Media & Spokesperson Unit, Communication & Public Information Office

MEDIA MONITORING REPORT United Nations Mission in South (UNMISS)

THURSDAY, 7 MARCH 2013

SOUTH SUDAN • Violence in kills 33 (Associated Press (AP) • Civilians’ situation normal in Pibor (Catholic Radio Network) • Prominent MP appears for first court hearing (Voice of Hope Radio) • SPLM monopolizes constitution review process (Catholic Radio Network) • Constitution committee prepares for civic education campaign (Gurtong.net) • Jonglei state SPLM secretary suspended (Gurtong.net) • VP Machar optimistic of timely census despite challenges (Gurtong.net) • Fuel Scarcity Hitting Juba as Kenya Elections Vote Counting Continues (Gurtong.net) • Maternal mortality still high in the country: Official (Gurtong.net) • South Sudan’s second lady urges women to push for affirmative action (Sudantribune.com) • MPs reject Kiir’s attempt to reinstate N. Bahr el Ghazal speaker (Sudantribune.com) • Humanitarian coordinator in Rumbek to help health, education (Good News Radio) • Refugee travels from South Sudan to South Dakota (San Antonio Express) • east returns stolen cattle to Turkana (Radio Emmanuel) • authorities return stolen cattle to Kenya's Turkana (Gurtong.net) SOUTH SUDAN, SUDAN • SPLA accuses Sudan of bombing Upper Nile state territory (Gurtong.net) • Sudan continues bombing South Sudan (Catholic Radio Network) • Sudan-South Sudan resumes talks over implementation of signed deals (Sudantribune.com) • Sudan, South Sudan set to resume border talks (Reuters) OTHER HIGHLIGHTS • ICC judges set May 2014 as trial date for two Darfur rebel commanders (Sudantribune.com) • Mahdi says ready for dialogue with Sudan gov’t to achieve democratic transition (Sudantribune.com) • Mahdi's umma party to engage in constitution consultations (Sudanvisiondaily.com) • Bashir wants those behind Sudan’s loss of landing slot at Heathrow airport held accountable (Sudantribune.com) • UN chief calls for Security Council to authorize robust special force for eastern Congo (Associated Press) OPINION/ANALYSIS/INTERVIEWS/EDITORIAL • A rotten society mismanaging itself into self-destruction! (South Sudan News Agency (SSNA),

NOTE: Reproduction here does not mean that the UNMISS Communications & Public Information Office can vouch for the accuracy or veracity of the contents, nor does this report reflect the views of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. Furthermore, international copyright exists on some materials and this summary should not be disseminated beyond the intended list of recipients.

Highlights

Violence in South Sudan kills 33 Associated Press (AP) Juba, 6/3/2013 – South Sudan's military spokesman says two clashes between soldiers and rebels resulted in the deaths of 33 people. Col. Philip Aguer said Wednesday that South Sudan troops killed 28 fighters led by the rebel leader David Yau Yau in the restive state of Jonglei. Ten soldiers were wounded in the Monday fights. Later Auger said the rebels ambushed the troops, killing five of them. Pibor County Commissioner Joshua Konyi said there have been several government efforts to reach a peace agreement with Yau Yau but they have not succeeded. Konyi said it appears Yau Yau understands "the language of the gun" better than peace. South Sudan broke away from Sudan in 2011 after decades of civil war. The country still has several internal regions where violence frequently flares.

Civilians’ situation normal in Pibor Catholic Radio Network, 6/3/2013 – The situation of civilians in Pibor County of Jonglei State is normal as the army is conducting operations to uproot David Yau Yau’s forces since Friday. Pibor County Commissioner Joshua Konyi told CRN over the phone that the situation of civilians is good and they maintain a good relationship with the army. He said they told the civilians to be far from the military operations areas not to be caught in crossfire. Mr Konyi said that there were no civilians in the area where SPLA and rebels clashed. He explained that the rebels were concentrated in Akelo on the Pachala-Pibor Road and the army crossed the Komkom stream, but did not yet advance to Kalbak. Army spokesperson Colonel Philip Aguer Panyang confirmed that Yau Yau’s rebels have been clashing with SPLA soldiers for the last week. He said the rebels ambushed the SPLA twice on Monday and Tuesday on Komkom and Raprap, but that army repelled the attacks and is now controlling both areas. Col Aguer the army will try to clear Yau Yau’s forces out of Pibor County so that normal civil administration is resumed. Col Aguer called on the civilians in Pibor to distance themselves from the areas occupied by rebel forces.

Prominent MP appears for first court hearing Voice of Hope Radio, 6/3/2013 – One of the outstanding members of state parliament accused of instigating Wau’s deadly December violence appeared in court in Wau on Wednesday morning for his first hearing. Hassan Ngor Agwer, from Wau North Constituency Number Nine, was arrested on December 29 in Wau by security operatives for allegedly delivering a speech in the state parliament that led to the burning of more than 165 houses and the killing of at least eight people, Voice of Hope reported. The accuser said the MP was quoted to use abusive language against six dead bodies killed in Ferjella calling then dogs in violation of South Sudan Criminal Act 2008. So far 34 suspects had their cases started. Among the suspects is John Peter Miskin, former Wau County Commissioner, 11 youths accused to have blocked Bussere-Wau road, four Prison officials, and 17 suspects on Ferjella killings. Most of the witnesses were security officials.

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Catholic Radio Network, 6/3/2013 – The Catholic Auxiliary Bishop of Juba warned that South Sudan will end up with a one party Constitution due to the dominant position of the SPLM in the Constitutional Review Commission. Bishop Santo Loku told Catholic Radio Network directors in a meeting in Juba on Tuesday that the ruling party owns the constructional process because it holds the majority in the review commission. He said the Church and the people were concerned that the Charter would become a one party guided document. Bishop Loku warned that the Church must be careful because there seems to be underground politicking to monopolize the process of Constitutional review. He said people have expressed concern over representation in the commission. Bishop Loku warned that if the Constitution was not well negotiated and people’s views not taken into consideration, difficulties might erupt in the future.

