Fish out the political inciters of inter-communal tensions

Conferences after conferences, one dialogue after the other, and sprawling number of committees set up the executive branch of the national government – all in desperate attempts to find lasting solutions to recurring inter-communal crises tearing many parts of the country apart. From revenge attacks, cattle raiding, and child abductions, South Sudan continues to witness vicious circle of insecurity, especially outside the capital Juba.

 Jonglei and Pibor have been the hotspots for the aforementioned categories of violence. Last week, a reconciliatory dialogue to end the inter-communal violence in Jonglei and Pibor was concluded in Juba. Without mentioning names, Dr. James Wani Igga, the Vice President for Economic Cluster accused politicians of fuelling crisis by spewing divisive rhetoric among communities.

“I went to some places and found out that in fact politicians have a big role in this conflict, but we have turned around to say what is wrong with you South Sudanese yet we are the ones setting the fire, this will never take us ahead,” Igga, head of the high-level committee to address the Jonglei, Pibor conflict said. The sentiment was echoed by President Salva Kiir on the last day of the conference in which the President vowed never to again mediate a repeat of a conflict perpetrated by so-called responsible politicians. Crying and wiping tears, President Kiir blasted officials for playing hide and seek reiterating that the national government will not intervene to quell any tension that could re-emerge among communities

Ironically, these are the same people who were present at the three-day dialogue and the (living) suspects could be really tormented by their guilty conscience for the role they played in the 20-year-long conflict. Even as the Jonglei – Pibor dialogue concludes, alarming reports of cattle raiding leaving a trail of casualties in Terekeka County are emerging; the government should not overlook it because failure to address it could destabilize the State and consequently the whole country. In his closing remarks, Kiir, out of anger, vowed not mediate a round of inter-communal violence instigated by politicians. The statement sent a shockwave across the nation and among South Sudanese in the diaspora.

While his statement was interpreted from differently perspectives by different people, it is safer to say the statement was rhetorical. The President has a constitutional mandate to protect the citizens no matter how bad a situation has gotten. He has no choice but to find solutions to address matters of national concern. If politicians are the people behind the inter-communal conflicts, one thing becomes certain; the government should fish them out and make them account for their actions.

Now that all Governors and their deputies have been appointed, it is time for State leadership to get down to work. It is not going to be all-milk-and-honey, leading a community rooted in violence is a mammoth task. The role of Members of Parliament is key. Under the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan, however, the role of parliament in the operations of national affairs has been bequeathed to the dustbin of oblivion.

Since the signing of the revitalized peace agreement in February last year, the new government has strategically delayed the reconstitution of the legislature perhaps to avoid being held to account for their actions. Back to the Jonglei – Pibor saga, deployment of soldiers to safeguard the two areas was part of the resolutions signed on Wednesday. In several instances, soldiers deployed to protect civilians become unruly and making perpetration of violence against civilians their main mandate. This is common in cases where the soldiers are not given basic supplies. The phenomenon has been compounded by forces who have completed training but have not yet been unified despite earlier announcement by National Security Advisor Tut Gatluak on the new year’s eve.