SSDF were brought to Nasir and other Nuer counties with an ill intention to cause negative effect on civilians and not to protect them. Insecurity will always remain high among vulnerable people such as women, children, elderly and the sick.
SSDF is formed in tribal lines, so their presence among civilians who are not from their tribe would not yield any fruit of stability, but chaos after chaos.
Blame is assigned to MPs who are still claiming to be part and parcel of the government while watching their constituents suffer daily from the hands of tribals negative forces- their present and representation in the government is thus fake and bake.
South Sudan government have put civilians in harm’s way by establishing military bases and operating weapons systems in civilian areas. Such tactics violated basic civilian rights, and it thus endangered their lives.
It is a sad episode seeing SSDF making civilians as the object of an attack, killing them daily and nobody is questioning and holding them accountable. If South Sudan’s government has got checks and balances, it should:
- Discipline and hold SSDF accountable for their crimes against civilians;
- Interpret and apply law to genuinely strengthen the protection of civilians;
- Not let SSDF inflict fear and harm on civilians;
- Not station SSDF in civilians areas;
- Relocate SSDF to where they cannot easily interact with civilians;
- Have consultation with civilians and SSDF stationed in Nasir to develop an in depth understanding of what always causes problem and guns exchanges etc
South Sudan’s borders are occupied by foreign armies such as Kenyan Defence Forces (KDF), Ugandan People Defence Forces (UPDF) and others. These foreign military forces are terrorising and killing South Sudanese civilians in border areas in daily basis.
If South Sudan and its military forces are brave enough, why are they killing their civilians and not confronting these external military forces who are a threat to our society killing innocent civilians in South Sudan borders? If South Sudan government and its military forces aim to protect civilians and the country’s interests, then, they should not make their civilians as the object of attacks, instead they should provide a safe and secure environment for them from such foreign forces.
Nasir citizens resisted and confronted many foreign invasion attempts, including the Arabs, the British, the Italians, the Turkish and others before SSDF came into being. Without doubt, they will still resist South Sudan’s government and its prejudicial military forces invasion.
Lest we forget the deceased souls.
By Gatwech Deng Wal
Langwarrin, Victoria