Constitution committee prepares for civic education campaign Gurtong.net Juba, 6/3/2013 – The Constitutional review committee on Tuesday held a workshop in preparation for civic education on the constitution that is set to be carried in the ten states of the country. The chairman of the National Constitution Review Committee (NCRC), Akolda M. Tier said that the task of civic education is a challenging one. “We are required by our terms of appointment to carry out the task of civic education and I believe that this is the most difficult assignment given to us,” he said. He also cited finances as one of the challenges of the commission. He added that this will hinder the process. Margret Mathew Deng who is the chairperson of the Civic Education Sub-Committee in the commission said that the workshop was to discuss the manual for the civic education. She added that education will be in more than two phases and that it will include a national media campaign, trainings and workshop. Margret said that they also intend to develop a website as one of their strategic plans. Meanwhile the representatives of the donor community, Ms. Marcia Dawes said that the international community supports the review process and that it is a great opportunity for South Sudan to start a process of where the country should go. “It also implies a great responsibility for this committee especially the commission to undertake such an important task,” she said. The commission was mandated to review the interim constitution of South Sudan. Established in January, Akolda late last year said that they started in July after receiving their budget of about 1.9 million South Sudanese pounds. He told reporters that the delay in their budget is the reason for their delay to start work and that their lost months be compensated. The parliament recently extended their mandate for two more years upon request of the commission.

Jonglei state SPLM secretary suspended Gurtong.net Bor, 6/3/2013 – Jonglei state Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) chairperson, Kuol Manyang Juuk has suspended the state secretary Buoth Chuol Ngot following his absence from the work since December 2012. The SPLM chairperson Kuol Manyang Juuk who is also the state governor in his letter dated 22 February gave an ultimatum of 7 days for the secretary to report back to his duty.

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“Having not honoured the ultimatum and lack of communication from your side, the office of SPLM chairperson has no option but take measures against your continued absence,” said the suspension letter. Kuol order the suspension of SPLM secretary with effect from March 5, 2013. The SPLM secretary, Bouth Chuol Ngot said that he was elected in 2008 during the SPLM congress and could not be suspended. He however said that in any government administrative order, there should be first warning, second warning then explanation letter followed by suspension. “I think my suspension was not procedural and if one could absorb the suspension itself critically I was given a first warning that I should report back to my work within seven days and before the completion of the seven days I was given the suspension in 1st March,” he said. “The final warning was on the 22 of February giving me seven days to report back to my work station while suspension was issued on 1st March meaning that I was suspended before the seven days got finished,” he added. He said that the suspension was politically motivated as there is no specific time for the board to set and address the issues.

VP Machar optimistic of timely census despite challenges Gurtong.net Juba, 7/3/2013 – South Sudan Vice President Dr is confident that the 2014 national census process will be timely and successful despite the challenges marring the nation. Government on Tuesday held a donor’s meeting aimed at boosting mobilization efforts for the success of the census process which is estimated will cost US $92.4 million. “We are definitely confident that the census will take place next year in 2014,” Dr. Riek said, “Because if it is insecurity you mentioned, the insecurity is reducing drastically and it is not at the same rate of 2008. It is much less than that so we belief that even the situation will improve far better security wise.” “In terms of support, this is a major project on which we have anchored many other important programs. We got to make it succeed. You remember in 2008 Khartoum failed to provide funding, we did although it was the function of Khartoum to provide the funding. So we are committed to it. Our development partners are also committed to it,” added Riek. South Sudan since its shutdown her oil production after it went into logger heads with Khartoum, despite brokered deal by the AU, has failed to resume production, keeping the country off from its core revenue. Oil used to contribute 98% of South Sudan’s annual budget. Cooperation agreement brokered by the AU last year in September believed could catalyze for mutual cooperation between the two countries has remained in books, presenting a critical challenge between the two nations that arrived at a brink of war last year in April 2012. The donor community appears exuberant to ensuring the census process is timely and successfully conducted.

Fuel Scarcity Hitting Juba as Kenya Elections Vote Counting Continues Gurtong.net Juba, 7/3/2013 – As Kenya’s elections vote counting is underway; the brunt of its impact is spilling to South Sudan with fuel, a key commodity imported from Kenya having started to run out of the local market. Abdu Razack, assistant operational Manager of Queen Petroleum Company located at the heart of Juba Capital exclusively told Gurtong that the elections are the affecting supply. Queen Petroleum station has remained with old stock of fuel as Abdu said the port in Kenya following the kick-off of the elections was temporarily closed. Meanwhile, Faisal Bass, the Manager of BASS Petrol station in Kuet, Juba also revealed to Gurtong similar experience.

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His station has remained with diesel only as petrol has run out of stock. “But I have trucks loaded and they are now at the South Sudan border for clearance and it is a matter of time to reach Juba,” Faisal said. “I came from Kenya yesterday [Tuesday] and it is the elections that is affecting,” he said. He said the port has been temporarily closed down due to the elections. Since Tuesday, clients jammed several petrol stations in Juba in an attempt to secure fuel due to the symptoms of shortage of the commodity. On Wednesday a number of petrol stations witnessed by Gurtong in Juba town have run out of petrol. South Sudan imports fuel mainly from Kenya after her borders with Sudan closed down since 2011. It also imports several other goods such as capital and services from East Africa.

Maternal mortality still high in the country: Official Gurtong.net Juba, 6/3/2013 – An official from the Ministry of Health has revealed in that the maternal mortality in the country is alarming. The Director for Nursing Midwifery, Janet Michael said in an interview that she forecasts a rise in the mortality rate which she said will drop at the end. “The mortality rate has been cited a 2054 for every 100,000 births,” she said. She said that for the mothers to be saved there is need to train midwives, do capacity building and provide the necessary facilities for the job. “Teenagers are going to increase in production and the risk of mothers will increase in the beginning,’ she said. She cited the poor condition of the roads as one of the reasons for the high maternal mortality rate in the country. She further said that there is need to have vehicles in good shape. South Sudan is one of the countries with the highest maternal rates in the world. Madam Janet said that during the war, the focus was on emergencies and hence the trainings were shallow. “This is not suitable now we need more professional trainings to reduce on the maternal mortality,” she advised. So far South Sudan has few schools of midwives with a few students according to the statistics from the director. In July 2012, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) announced that South Sudan has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world. UNFPA said that it is impossible to overcome the challenge soon due to lack of health facilities and enabling infrastructure to support the government’s effort. South Sudan, a country that has just enjoyed six years of peace from more than two decades of civil war faces acute challenge of skilled human resource, a factor that limits effective delivery of services to the more than 10 million estimated populations in the country. The new nation with a reduced illiteracy rate now to 73% during the historic period of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), has only five health training centers for Midwifery with each class room containing 30 to 40 students, the UNFPA said.

South Sudan’s second lady urges women to push for affirmative action Sudantribune.com Juba, 6/3/2013 – South Sudan’s second lady has urged women in the new country to push for more representation in government to increase their participation in decision-making processes.

