![South Sudan prominent activist and government critic Wani Michael. [Photo via Facebook]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sudanspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/215382267_4185902084780023_2273585185407292924_n.jpg?resize=1333%2C777&quality=89&ssl=1)
On December 15, fighting among the presidential guards broke out along ethnic lines. The following day, after the SPLA, then the national army, driven out elements of the presidential guards believed to be supporting Dr. Riek Machar Teny, thousands of Nuer civilians were killed in a door-to-door search by a militia group.
In a report released in October 2015, the African Union Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan concluded that “widespread and systematic” killings took place in Juba in December 2013, with violence later spreading elsewhere.
The AU investigation found that the killings in Juba were carried out pursuant to a state policy and were coordinated and possibly also planned.
The AU investigators found no evidence of a coup attempt as claimed by President Salva Kiir but instead concluded that a gunfight within the Presidential Guards was the immediate trigger for further violence in which “Dinka members of the Presidential guard and other security forces targeted Nuer soldiers and civilians… killing Nuer soldiers and civilians in and near their homes.”
Writing on his social media Facebook page marking eighth anniversary of the Juba Massacre, Activist Wani Michael, a staunch critic of President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, said President Kiir assembled ethnic militias to target Nuer civilians in Juba.
The activists also blasted Machar for being silent on the December 2013 crimes after securing the First Vice President position which he said has made it difficult for him to speak out against human rights abuses, as opposed to the SPLM-IO policy.
“Today is a dark day in our history, it was a day when President Kiir assembled his tribal militias to target and killed hundreds of innocent Nuers in Juba because they thought all Nuers support Dr. Riek Machar. Since then, nobody is held accountable for all those crimes committed to innocent South Sudanese,” Michael wrote.
“Unfortunately, Dr. Riek Machar got his position back but kept silent on the accountability aspect of these crimes. The Hybrid Court for South Sudan is yet to be established and government is reluctant to implement Chapter five of the Peace Agreement,” he added.
The activist went on to question “why President Kiir trained his own militias in 2012 and 2013 called “Dot Ke Beny” and “Mathiang Anyoor”. Can you explain to us why the former Chief of Staff Gen. James Hoth Mai refused to pass them? It was President Kiir who passed them outside the arrangements of the National Army.”
“How can a Commander-in- Chief train his own militias outside the national army? What was the motive of doing that? Healing comes with truth telling, justice and reconciliation. Denying the obvious facts can’t bring any healing,” he adds.
wani micheal you are wrong massage to people of southsudan and talk about 2013 massarce nuer in juba .oki what 1991 riek macher massarce people of bor to kill thausand of civil so you consider .all men are the same . the point DR RIEK MACHER was not well unknow to bee pupaler like DR GARANG MABIOR .so what hape juba it is pay back to nuer community so next time not to do that agian .people who talk about agianst kirr mayardit please stop talk about ,we dinka people their no playe at this time .lender salvn kirr manyardit he will go to some bady .
We misunderstand for massacre people of nuer in 2013 juba thousand of life lost .but what about 1991 can people consider. What happening in 1991 or some people are back. Or same thing behind against dinka not bor alone particularly all dinka .I .m to hear this thing all time .but what happened in 2013 it is paying back to nuer .because what the did 1991 that was bad thing .and we fight against arob north sudan appreciate president kirr. To do is job .mr wani micheal you are wrong page to talked about massacre in 2013 and bor too for 1991. So stayed way this problem of dinka and nuer. .
Killing citizens in a large number is not a tribal affair. It crosses tribal borders to become national matter and probably an international matter. Someone has to account to why innocent, unarmed civilians were murdered on the basis of their ethnicity. Bor murder should as well not be out of judicial brackets either. What the people of South Sudan want is genuine justice to be applied to acts of lunacy that occurred in the country.
When a large number or groups of defenceless people are murdered based on their ethnic extract, the matter ceases to be tribal in nature. It becomes a national issue and possibly international matter. If South Sudan wants to be a civilised nation the rule of law should be above anyone in the country. 2013 Juba massacre must be accounted for and the killers must bear responsibility. Until that comes to pass the country will still continue to live with that pain of loosing enormous number of people for senseless reasons. Likewise someone must account for mass murders in Bor Jonglei, Chukudum, Magwi in Equatoria, Wau in Western Bahr el Ghazal for the same reasons.