By William Madouk
The leader of Real-Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (Real-SPLM), Pagan Amum, has made a clarion call to the unity government to stop looking at them as enemies but instead, see each other as brothers and sisters to pave the way for genuine peace in the country.
Amum, who was speaking on behalf of holdout groups, made this remark yesterday during the opening of the high-level mediation for South Sudan in Kenya, Nairobi.
“This is the only best way for us to respond to the initiative and that of the regional community, and building national consensus and agreeing to a new social contract is what is required,” said Amum.
“But for us to achieve this, I believe, with this initiative, we need to stop seeing ourselves as enemies. We are brothers and sisters. President Kiir, we are brothers and sisters,” Amum expressed.
He lamented that the current generation are the founding mothers and fathers of the nation and urged them to shun the ‘conflict mindset’ and ‘hatred’ that filled South Sudanese hearts.
“What we need is a serious dialogue. I believe this is our last opportunity. So, we can really address the crisis and come up with a new social contract that will define what type of state we want to have. That will define what type of nation we are and how we manage our affairs,” he noted.
Mr. Amum highlighted that since the country gained its independence in 2011, it has never tasted the fruit of peace as all peace deals collapsed drastically.
“All these agreements have not etched South Sudan into peace and good governance; all the transitions and the transitional governments have failed to take South Sudan into peace,” he lamented.
“Today, South Sudan is threatened with disintegration and collapse into chaos and disorder; it is gripped by multiple crises. The country suffers from a constitutional crisis, and it is governed by interim constitutions and presidential decrees,” he continued.
The leader of Real-SPLM stated that the country is facing a severe economic crisis, to the point of bankruptcy.
For instance, he cited the eviction of diplomats in Rome after the government failed to clear its rent due for its mission office in Rome as an example of bankruptcy.
An approximate 75 per cent of the population is in danger of hunger and may require humanitarian assistance, including climate change, Amum rued.
“The social fabric of our society is torn and destroyed, and we are made to fight among ourselves. South Sudan is engulfed in conflict and violence among our communities.
“All these crises need South Sudanese to put their heads together; this is the only way for us to respond to your initiative for dialogue and that of the regional community,” he added.