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Angelina Teny, the wife of the country’s vice-president, Riek Machar Teny, made the comments on Wednesday while addressing an event marking international women’s day in Juba, organized by the South Sudan’s ruling party. Senior women leaders from the SPLM participated in the event which was held under the theme: "Celebrating achievement of South Sudan women". The second lady challenged women in the ten states of the country to organize themselves in order to effectively contribute to the decision-making processes in the 19-month-year-old nation. She argued that the next target for should be 50% affirmative action in public offices as well as in the civil service jobs as females constitute 60% of the country’s population, a statement which women received with applauds and ululations. Teny called on women to lobby for them to make up a larger percentage among SPLM decision makers in the party’s next constitution, which is currently under review. The SPLM ruling party has since 2005 given women 25% of government positions, this was increased to 30% in recent years but this target has not been reached partly due to lack of capacity as more men are educated than women in South Sudan, which is an illiteracy rate of over 70%. The target of 50% representation for women would be a challenge to force the country to develop the potential of women through compulsory girl’s education in order to gradually catch up with men, party officials say. Many girls do not finish their education due to early marriage and often having to work at an earlier age than boys. Teny also challenged women to establish an effective women’s league, recalling that the late leader, John Garang, in Yei, called for the formation of a women’s league of the SPLM, which would have provided space for their voices to be heard. Women leaders are imposed on women by men who appoint them to represent women instead of them choosing their own leaders, she further argued. Teny also called on South Sudanese women to groom young talented ladies so that they can take up the challenge and transform women in public life. She further urged women to also work in business and the private sector so as to become self-reliant and a driving force in the country’s economy. The second lady also urged for the participation of women in the national reconciliation process in the country, adding that women should bring up children to become nationalists and also appreciate South Sudan’s diverse cultures and values. In 2010 Teny narrowly lost her bid to become Unity State Governor losing to incumbent . Teny stood as an independent after Gai was chosen to as the SPLM’s official candidate. Out of South Sudan’s ten states only Warrap has a women governor, Nyandeng Malek Deliech. Among the SPLM figures who delivered speeches at the event were the vice president and deputy chairperson of the party, Riek Machar Teny, the speaker of parliament and deputy chairperson, and the party’s secretary general Pagan Amum.

MPs reject Kiir’s attempt to reinstate N. Bahr el Ghazal speaker Sudantribune.com Juba, 6/3/2013 – A group of MPs in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State on Wednesday protested against the attempt by South Sudan’s President to reinstate Aguer Wol Aguer as the speaker of the state assembly. “The directive of the president will work on the six members of parliament but will not at all work with the endorsement of the speaker. The speaker was removed through parliamentary procedures by 32 members. So returning him is not possible”, Majang Ngor Kuany, head of information committee in the state assembly told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday.

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Aguer who was removed his position during a vote he boycotted in July 2012, says his removal was engineered by members of the executive for political reasons and was unconstitutional. Kiir’s letter was in support of a resolution by the South Sudan Council of States - the upper house of the national parliament - in October 2012 nullifying Awan’s actions after a fact finding committee submitted a report showing that proper procedures were not followed. The six expelled MPs, who are all members of the South Sudan’s ruling party, have unanimously welcomed decision of the president endorsing the resolution of the Council of States which nullified their expulsion from the house and from the SPLM. Their expulsion from parliament and from the party did not follow proper procedures, the lawmakers said. Governor Awan dismissed the Speaker and the six MPs in 2012 in a controversial executive order terminating their SPLM membership and removing them from the house following allegations of disloyalty and cooperation with members of other political parties. Other allegations against the six members of parliament included holding meetings with other political and making statements without the consent of the secretariat. Reacting to the news of Kiir’s directive asking governor Awan to implement the resolution of the Council of States, Kuac Wek Wol, one of the dismissed MPs described it as a victory for justice. Wol, who is a former Northern Bahr el Ghazal minister of education, told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday: “This case of ours and our persistence and perseverance implies victory of justice, constitution and rules of law. And above all it is a good example of reclaiming of the lost dignity and self-realization of the peaceful and highly civilized Mading Aweil people, who are suffering in silence, but deserve recognition, respect and development.” The other dismissed MPs were Northern Bahr el Ghazal’s former agriculture minister, Deng Deng Akuei, as well as, Achak Thiep, Hikma Ali Malek, Andrew Lual Buola and Vicky Nyanut Urach.

Humanitarian coordinator in Rumbek to help health, education Good News Radio Rumbek, 6/3/2013 – The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan visited Lakes State to check on the situation in the area. Toby Lanzer told journalists at Rumbek Civil Hospital that the UN wanted to support education and health in Lakes State, Good News Radio reported. He said he would also look at the peace, development and security situation in the state. Mr Lanzer said the situation in the maternity ward touched him very much. He stressed the importance of maternal health to keep a healthy society. The humanitarian coordinator said the UN would improve health services delivery in the hospital. Mr Lanzer toured the civil hospital in Rumbek before heading to Rumbek North County, another health black spot in the state.

Refugee travels from South Sudan to South Dakota San Antonio Express, Texas, 7/3/2013 – Growing up in east-central Africa, David Jal tended cattle and herded sheep and goats - a life not so different to parts of the rural Midwest, where he lives now. But unlike Midwestern families, Jal and his family lived in constant fear of the civil war that was killing people all across South Sudan. Jal was born in 1976 in the village of Dunyal, part of a larger region called Khor Wakow in the new nation of South Sudan. Jal recalls each day being filled with uncertainty as to whether he and his family would survive.

