South Sudan News Agency

By: Philips Al-Ghai

May 15, 2013 (SSNA) -- With the murder of Chief Kuol Deng Kuol as the latest in the series of Sudan’s continued aggression against S. Sudan, it is time that Juba draws curtain on soft stances, and develops relevant countermeasures against Khartoum –even if it means another war. It is worrying that S. Sudan might not stand a chance of getting fair justice with the current status quo within the United Nations and the African Union.  The approach employed by both organizations over the last few years, in an effort to forge peaceful solutions between the two countries, seems to fortify this.

In the progression of events since the independence of S. Sudan, the position of UN and AU has been hypocritical, and inherently redundant. Customarily, both have been [and still continue to] turning a blind eye to Sudan Army’s aerial bombings and ground assault deep within S. Sudan. However, when SPLA seized Panthou (Heglig) in April last year, they abruptly found guts to ‘condemn it with the strongest terms possible’. Outraged, they swamped the media barely a few hours after the incident.  Interestingly, capture of Panthou was a continuation of Sudan Army’s prior attack on SPLA positions in Unity State, but neither the UN nor the AU was keen to acknowledge that. Ban Ki Moon was lightening-quick to describe it as “an infringement on the sovereignty of Sudan and a clearly illegal act.” Assuming that Heglig is part of Sudan, the UN Chief simply implied that only SAF’s attack within S. Sudan territory is deemed ‘legal’. As if that was not enough, he went on to give ‘an order’ to the president of a sovereign state! Make no illusion that he’d take such crap to Bashir. He has never done, and will never do. Never.

Moreover, the same UN had been whining around, speculating that S. Sudan supports Sudan rebels; a scapegoat currently used by the bloody warmongers in the North to justify their destabilization campaigns in the South. Yet they were lip-tied when the whole proxy militia unit, used by Khartoum, returned to the South in a broad daylight! Didn’t they hear what they were doing in the North? I doubt.

The AU, on the other hand, looks comfortable with the hide-and-seek games that Khartoum has been playing throughout the negotiations. Khartoum has been breaching agreements on their faces, one after another, and Chief Kuol’s murder being the latest attempt to re-derail the Abyei referendum. Still they are as meek as lambs about it. As usual, Khartoum, intriguingly, is allowed to go scot-free. Why don’t they transfer the dispute to the Permanent Court of Arbitration if they are a bunch of gutless cowards who can’t afford seeing Bashir in the eye? Perhaps they are waiting for the breaking point when S. Sudan wouldn’t be able to influence any outcome, one is tempted to think. When that will be is another question.

Regrettably, both organizations have again and again proved too critical toward Juba yet they, blatantly, fail to hold Khartoum accountable for its incessant aggression and breach of agreements. This only portrays them as inadmissible, absurd, and void of impartiality. It suggests that S. Sudan’s perceived military and economic inferiority is being used as a potential fault-line that can be exploited to solve the problem.  This can only be seen as betrayal against S. Sudan.

It is also astounding that, even in the presence of United Nations Interim Force for Abyei [in Abyei], people still lose lives to SAF and their Misseriya arab militias. The UN and the AU once again pretend not to know anything about it. Apparently, if you give it a closer look, the lines between the UN, the AU, and the bloodthirsty Jihadists in the North have blurred. Their credibility has waned drastically. S. Sudan’s complains are reduced to a toothless-cobra’s hiss. One wonders whether S. Sudan will ever get fair justice with the current set up within the UN and the AU.

This leaves the government of S. Sudan with only one option: take a stern stance on Abyei and other disputed areas; negotiate when everyone is ready to, and leave the negotiation table when everyone else leaves. It is also necessary that corresponding echoes be unequivocally sent out when Sudan blows war or peace trumpets. That would balance the equation. Otherwise, S. Sudan’s sovereignty is at stake if it is left in the hands of the Bashir-shy UN and AU.

