Scale and horror of situation in South Sudan saddening affair

As the year 2016 come to close, the youngest democracy in the world South Sudan is bleeding subject to embroilment in internecine civil strife. The country gives us the perspective of desperation, hopelessness, fear inherent among citizens.

With Christmas mood having caught up with us in stable countries and on the brink of the New Year 2017, marked with cheers and joyful shouts eating and drinking as we usher it in, has the world spared a thought for the future of the innocent souls in Southern Sudan? What role are UN forces playing in stopping the fight further?

These are lives deprived, lives not knowing what the festive season festive meant and doesn’t look up to New Year in the horizon with optimism.

South Sudan is one case study in Africa whereby leadership is guilty of abject failure. South Sudan hived off a larger Sudan under President Omar el-Bashir. Whose bearing is in the Northern part? Southern Sudan became independent in 2011 and barely five years of sovereignty had the centre given in. Socio-economic and political aspect in this country is in shambles. A look in the eyes of citizens leaves my eyes brimming with tears. Faces of child women carrying them look forlorn, gaunt and children look malnourished families gather looking for a place to seek refuge and hope for tomorrow.

After making concessions on Darfur, the northern Sudan and South Sudan have co-existed slightly strained in relation but harmoniously. Currently, the scale and horror of situation where at least eight to nine lives are getting lost a day is saddening affair.

Oil as the natural resource found both on Northern and on Southern Sudan. Moreover, oil wealth is invested inefficient state industries. However, some of SPLA rebels, part of the country’s liberation struggle heroes feel cheated. Their sharing national cake is wanting, something they dither about.

Dr. John De Mabior Garang was the undisputed leader of guerilla war struggle for more than 21 years. He died in a plane crash before fulfilling his mission of being the first President of South Sudan, in a plane crash from a visit to Uganda.

His deputy then and now President Salva Kiir steered the country to her independence. Despite that, President Kiir started encountering objections to, majorly, the constitution of his cabinet. He accused of giving plum portfolios to his relatives and less significant ministries to the Dinka clan of his and late Garang.

In essence, this put him at loggerhead with his deputy, forcing the latter to go into hiding and resort to armed struggle in a bid to achieve his ends.

The world recognizes the necessity of neutralizing the weapon armament to respective fighting groups of Southern Sudan is to survive as a stable and sovereign state.

Vast arsenals are in wrong hands, apart from government security forces, arms in rebel hands surrendered through a disarmament exercise and willingly.

However, the world is paying little attention to South Sudan, as fighters fight with exceeding savagery using stockpiled weapons. Essentially, the power antagonists’ soldiers end up abusing human rights like sexual terror whereby young women underage girls endure the most violated consequently impregnated. Such violent activities have increasingly alienated ordinary citizens especially women folk children and old. Women, children and the old die of hunger and medication for lack of supplies, wounded are seen and disturbing pictures of corpses strewn on streets in Juba.

South Sudan is under siege. In addition, no matter how we try to bury our heads in the sand like a proverbial ostrich, our neighbors suffer from leadership vacuum and that is the bottom line.

President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Dr. Riek Machar a Nuer currently under house arrest in South Africa where he went for specialized treatment, had a common commitment of self-rule, after peace treaty among them that brought them together.

However, Mr. Machar realized that the agreement not being observed and had inadvertently yielded autonomy to President Kiir on various issues.