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"When you woke up in the morning, you didn't know what was going to happen," he told the Capital Journal (http://bit.ly/W5k1nF ). "If something happened, you knew you may not be reunited with (your family). This might be the day that God will call you home." BECOMING A SOLDIER The Sudanese Civil War impacted many families including Jal's — he lost 12 siblings to the violence. "If you heard a bomb falling, you would get away from where you were and go hide somewhere. That was our daily life," he said. When he was 8 years old, Jal was taken from his home and brought to a military camp to be trained as a child soldier. "When I reflect back on it, it wasn't a big deal," he said. "I think as a kid, you learn new things and adapt to them, but it was devastating for my family. There's nothing my mom could have done, because they come at night and take your kid, and if you try to stand up for your child, you can get killed." At the age of 9, Jal was shot in his left leg. His father paid 20 cattle so Jal could return home to get treatment. But while he was in Dunyal, the Sudanese government attacked the village. At that time Jal was further injured when a piece of hand grenade struck him in the chest. REFUGEES OF EAST AFRICA In 1986, the 10-year-old and his parents fled Dunyal and headed to the Refugee Camp in . They walked for six days and six nights to get there. When they reached the border of Ethiopia, the United Nations took Jal to a medical center for treatment. His parents were forced to return to Dunyal. It was the last time he saw them. "The United Nations put me with four boys; I had a new family and a new life," he said. The five boys lived in a tent at the refugee camp, attended primary school and ate food supplied by the United Nations. "We cooked for ourselves, collected firewood and got water," Jal said. "We had to become independent. We didn't have a choice." In 1991, the boys were forced to leave Ethiopia as the camps were dismantled. They walked barefoot for two months to a refugee camp in Kenya. Jal lived in Kenyan refugee camps until 1995, when he was able to resettle in the United States. Through the United Nations, Jal was sponsored by the Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota to come live in Sioux Falls. The 19-year-old was nervous about leaving the camp, but eager to start a new life. Upon arriving in South Dakota, Jal wanted to start school immediately. After receiving the equivalent of a high school diploma, he enrolled at the University of South Dakota and graduated in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in social work. He returned to Sioux Falls and worked for Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota for seven years, where he had the opportunity to help people. "When I was a kid, I always wanted to teach geography and history in high school; that was my dream," Jal said. "I (thought) my relationship to people would be in the classroom, but I thought that social work would give me a variety of opportunities to meet different people." Jal decided to go to graduate school in Grand Forks, N.D., to get a master's degree in social work. After graduating in 2008, he took a job as a probation officer with the South Dakota Unified Judicial System in Sioux Falls. He still works there today, relating to children who have been on their own or separated from their families in their own ways. 8

HELPING THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH SUDAN Since 2003, Jal has been traveling back to Dunyal in the hopes of helping his South Sudanese family. His fourth trip is slated for 2014, with the goal of building a schoolhouse. Currently, children in Dunyal walk six hours to the nearest school. "The first time I went home, I thought it would be better than when I was a kid, but it got worse," Jal said. "Wherever you go you have to rely on someone. Sometimes we had to stay in one place for four days waiting for a boat or information." With no roads and no bridges, Jal said that South Sudan's infrastructure is seriously lacking. In 2012, he returned to install a well for clean drinking water and to deliver corn grinders. Jal is currently raising money to build a school through the Khor Wakow School Project and proceeds from a children's book he wrote — "David's Journey." Because of the region's lack of roads and transportation, it will cost about $250,000 to build an eight-classroom schoolhouse with an office. Jal envisions a future lunch program at the school, as well as a Christian-based education. "I think if I was not raised in a Christian home, my life would have been different," he said. "My core strength lies in my faith." Jal said his most important message to children everywhere is the importance of an education. "No matter what circumstance you're in, if you pursue an education, it will change for the better," he said. "I want kids to stay in school, stay the course, and better their lives. That's the hope I aim to share with them."

Kapoeta east returns stolen cattle to Turkana Radio Emmanuel , 6/3/2013 – Kapoeta East County Commissioner returned 11 animals stolen from the Turkana in Kenya by criminal elements among the Toposa in a bid to establish peaceful co-existence between the two communities. Titus Lokwacuma told Radio Emmanuel that he had informed the District Officer at the Kenyan border of Lokichogio about the recovery of the 11 animals stolen from the Turkana. He said the animals were captured and recovered by the County authority although Kenyan authorities did not make any formal complaint about the raid. Commissioner Lokwacuma said the state Government and the County authority wanted to peace across the border by ensuring Toposa youths did not steal animals from the neighbouring countries. He complained that some thieves from Turkana stole three donkeys from Kapoeta East County and his counterpart in Kenya did not recover the animals. The recovery and return of the stolen Turkana cattle on Sunday coincided with youth summit to conclude a six-month peace building project that attracted young people from Budi and Kapoeta East Counties. Catholic Diocese of Torit Justice and Peace Coordinator John Opi said the summit aimed at empowering young people to create awareness on the dangers of cattle raiding and banditry in the region. Catholic Relief Services and the Catholic Diocese of Torit implemented the peace building pilot project funded by UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Education Fund.

Kapoeta East County authorities return stolen cattle to Kenya's Turkana Gurtong.net Torit, 6/3/2013 – Kapoeta East County Commissioner Titus Lokwacuma Lotyam has announced a return of 11 heads of cattle stolen from the Turkana in Kenya by criminal elements among the Toposa community. The Commissioner asserted the move serves as a reason to establish and maintain peaceful co-existence between the two communities of Toposa of South Sudan and Turkana of Kenya.

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He said the animals were recovered by the county authority through Kenya authorities saying had he not made any formal complaint on the matter, he would have not recovered. The commissioner the state government and the county authority are working hard in collaboration with Lokichoggio leaders from Kenya to ensure peace between the two communities and cross the border is attained and promoted. “We are ensuring either the two do not steal animals from the neighbouring countries,” he said. Mr. Lokwacuma, however, complained that despite his effort to ensure return of the cattle, some thieves from Turkana District stole three donkeys from Kapoeta East County, but all efforts made by his counterpart in Lokichoggio did not respond positively. The recovery and return of the stolen Turkana cattle on Sunday coincided with youth summit concluding a six-month peace project that attracted young people from Budi and Kapoeta East counties. According to Peace and Justice Coordinator for the Catholic Diocese of Torit, Fr. John Opi, the summit aimed at empowering young people to create awareness among young people on the dangers of cattle raiding and banditry in the region. Catholic Relief Service (CRS) and the Catholic Diocese of Torit implemented the Peace Building pilot project funded by United Nations International Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF).

SPLA accuses Sudan of bombing Upper Nile state territory Gurtong.net Juba, 6/3/2013 – The Sudan People’s Liberation Army spokesperson, Col Philip Aguer on Tuesday told reporters at the National Television premises that the Sudan Armed Forces on Monday evening launched an air raid on a civilian populated area in Guffa, Maban County of Upper Nile state. “Yesterday [Monday] at 3:00 PM the Sudan Armed Forces conducted an air raid on Guffa in Maban County, Upper Nile state,” he said. Aguer said that the three bomb shell that fell in Guffa was on civilian populated area. He that there have been no casualties reported. He added that the act by Sudan is continuation of aggression since last year. The SPLA said that Khartoum has been encroaching into South Sudanese territories since November last year citing farm areas in Upper Nile as an example. He assured the citizens that the national army will not condone such acts and that they will be forced to do a defensive role and that the SPLA are on alert to defend. The South Sudanese Minister of Defense, Gen. John Koang and his Sudanese counterpart, Abdel Rahim Mohamed disclosed to the media late last year in Juba that the two parties reaffirmed their commitment in every aspect including the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on non-aggression. Juba and Khartoum had been trading allegations on security related issues including supporting rebels on either side. The two countries had agreed on operationalization of safe demilitarized border zone and operationalization mechanism of the Adhoc Committee. Last year the two countries went into bloodshed following accusations of attack and counter attacks. The two countries have been negotiating including reaching into agreements which on several occasion have been dishonoured.

