Violence does not guarantee any peace. The government and the opposition fought in 2013.
They thought peace would come through fighting. But did it? Many innocent lives were lost. It was until the leaders thought of cease fire that they had a chance to talk about peace. With that they signed an agreement that brought the opposition leader in 2016.
In the same 2016, they forgot that peace does not come by war, they fought again. Many lives were lost too. It is sad that they did not learn from the past. They put first, war. But did war brought peace to South Sudan? Of course not! They had to come to understanding that it would be better to a have a peaceful negotiation. They sat down again which brought the 2018 peace, which is at the verge of collapsing now.
Do an experiment. Set your house on fire. You need to extinguish the fire. Get some petrol and pour it on the fire to cool it. Then report the experiment. What result would you get? Would the fire cool down or would it continue?
Definitely, your results would read that the fire continues to burn. We use water to cool down any heat. In your car, you have water to cool down your engine. Generators use water to cool down. When you feel hot, you demand cold drink. We take cold bath in a hot weather.
We cannot correct by killing. We will try to eliminate every person we think is wrong, but we will never eliminate the wrong. Wrong is a visitor. It visits me today and tomorrow it goes to you. When it comes to me, you will think I am wrong. And when it goes to you tomorrow, I will think you are wrong. We are all correct as we are all wrong. What we need to do is to understand. You need to understand when I am wrong. I need to understand when you are wrong. If we know we can all be wrong, we can compromise with each other. That is what we call peace. Peace does not mean wrong is eliminated for good. It means wrong is understood and compromised.
Once upon a time, a monkey and wind had an argument. The wind told the monkey that it would make him fall from the tree. The monkey believing his wisdom and strength didn’t believe he could be thrown down by the wind in any way possible.
The monkey went to plan. He went and looked for a very strong tree among all the trees in the forest. He managed to get one which could not be thrown down by any wind no matter the force. He planned how he would hold the tree so firmly. He positioned himself very well that nothing could interrupt him. He was ready.
The wind in the other hand went to plan. He knew he had a very strong force. He started recalling how he was devastated in some places in the world. In August 29, 2005, New Orleans was hit by a violent wind. The speed of that wind was up to 175Km/h. He left 80% of the city flood. Over 1, 800 people died. An estimated $125 billion was in damages. Hundreds of thousands were displaced. He has left long term socio-economic impacts to that city. Check the history.
In November 8, 2013, the wind hit Tacloban, Philippines. The wind speed was 315Km/h. It was one of the strongest landfalls ever. He killed over 6,300 people. There was massive destruction of infrastructure and homes. Over 4 million people were displaced. There was widespread outbreak of famine and disease. Check the history.
Finally, the wind recalled the damage he brought to Bhola Island in the East Pakistan now known as Bangladesh, in November 12, 1970. He had the speed of 185Km/h. An estimate of 300, 000 – 500,000 deaths was recorded. The entire villages were wiped out. It triggered to political unrest that led to the independence of Bangladesh. Check the history.
After those reflections of how violently he (wind) was in the past, he believed that he would put down the stubborn monkey. If buildings built permanently didn’t resist his force, how could a tiny monkey just on a tree resist his force? He concluded that he would be victorious. He called the monkey and informed him of his readiness.
The monkey was up on the tree waiting for the wind to come. Just from afar, he heard a very violent noise of the wind. The wind was coming with a very strong force that shook him before he reached. But since he heard the noise, he was well informed that he must plan. He planned very well and was very ready. The wind came with the strong force but the monkey didn’t fall down.
The wind went back the second time. He went and gathered all the forces and to go then more violently than before. He started to go. On his way, he was throwing down everything he met on the way; trying to scare the monkey. But Mr. Monkey was aware. He heard the noise as before. When he heard the noise, he got prepared and was ready to overcome the wind. The wind came with all the forces but the monkey did not fall.
The wind went back this third time. He knew he could not throw down the monkey through going violently. He had tried two times but the tiny monkey remained up on the tree. He put violence aside and thought of going through non-violence way. He accepted to go as a tiny cold breeze. He knew the cold breeze will not be noticed by the monkey. Without noticing his coming, he would not prepare. The monkey will enjoy the cold breeze, sleep and leave his hands loosed. That would make him fall.
The monkey at his side started celebrating his victory. The wind tried him two times but he defeated him. He was waiting for the third time which was agreed to be the last time and the winner would be announced. Through violence, the wind could not throw him down and that was what he knew. He didn’t believe the wind could also come non-violently.
The wind gave a signal that he was going to come. The monkey received the signal but would prepare when he hears the noise. This time, he could not hear any noise. He was even wondering whether the wind was going to come. He waited and waited, to hear the violent nature of the wind, but that didn’t come to pass. He concluded that the wind would not come and felt relaxed.
The cold breeze was coming slowly and slowly. He reached the monkey. The monkey misinterpreted him as the Creator’s blessing to him. He thought the Creator had seen how tired he was and at least he would rest. He started enjoying the cold breeze that was reaching him slowly and slowly. He felt as if all the kindnesses of the world have been poured on him. As he continued enjoying the cold breeze, he felt asleep. As he slept, his hands got loosed and he fell down. When he woke up upon reaching down, he was shocked to find the wind celebrating in front of him. He could not believe it was the wind which made him fall. He thought the wind was always violent.
Mahatma Gandhi led the Indian Independence movement against British colonial rule. He used non-violent civil disobedience to achieve peace. He pioneered the concept of Satyagraha, a method of peaceful resistance and non-cooperation with authorities. In addition, Mahatma used mass mobilization approach. Through boycotts, marches and non-cooperation campaigns, he mobilized millions to peacefully challenge the unjust laws. Finally, Gandhi used moral leadership approach, which emphasized truth, self-discipline, and non-violence as tools for social and political change.
Nelson Mandela played a crucial role in ending apartheid in South Africa. Mandela used peaceful negotiation and reconciliation. Though in his early resistance he included armed struggle, he became a champion of peace through negotiation once imprisoned and later as president. Mandela used Truth and Reconciliation approach for peace. He instituted the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to address past injustices, promote healing, and foster a peaceful transition toward a multicultural democracy. Finally, Mandela used Inclusive Leadership to achieve peace in South Africa. He emphasized forgiveness and unity over retribution, setting a global example for peaceful and political transformation.
Note also Aung San Suu Kyi, a prominent figure in Myanmar’s struggle for democracy and human rights. As her approaches to achieve peace, she used non-violent resistance. She advocated for peaceful protest and dialogue against military rule in Myanmar. She took herself a symbol for democratic aspirations. She put efforts which helped draw international attention to issues of oppression and the need for democratic reforms. Lastly, she used endurance under detention as her approach to achieve peace. She spent many years under house arrest. Her non-violent stance made her a symbol of resistance and peaceful change.
My President, Salva Kiir Mayardit and your Vice, Dr Riek Machar, you will not achieve peace by war neither will elimination method help you. Listen to my cry. I am a teacher. I care for my nation. I believe peace can come to South Sudan without VIOLENCE. Be kind to the nation.