. With no side emerging as a clear winner in the war, South Sudanese
benefactors such as the United States and China, which has invested heavily
in South Sudan's oil sector are despairing of chances to redeem the nascent
nation.
The key to the end of the conflict in South Sudan appears to be Machar. He
has courted Ethiopia, partly in retaliation for the perceived animosity
between Egypt, a staunch Kiir supporter, and Ethiopia over the latter's
Renaissance Dam.
Uganda backs Kiir and has provided troops, arms and ammunition to his cause.
Khartoum has followed a different policy, arming both sides in the South
Sudan conflict. Drawing regional powers into the conflict will not resolve
the crisis. Machar must make up his mind to save South Sudan from being
drowned in blood. He must stop seeking revenge, as he did in Bentiu where
traders from Darfur were singled out for retaliation because the Darfur
armed opposition group fighting the Sudanese government, the Justice and
Equality Movement, supplied Kiir's army with weapons.
Machar must mend fences with Kiir and with neighbouring countries. His
ragtag militiamen cannot overthrow Kiir's government. The country has slid
into the unenviable status of a failed state because of his bullish
intransigence.
Memo to Macahar
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