Sudan continues bombing South Sudan Catholic Radio Network, 6/3/2013 – Sudanese jet fighters dropped three bombs in civilian areas of Guppap, Maban County in Upper Nile state on Monday. Army spokesperson Colonel Philip Aguer Panyang told CRN on Wednesday through a telephone call that the bombing was the continuation of aggressions that started in February.

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There were no casualties reported. He said SPLA authorities have been briefing the public on the acts of aggression at the border areas. Col Aguer said SAF is building up and have encroached into Renk County moving close to a SPLA base in Gongbar. He described the encroachment as an act of provocation to draw South Sudan into all-out war with the Sudan. Col Aguer said the army was in a defensive position, ready to act any time in self-defense if SAF penetrated deeper into Renk area. Sudan has signed nine cooperation agreements in September 27, 2012, with South Sudan; but implementation was placed on hold while military aggression continues.

Sudan-South Sudan resumes talks over implementation of signed deals Sudantribune.com Khartoum, 6/3/ 2013 – The Joint Political and Security Committee (JPSC) between Sudan and South Sudan will discuss mainly the buffer zone, the disengagement and the harbouring of rebel groups, Sudanese defence minister said on Wednesday. Delegations from Sudan and South Sudan are expected to resume talks Thursday in Addis Ababa to discuss the implementation of Cooperation Agreement. In the same time, the JPSC will hold a meeting on the implementation of the security arrangements. Sudan’s defence minister and head of JPSC Sudanese side, Abdel-Rahim Hussein, said in statements to the Sudan TV before to depart Addis Ababa that he goes with an open heart and mind, given that the signed agreements are enough to repair relations between the two countries. The minister further expressed hopes that the coming round of talks can overcome the obstacles that hampered the previous rounds of talks. He reiterated Sudan’s commitment to all the agreement signed by the two countries in September 2012. Tensions escalated recently on the common border between the two countries after different reports about troop’s build-up from both sides. Also, Khartoum renewed its accusations against Juba, speaking about direct military support to the Sudanese rebels while Juba signals air attacks inside its territory. Abdel-Rahim before to leave Khartoum held a rare meeting on Wednesday with the former presidential adviser Mansour Khaled who seeks to facilitate a compromise between the two countries. Khaled who was a former adviser to Salva Kiir and a member of the SPLM political bureau before the secession was in Juba recently to discuss the differences between the two countries over the pending issues. On the other hand, the Sudanese negotiating team, led by Idriss Abdel-Gadir arrived on Wednesday to Addis Ababa where it is expected to hold a meeting with the South Sudanese delegation headed by Pagan Amum to discuss the implementation of the cooperation Agreement. Sudan, which says that implementation of the security arrangements should be done first, demands Juba to disengage with the SPLM-N as provided in the 2005 peace agreement, but Juba at different times said it had cut ties with the Sudanese rebels. On the buffer zone, Sudan first proposed to extend the demilitarized area on the common border to include Blue Nile and South Kordofan, but Juba refused this idea. After what, The Sudanese army said Juba refuses to pull out its troops from the disputed area of Mile 14.

Sudan, South Sudan set to resume border talks Reuters Khartoum, 6/3/2013 – Sudan and South Sudan will resume stalled talks on Thursday to set up a demilitarized border zone, Sudan's state news agency SUNA said on Wednesday, in a new attempt to resolve a conflict over oil and land.

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The African neighbours came close to war in April in the worst border clashes since South Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011 under a 2005 deal which ended decades of civil war. After mediation from the African Union, both countries agreed in September to set up a buffer zone along their disputed border and resume oil exports from landlocked South Sudan through Sudan. Oil is vital to both economies. But neither side has withdrawn its army from the almost 2,000-km (1,200-mile) border due to mistrust left from one of Africa's longest civil wars. Two meetings of Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and South Sudan's Salva Kiir in Addis Ababa in January failed to break the deadlock. In the first talks for more than six weeks, the joint political security committee, comprising defence officials from both countries tasked with setting up the buffer zone, will meet again in Ethiopia, SUNA said. The meeting would prepare a session of the two defence ministers, SUNA said, without giving details. South Sudan's Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin could not be reached on his mobile phone. At the last meeting on Jan. 19, both sides traded accusations of making new demands for the border zone. Khartoum also accuses Juba of backing rebels of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-North) in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, two Sudan states bordering the South. Juba denies this. The SPLM-North, made up of fighters who sided with the South during the civil war, controls part of the Sudan side of the border, which complicates setting up the buffer zone. South Sudan, which says Sudan often bombs its territory, shut down its entire oil output of 350,000 barrels per day (bpd) in January 2012 after failing to agree export and transit fees with Khartoum. Apart from oil and the buffer zone, the two countries must also agree on ownership of and other disputed areas.

ICC judges set May 2014 as trial date for two Darfur rebel commanders Sudantribune.com Khartoum, 6/3/2013 – The judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) have decided that the trial for two Darfur rebel commanders accused of killing African peacekeepers will commence in May 2014. Abdallah Banda Abakaer Nourain and Saleh Mohammed Jerbo Jamus each face three counts of violence to life in the form of murder, war crime of attacking a peacekeeping mission and pillaging. The two men allegedly commanded a 1,000-strong rebel force in the Sept. 2007 attack, on the African Mission in Sudan (AMIS) base in Haskanita in North Darfur. They looted the camp of 17 vehicles, refrigerators, computers, mobile phones, ammunition and money. Bahr Idriss Abu Garda, a third rebel commander, was cleared by the court from involvement in the massive attack which drew international condemnation. Banda and Jerbo have not denied their role but contend that the AMIS base was a legitimate military target and as such the trial will be dedicated to arguing this issue before the judges. The pair appeared voluntarily at the Hague-based court in June 2010 after a summons to appear was issued for them. Even though the confirmation of charges hearing was concluded quickly in March 2011 the trial has yet to start as the ICC registry had trouble recruiting and training interpreters who spoke Zaghawa language used by the defendants. Furthermore, the defense filed motions seeking to have the judges compel Khartoum to allow it to carry investigations in Darfur. The judges reminded Banda and Jerbo to comply with conditions of their summons and also ordered the registry to coordinate with the Dutch government in transporting them when it is time for trial.