Philips Al-Ghai can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

By: Chol Ajak Demac

May 14, 2013 (SSNA) -- Lately, I have been monitoring the political development in South Sudan and I am in awe of how fast the situation is deteriorating and how fast the SPLM lost and will continue to lose grounds as a national political party!!!   Things may get worse for the South and the SPLM, unless miracles happen.

There have been a lot of talks lately on how best to govern South Sudan, some are calling for Federalism  others are calling for centralism and few are for I don’t care party!?  Without taking sides on which is the best way to govern the South, one can only be concern on the way the debate is being carryout. For example last week in Juba the greater Equatoria region, on their extraordinary conference calls for federal system of governance. Today we learn that the greater Bhar el Ghazal is due to hold their extraordinary conference in Wau from the 15^th to 20^th of May this year and who knows?  Greater Upper Nile may hold it conference soon (who’s better than who).

Now here are the questions

1- Is it best to tackle the problems of politics and governing the country by going regional? Did we try that before? Where did we end up in the past by going regional on the issues of national interest? “Those who fail to learn from the history are doomed to repeat it” or “He who lives to forget his past lives to die of his past. Knowing the past and keeping the past helps us to shape the future, and may avoid the reoccurrences of past disasters”.

2- One can’t help but to noticed that all the leaders of so call regional conferences are all seniors SPLM members? That begs the question; did the SPLM fail as a party to hold these kinds of conferences? Why can the SPLM organize the conference that have nothing to do with who should or shouldn’t  be the Chairmen but rather  debate and came out with the solutions on how best to run the country, keeping in mind the SPLM had been the ruling party for the last 8 years? 

3- Others may say that, they try all the above within the ruling party and fail for one reason or another!!!  I don’t have any inside information to agree or disagree with them, but I can’t imagine that their failure is due to where they hail from or which region they came from, in such a case the problem of how to govern South Sudan shouldn’t be regionalized, but rather nationalized in terms of Political parties, in short if the SPLM fails you, you quit and form a party that call for federation in the South and I bet you will find a lot of supporters from all corner of the nation.

4- Some may ask why worry about the regional driven politics? To be candid, it doesn’t worry me when a  region gets together to address problems in the region such as insecurity in the area, because of the tribal and intertribal conflicts, or tackles the issues of developments in private sector , or agriculture improvement , most of you will agree how urgent the South is in need of such conferences!!?  I only worry when we try to use the region to score political points at the national level for these reasons:

A-Although the intention may be good, there is always few who will try to hijack the situation and misuse it to further their self interest wish can result in dividing the Country on the regional line and tribal politic.       

B-With all due respect, our people are still young, when it come to politic that include, the so called intellectuals (the roots of most problems in RSS) therefore if we base our political demands on the region instead of party platform, we are risking further divisions among our people, and the words of our national anthem “Land of great abundance, Uphold us united in peace and harmony” will be things of the past.   

C-Let’s all assume that Bahr el-Ghazal call for centralism in their upcoming conference? And the Upper Nile calls for either? Are we not setting up the country to the paths of civil war base on regionalism?   But if we do it base on the parties platforms then each party will have supporters in every town city or region of the nation, and that can lead us towards more unification of our nation.

Finally, it is my hope that when it comes to discussing the national issues we should always try to keep our emotion away from it, and have some intelligence deliberations.

Lastly but not least, on my open letter to Mr. President Kiir  Mayardit, publish on August 3, 2011 I asked him the following question: Are we going to be the beacon of light and hope in Africa, or a laughing Stock of the World?  Fellow citizens of Republic of South Sudan, I’m appealing to your better nature to try your level best in answering this questions, and ask ourselves what kind of Country did we really fight for and dreams of??

May almighty God guide us towards being a peaceful and democratic Nation, so God bless South Sudan.

