By William Madouk
Unspeakable sorrows facing Sudanese people are to be blamed on Sudanese leaders, for failing to silence guns.
Chairman of the South Sudan Mediation Committee for the Juba peace accord, Mr. Tut Gatluak, also South Sudan’s presidential advisor on security affairs observed.
The outspoken mediator was on Wednesday closing a two-day consultative meeting between Sudanese government and leaders of political parties.
“All of us carry the blame; it is not possible for Sudan to have brilliant-minded sons and daughters here. It is not always Sudan that brings peace to others and fails to stop war in our country,” he said.
Having spent most of his life in Sudan, before secession of South Sudan in 2011, Gatluak feels part and parcel of a country he once called his own.
Obliged by long time association, Mr. Gatluak equally feels and emotionally shares the pain that Sudanese people are experiencing.
“We all paid and failed in protecting the rights of Sudanese citizens; we must sit down, consult ourselves, and turn towards bringing peace and stability to Sudan,” he added.
According to United Nations humanitarian chief Griffiths, the six-month war in Sudan has killed close to 9,000 people and created ‘worst humanitarian nightmares.’
According to the U.N. migration agency IOM, more than 4.5 million people were displaced inside Sudan, while over 1.2 million others sought refuge in neighboring countries.
Also, the fighting left 25 million people, constituting more than half of the country’s population, in need of humanitarian aid.
Mr. Gatluak said South Sudan would support whoever was willing to bring about a peaceful resolution in Sudan.
“We will not just stop with the signatories to the Juba Peace Deal; we call all stakeholders, political parties, and civil society to come to Juba to brainstorm on how we can stop the war in Sudan,” he noted.
“We should not stand aloof again; all of us should be peacemakers and bring lasting peace and stability to Sudan; enough is enough for a damning war,” he continued.
He added that President Salva Kiir is exerting all efforts to ensure that Sudan attains lasting peace, adding that whatever effect Sudan has likely has the same in South Sudan.
He expressed hope that Jeddah would come out with a tangible resolution, especially on the cessation of hostilities.
Peace begins with you.
The Deputy Chairperson for the South Sudan Mediation Committee on the Juba Peace Agreement (JPA), Dr. Dhieu Mathok, challenged Sudanese warring leaders to bring lasting peace.
“The suffering that the civilians are going through is very serious, and there is no one who can stop this war more than you, the Sudanese leaders,” said Mathok, who is also minister of investment, on Tuesday.
“If any outsiders think they can stop the war in Sudan, then they are losers, but you can only be helped through mediation to attain peace, but the fate of silencing the guns is in your hands,” he argued.
Since the breakout of the war, the cities of Khartoum, Omdurman, and Khartoum North have become battlegrounds, with airstrikes and shelling taking place in densely populated areas.
The recent atrocities in Darfur prompted the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor to declare in July that it was investigating alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the latest fighting in the region.
Since the breakout of the war, the Greater Khartoum area, the cities of Khartoum, Omdurman and Khartoum North have become battlegrounds, with airstrikes and shelling taking place in densely populated areas.
There were reports of rape and gang rape in Khartoum and Darfur, mostly blamed on the Rapid Support Forces.
The RSF and its allied Arab militias were also accused by the U.N. and international rights groups of atrocities in Darfur, which was the scene of a genocidal campaign in the early 2000s.
The recent atrocities in Darfur prompted the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor to declare in July that he was investigating alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the latest fighting in the region.