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The ICC is investigating both sides of the Darfur conflict. Four others remain wanted for war crimes in Darfur: Sudanese Defense Minister Abdel-Rahim Mohamed Hussein, South Kordofan governor Ahmad Haroun, pro-government Janjaweed militia leader Ali Kushayb and Sudan’s President Omer Hassan al- Bashir, whom prosecutors accuse of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur. Sudan refuses to recognize the jurisdiction of the court calling it a neo-colonial plot aimed at overthrowing the regime. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted resolution 1593 in March 2005 which referred the situation in Darfur to the ICC for investigations.

Mahdi says ready for dialogue with Sudanese government to achieve democratic transition Sudantribune.com Khartoum, 6/3/2013 – The leader of the Umma National Party (UNP) expressed his party’s willingness to engage dialogue with the regime and the other political and military components of the opposition to achieve peace and democratic transition in Sudan. Sadiq Al-Mahdi, in a press conference held on Wednesday explained that his party is committed to work with all the Sudanese forces to end the ongoing conflicts and to realize "democratic transition without violence or support of foreign countries". The largest opposition party is criticized by the government and the opposition alike because it refuses calls for regime change in Sudan and at the same time rejects to hold direct talks with the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) without the other opposition or rebel forces. "There is willingness inside the National Congress Party to dialogue with us and voices calling to review (the NCP’s unilateral policy)", said Al-Mahdi after detailing various points the UNP can discuss with the rebel Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF), the National Consensus Forces (NCF) and the civil society groups. He went further to say that dialogue with the NCP should take into account different concerns including a strategic commitment to peace, freedoms adding no real understanding can be reached without it, and constitution prepared and adopted by national instances including all the political forces. "We are ready to negotiate for a democratic national constitution, otherwise we say no", he stressed. The opposition leader is accused by other opposition parties of compromising with the regime and rejects his proposal to reform the NCF structure saying he wants to take its leadership. On 21 February the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party, a small party with little impact in the country, demanded to suspend the membership of the Umma party accusing it of breaching the charter of Democratic Alternative that the opposition forces endorsed last year. Regarding the Democratic Alternative, Al-Mahdi stressed that dialogue with the NCF forces will continue to reach an agreement over the needed means to achieve the goals of this charter without resorting to violence, and with an efficient structure. He asserted that the is party is keen to work with the opposition forces adding " if this turns out not to be possible then we will cross that bridge when we come to it". On the relations with the SRF, he reiterated the need to clarify the circumstances and errors that accompanied the New Dawn charter, alluding to the use of force to topple the regime, which was rejected by the UNP. The rebels groups said they give the priority to the peaceful means to achieve regime change in Sudan but cannot stop the armed struggle against Khartoum.

Mahdi's umma party to engage in constitution consultations Sudanvisiondaily.com Khartoum, 6/3/2013 – Al-Sadiq Discloses Major Rift within Opposition Khartoum – The National Umma Party, led by Imam Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi, expressed its total readiness to engage in negotiations to prepare a national democratic constitution.

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Speaking at press conference yesterday, Imam Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi underlined the importance of dialogue with the ruling National Congress Party. "Dialogue with the NCP focuses on several pivotal points especially peace, freedoms and constitution" he said. The Imam lashed out against the national consensus forces. "We have many differences with these forces which need to be resolved democratically" he said. "The opposition's name is inappropriate, they may call themselves the forces of the new regime" he added. Al-Mahdi disclosed the strategy of his party during the coming period. "The strategy focuses on strategic commitment to work in accordance with new system that will realize just and comprehensive peace as well as full democratic transformation free of violence and involvement of foreigners" he said. Al-Mahdi also revealed contacts made by his party with the South Sudanese opposition in order to achieve peace between Sudan and South Sudan. He warned of the continuation of war between the two countries. "The war is costing the countries billions of dollars" he said, and indicated the mutual benefits of peace between the two countries such as border trade that generates billions of dollars for the two countries and peoples. Al-Mahdi said his party tends to lodge a complaint to the United Nations regarding camps of the so- called "white army" in north Sudan because the presence of such militias will pose threat to security of the two countries and could be a nucleus for a comprehensive war in the region in future.

Bashir wants those behind Sudan’s loss of landing slot at Heathrow airport held accountable Sudantribune.com Khartoum, 6/3/2013 – The Sudanese President Omer Hassan al-Bashir on Wednesday reviewed results of a probe into Sudan Airways loss of landing slot at Heathrow airport in London and ordered that those responsible should be held accountable. The transportation minister Ahmed Babiker Nahar said following his meeting with Bashir today that the latter wants the landing slot reinstated or in the alternative have the airline reimbursed. Nahar said that the Sudan Airways CEO and former investment minister Al-Sharif Ahmed Omer Badr has been implicated in the highly controversial scandal. Badr has reportedly approved sale of the Heathrow slot to British Midland International (BMI) for millions of dollars. Badr was fired from Sudan Airways after the Kuwaiti Arif Investment Group (AIG) took over. When the Heathrow issue surfaced AIG denied any involvement. Details of the sale remain murky with some suggesting involvement of many parties. Sudan Airways ownership has reverted back to the government in 2012. Largely shut off from the airline industry due to a U.S. trade embargo, Sudan Airways is down to less than 10 Airbus , Boeing and Fokker aircraft - most of them were bought second-hand, some more than 15 years ago. Last month Khartoum announced its intention to buy five Antonov planes from Ukraine to boost its aging fleet.

UN chief calls for Security Council to authorize robust special force for eastern Congo Associated Press United Nations, 6/3/2013 – U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Tuesday for the Security Council to authorize a new muscular intervention force that could conduct offensive operations in the Congo’s troubled eastern region. In a briefing to the council, Ban recommended a special force that would be part of the existing United Nations peacekeeping operation in Congo, known as MONUSCO. The U.N. peacekeepers have been criticized for doing little to stop M23 rebels from sweeping through eastern Congo and seizing the key city of Goma in November.

