Opinion | Why all S. Sudanese communities should commemorate Dec. 15

By Wiek Bol Reath

OPINION – 15 December, 2013, is the day when South Sudan was dragged back to full scale war, it is the day when war erupted in the South Sudan’s Capital, Juba. And actually it’s the genesis of the suffering of South Sudanese. 15 December, is the day when massacres, displacements, sufferings, rapes, burning down to  ashes and looting of villages were introduced in South Sudan. The day when Nuer Genocide and other ethnic cleansing among South Sudanese nationals were introduced in South Sudan.

As a patriotic South Sudanese with no political or tribal influence, you would concur with me, without hesitation, that the Nuer people were massacred in thousands, door to door killings of this ethnic group were conducted starting from 16th, 17th, 18th 19th and 20th of December, 2013 and in the following days and/or years it consequently resulted to killings in Bor, Bentiu, Malakal, Torit, Yambio, Wau, and countrywide. Human life is not longer valued but taken at will. It is actually the day when our country became a state of lawlessness.

We, South Sudanese communities, should all commemorate this painful day in our contry’s history due to fact that, if we give history a chance to teach us its positive and negative sides and we learn from its teaching we will unlikely to repeat its negative side. In other words, we should not forget dark days of our country’s history if we really need to stay warned and never again should we repeat them in the adjourned future.

Moreover, you will also concede with me that Nuer were massacres in mass graves, and besides, every community has been victimized in this senseless war which erupted on 15th December, 2013. when the misunderstanding between the senior members of the ruling party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), over who should be the next candidate for the then forth coming elections, which were supposed to be conducted in 2015, which made them resorted to violent and consequently return the countrywide in to full scale war.

All of us from diverse tribes of South Sudan have lost our beloved ones, be it relative, friend, colleague, in-law or someone you really know. This proves that it is not longer a tribal memorial event but rather a national commemoration day. Just to be precise, in the last six years of civil war they were not only Gatluak and Obac but also Deng, Wani, Lado, Achol and Malual got murdered and still dying up to date because of the war that broke out on 15th December, 2013.

Therefore, it would be of a great importance to our unity if we all South Sudanese communities come together and commemorate our deceased ones. We need to stand in solidarity with one another and say with one voice, enough is enough, enough of bloodshed in our country. When we stand together in solidarity and don’t view this as one community’s problem but a grievance we all share, then we will surely attain a unity we are yearning for, a unity of common purpose and indeed a unity in diversity.

In conclusion, we can only realize the true meaning of the slogan “One People, One Nation” if we stand with each other in bad and good times. We may forgive but never to forget 15th December.  In Word and In Action, We Will Never Forget 15th December, 2013.

Wiek Bol Reath, Student at Kampala University, outgoing President of Unity State Universities and Colleges Students’ Union in Uganda.

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