The Author is a former Secretary General of the SPLM Chapter in Arizona State, USA; he can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

By: Deng Vanang

May 11, 2013 (SSNA) -- Until death do us part, seem to be the rapturous echoes ripping through the throbbing heart of bewildered Ngok Dinka citizens in Abyei. The disputed territory is aging as it is well over its centenary year in self-imposed exile. It is to be recalled the tiny but much priced territory straddled into the faulty lines dangerously laying between North and South of two Sudans back in 1905. The patriarch also known as paramount chief Kuol Deng Majok thought of rare benefits to bring within the grips of his Abyei off springs {both sons and daughters} when he decided rather opportunistically to kiss goodbye to the South, then considered Sudan’s back water of anything thought credible. The perceived benefits to grasp were modern education and Arabs civilization with which North was enviously associated. Not to forget, one more additional benefit whether subconsciously perceived of or not was conversion to Islam that as well accrued a few more bountiful goodies for people derogatorily regarded as infidels willing to cross over to the dubbed last Prophet’s holy land. All these coveted gains turned regrettable poisoned chalice one hundred years later. With Abyei striking it rich in oil wealth and South Sudanese clamoring for the independence, then began Abyei present day perpetual woes of an intractable pogrom.

The Abyei Dinka as truly South Sudanese in all social characteristics of ethnic origin, yet black skin complexion and Nilotic culture turned out to be the tug pulled in between beyond an elastic limit by both sides of political divide. Consequently, that strange twist and turn has attracted a legion of countless regional and international peace keeping interventions all under one leaking roof of the UN, collectively referred to as UNISFA. And from which arises the present day stalemate or be it sheer miscalculation of sorts that makes it difficult for one rival side to take Abyei over either through brute force or shrewd diplomacy. Nor is there possibility of a peaceful referendum insight as stipulated in an already defunct Comprehensive Peace Agreement, CPA that is now regarded as never comprehensive by still suffering peoples of Abyei, Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains. For so many timelines on that matter mysteriously as indefinitely come and go under protracted non-substantial arguments predicated on ownership rights.

While the tenancy over who should be given the keys turn bloodiest, the victims ironically happen to be the rightful owners but self-acclaimed civilized Ngok Dinka at the hands of hired goons – the Miseriya settlers on the suspected pay list of the bloody game spectators in far flung Khartoum. Fleeing in the face of genocidal Miseriya tribal raids followed by Sudan Armed forces mopping up operations, Abyei Ngok Dinka have a fairer share in their perennial predicament too. Their treacherous over reliance on external muscles while partly eating with those they call enemy are the conjoined debacles they have to clear on their tortuous journey to freedom. No amount of proxy wars waged by murk-racking press, local mercenaries paid from South Sudan increasingly shrinking public coffer and neither are international mercenaries under the UN financial benevolence shall win over Abyei to their side on silver platter. This brings forth pertinent questions for them to answer. How many times their paramount chiefs have to be slaughtered like chickens in that abattoir called Abyei under their hapless watch, how longer is the time for patience or veiled cowardice to pay and how many more cheeks remaining for them they the nine Ngok Dinka chiefdoms in Abyei to turn for unremorseful slapping? Eight years are long enough even for the faith-based patience or rather disguised cowardice to wither as there are only two cheeks a normal human being has to give away in self-inflicted indignity and concocted helplessness.

Despite all indications that point to the grim reality that future - as bleak as it is - of Abyei will not be decided at the ballot box. Since the conflict has hitherto defied well crafted amicable solutions that came far and between such as that of Abyei Boundary Commission, ABC, The Hague based - International Court of Arbitration and now the on-going shuttle diplomacy to determine Abyei troubled future which all have ground to a halt if not come to nothing. With one more saddest and time wasting thing at stake typical Nilotic ethnic groups lack but Abyei Ngok Dinka strangely have; being the false modesty under which they have recoiled hoping for never coming one day when the territory shall peacefully return home - South Sudan - to roost.

Deng Vanang, Journalist, Author of the upcoming book: ‘’South Sudan Contested Legacies’’ and Executive member of South Sudan’s leading opposition, the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement for Democratic Change - SPLM-DC. He can be reached at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

NB. This opinion piece is solely mine and not attributed to the official position of SPLM-DC as the party on Abyei’s issue.