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“The security situation remains fragile - and demands urgent actions,” Ban told the council. The council is expected to approve the peace-enforcement force, part of a peace deal signed last month by 11 nations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The intervention brigade would be allowed to conduct offensive operations against all armed groups, with or without the Congolese national army. The United Nations has at least 17,700 U.N. peacekeepers and 1,400 international police in mineral-rich eastern Congo, which has been engulfed in fighting since the 1994 Rwanda genocide. The M23 rebel group that formed last year is allegedly backed by Rwanda and Uganda. Fighting displaced nearly a million people in North Kivu province alone late last year, leaving a total of 2.6 million displaced people in Congo, according to the U.N. After a lull, heavy fighting has resumed in North Kivu. The security situation has been complicated by a split last week in the M23 movement over a leadership struggle. The factions are now fighting each other, creating a power vacuum in M23 strongholds. In a report to the council last week, Ban said the intervention brigade would consist of three infantry battalions and support elements, and would be deployed for an initial period of one year. He said it should have a mandate to prevent the expansion of armed groups and neutralize them so government authority can be restored in the east. Diplomats have said most troops for the new brigade are expected to come from countries in southern Africa. Ban also plans to appoint a new special envoy to Congo soon. Last month, the current U.N. envoy, Roger Meece, said the existing U.N. mission was designed as a traditional peacekeeping operation for a post- conflict environment, but has instead found itself engulfed in active conflict, so another “military force or brigade” was needed to help enforce peace. The U.N. is also grappling with reports of mass rape by troops on both sides of the conflict, which Ban addressed Tuesday at a press conference. “Of course, peace and stability will be the key concerns and priority - but to have peace and security, we need to protect the civilian population, particularly women and girls whose human rights have been abused,” Ban said. “We will do our best, our utmost efforts, to eliminate this practice.” Human Rights Watch said in a report last month that Congolese government soldiers and M23 rebels “raped scores of women and committed other war crimes during the rebels’ occupation of Goma.” U.N. peacekeeping Chief Herve Ladsous has said the U.N. has confirmed 126 rapes identified many of the perpetrators and urged Congolese authorities to prosecute them.

A rotten society mismanaging itself into self-destruction! South Sudan News Agency (SSNA), 6/3/2013 – It is now four months since the sad killing of Isaiah Abraham with a Wandit from the security service publishing President Kiir’s list of death in an email on 5th December 2012. President Kiir’s list of death itself was not surprising to some of us at all. The only surprise was the fact SPLM Oyee decided to continue with its criminality that it had developed during the bush years after taking the reins of power of the sovereign state of South Sudan. From 9th July 2011 we expected that President Kiir and his party would be guided by the constitution of RSS and in doing so it would live by its now empty monotonous songs of democracy that it ceaselessly sings. Now, for those who always give this dysfunctional organisation the benefit of doubt, the ball is in their court to decide whether to support criminality or the rule of law. Targeting citizens by lists is hardly the stuff of lawful governance. This is the working of gangs operating outside the law in the underworld. But we must not forget that SPLM Oyee since its birth in 1983 operated thuggishly in the bushes of South Sudan with impunity. It awarded itself the powers of life and death and it exercised it largely without any due process and constraints. Thus; in the process it lynched a large number of innocent people ranging from those who disagreed with their unionist ideology of New Sudan to eliminating members of other tribes perceived as a threat to

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Jieng hegemony. For instance, the killings in late 1990s of the honourable chief of the Didinga people; the respectable Col. Martin Kejivura and SPLM/A Alternate Commander Khamis Deliga. For over two decades the SPLM Oyee got used to terrorising the people of South Sudan into submission which allowed it to establish itself as the unrivalled power. The previous leader of this obnoxious movement, the late Dr John Garang De Mabior was handed this murder machine called SPLM/A by Col. Mengistu of Ethiopia, to force the now obsolete ideology of New Sudan on the people of South Sudan and by default establishing the Jieng people as the ultimate ruling class in the Sudan with their nefarious belief of “born to rule”. A self-perpetuated belief (rather delusional) without any grounds given what is taking place in the country. Thank God, the SPLM has now demonstrated beyond doubt not only to South Sudanese, but to the world at large that it has no skills of governance whatsoever. Worse still SPLM seems not to have any skills of self-assessment and self-reflection which exacerbates the poverty in its dealings with other people. Even the horrible Boers of South Africa with their then National Party and Apartheid ideology were able to reflect and this was what saved South Africa from propelling itself into the abyss. The “born to rule”, unlike the Boers who were able to value their future only excel in promoting lawlessness, corruption, crime and intolerance. So in short one could say that they are born to destroy, to plunder, to misrule etc. Dr Garang’s beliefs and writing about democracy presently with hindsight is giving us an insight into his mind since the product of his mind in the form of SPLM Oyee management is not any different from the management of the then Sudan by the Sudanese ruling class that he vehemently criticised. Everything that Dr Garang criticised about the ruling class in Khartoum as documented in his books edited by Mansur Khalid ironically was practised by him in the bush and now by his organisation in power in RSS. This shows conclusively that Dr Garang and the SPLM Oyee was and is after power and domination only and not about liberation and empowerment of the people. The current President Salva Kiir was the man who for over two decades headed the dreadful intelligence service of SPLM Oyee and was responsible for the disappearance of many innocent people. In effect, he was the Rottweiler of Dr Garang. Now if Salva Kiir was comfortable leading an organisation responsible for the disappearance of innocent people with impunity, what would make any person think he will not continue with it as the President of RSS? What Kiir does not contemplate is that in the bush years he and his former boss late Dr Garang were unaccountable because they operated under their self-made rules. Now that South Sudan is independent the rules of the game have changed. He cannot continue with his sordid business with impunity. He will have to account one way or another whether he likes it or not because South Sudan has a constitution, be it an undesirable one. Moreover, RSS is obliged to observe international laws related to Human Rights. The painful killing of Isaiah Abraham, a staunch SPLM officer which might have been intended to jackboot journalists and opinion writers into silence paradoxically has awaken the world to abuses of power in RSS. This adds to the accumulating troubles of SPLM Oyee machine. A report by Reporters without Borders released on Wednesday 30th January 2013 indicates that the international community has taken note of the human rights abuses in the country. The downgrading of South Sudan status in the annual press index without doubt proves that its image has been tarnished in the world. This report and others by the US and UN on human rights are probably the beginning of the concretisation of the failures of governance in RSS under SPLM Oyee. In a sense it is a blessing to South Sudanese democrats so they can at last intensify the case for peaceful regime change in Juba. The sad killing of Isaiah Abraham is an act of uncalled for terror and every peace loving citizen of South Sudan needs to condemn it and think seriously about its consequence to our country. If this painful unacceptable act of barbarity of SPLM Oyee is allowed to fizzle out, then the future of our country is indeed bleak. For in returning to life as normal, the SPLM Oyee will have succeeded in normalising killing of those it does not like and believe you me it is not only the targeted ones in the known or unknown lists. You may find yourself on such a list in future if you are still alive. As this organisation gets more and more irrational the list will grow longer and longer swallowing in anybody within its reach with a slight variance in opinion. This is the nature of totalitarian regimes. Just look at similar movements like the Baath of Iraq, the Green Movement of Gaddafi and so on. Therefore, it is imperative that SPLM

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Oyee is made to account. To make SPLM Oyee to account you must be an agent of change for the common good and a future prosperous country. The killing of Isaiah Abraham, terrible as it is, has already raised the consciousness of the people of Bor to a certain level. The people of Bor as the fervent supporters of this ugly machine and the beneficiaries of its fruits for years have doggedly defended its crimes shamelessly. Now it seems that they are realising that they have built a monster that they themselves cannot tame. When late Dr Garang was the leader, they were safe and secure and they ignored the plight of the victims of their beloved organisation. Now that the leadership has gone to Warrap, Bor seems to be at the receiving end like the others and they do not like it. They are right not to like it, because democrats and free thinkers too do not like it from experience either. To understand the painful feelings of Bor which many South Sudanese have lived with for years, just read ‘Tribute to Isaiah Abraham: Verbatim from the memorial service of Isaiah Abraham’ published by South Sudan Nation on 19th December 2012. http://www.southsudannation.com/tribute-to- isaiah-abraham-verbatim-from-the-memorial-services-of-isaiah-abraham/ The obvious notable thing any reader browsing through this article comes across is the number of VIPs from the government of South Sudan who comprised the bulk of the speakers. This people, arguably form the nucleus of SPLM Oyee and by extension the government of South Sudan itself. From their words the waves of raw pain comes forth from inside them sweeping us along, prodding our conscious and reminding us of our own horrendous experiences under the SPLM Oyee. Speaker after speaker expressed the pain in their own words capturing the lived experience of South Sudanese under their very rule of terror. They unreservedly condemned the government as if they were not the architects of this barbaric organisation. An outsider could easily be misled to think these people have nothing to do with SPLM Oyee. But peer deeper and the true picture falls into place. These are the essential cogs of this machine. Their condemnation of the government although welcome, it is what psychologists call denial. The refusal to accept the reality that one facet of your personality is hideous. It is difficult to think of yourself as part of a criminal and horrible organisation. Worse still is to think of yourself as being a possible accomplice in the killing of Isaiah Abraham. Self-preservation demands that such feelings are banished through selfish denial lest it stirs mental health issues. This kind of denial mingles with another denial generated by the bereavement itself. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross (1926 – 2004), the renowned theorist of bereavement posits that humans in the initial stages of bereavement automatically react with denial followed by anger. Now it seems that the SPLM bosses’ denial of the nature of their own organisation, and the denial resulting from the bereavement had fused into one potent ball of boiling emotions. Hence, the venom spewed (on president Kiir and paradoxically on themselves, essentially an act of self-deprecation) at the memorial service symbolise a combination of both denial and anger. Kubler-Ross further argues that after these two crucial stages in bereavement comes acceptance. After sometime when reality sinks in the bereaved accept the demise and then recovery begins with normality taking over. If these powerful VIPs return to business as normal with Isaiah Abraham fading into the distant memory to become history as eventually he will, then their whole reaction in the memorial service must be understood in the context of bereavement process only. Therefore, what they said is nothing, absolutely nothing, but the words of a weasel’s emotional reaction from denial and anger. Surprisingly, it appears that these VIPs were not aware that they were/are part and parcel of this Oyee machine that has at last brought destruction home. It appears they were/are oblivious to the fact that they are complicit in the acts of their party and government and by implication Isaiah Abraham’s death is a result of their own construction. It is possible such feeling of complicity bordering on guilt is the one eating them from inside. We have time and again tirelessly emphasised that SPLM Oyee brutality will eventually destroy all of us, but they have refused to listen. Most unfortunately, Isaiah Abraham’s killing is an explicit example illuminating our rotten society mismanaging itself into self-destruction. We ignore SPLM brutality at our peril. Now if these VIPs condemned the government without reservation, the questions are: why are they still part of it? What have they learnt and done to improve the situation since the sad killing of Isaiah Abraham? Why is the killing of citizens continuing in Juba and many parts of the country? Or, have we

17 now forgotten about our brother Isaiah Abraham and it is business as usual? Or, are we now discriminating the dead? High profile ones can be fussed over and counted (though technically a meaningless loss) while low profile ones are invisibalised making the daily statistics of the country without any concerns. So are we now in the world of those who matter and those who do not matter? What a terrible indictment on our humanity So, Bor or not, SPLM Oyee will not exempt you of its brutalities and its lawlessness. You are subject to its oppression like the others. Warrap people also need to think carefully because when the leadership of SPLM Oyee slips from their hand, this very organisation that protects them now will be the very one that will turn on them mercilessly. Its sons and daughters will be in SPLM Oyee future ‘Death list’ too. Therefore, all of us have an interest in stopping this horrendous organisation from destroying us and our country. Just remember, organisations are living entities with their own rules and principles thus giving it a mind of its own only manipulatible by the leadership of the day. So people (with a collective pathological psyche as now) that gains control of this murderous machine will use it to inflict pain on the rest. Bor has now found out the hard way. Let South Sudanese hug them (Borians) to assuage the pain and make use of their experience to build a truly peaceful country at ease with itself where all of us live freely and happily in the company of each other. A Pathological organisation like SPLM Oyee breeds chaos. Unhealthy tribal affiliation breeds tribalism and ultimately leads to unhealthy interactions and co-existence. At the core of SPLM, we can see that it is gripped with intense fear and intolerance. Principally SPLM Oyee’s behaviour is a result of its policy of intolerance. This emanates from its insecure nature. The fear that grips it has cultivated a belief in its followers that they can only be safe if SPLM/A does away with anybody that holds contrary beliefs and ideas. Given this absurd mentality any leader who takes over may find himself/herself doing the same things as the previous and current leaders. So although these things are happening under President Kiir today, tomorrow they will recur under a different SPLM person if this pathological organisation is not disbanded. Crucially, remember that SPLM Oyee’s power comes from you the members and if you do not do something it will continue to perpetuate its atrocities on us, simply because it is a paranoid organisation gripped with fear of intellectuals, journalists and opinion writers. The ‘Death list(s)’ Wandit thrust into the public domain will continue to be prepared in the offices of the so called security organs with new innocent people added on as criticism of SPLM failures inevitably grow. Albert Einstein reminds us that the world is a dangerous place to live in; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it to correct things. So let us regardless of our tribe join hands to build a democratic, peaceful and fair country through a government of national unity in which every citizen is protected by law and order and not cling to some monstrous organisation or tribal affiliations as a way of ensuring our safety. In doing this the truth must be spelt out clearly for us to reflect on it, work on it in order to ensure that such ills are not repeated in future

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For further information or media enquiries please contact: UNMISS Spokesperson Tel.: +211 (0) 912 06 7149 or Mobile: +211 (0) 912 396 539

United Nations Mission in South Sudan - Public Information Office www.unmiss.unmissions.org

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