By Tawfiq M. Tongo
![President Salva Kiir Mayardit (right) being received by Chollo King at Dr. John Garang Mausoleum. [Photo courtesy]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sudanspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/333581970_1401621943707892_7396913139443252169_n.jpg?resize=850%2C503&ssl=1)
The losers from King honoring Kiir are the people of South Sudan. What peace and stability? When the King is not at his palace, and his subjects are displaced and are nowhere to be found in the Kingdom, how misplaced and mistermed is this “event”? Where is peace And Stability” in South Sudan?
How can Kiir be credited or associated with anything to do with peace and stability in the Republic of South Sudan? Here comes the uncomfortable question nobody in the Republic of South Sudan and the Chollo Kingdom is willing to ask.
Why is the King honoring President Kiir? What has President Kiir done to deserve honoring from the Chollo King? Has the relocation of the King to safety in Juba by the President played a role in the King praising Kiir? Kiir once told the people to fight and kill themselves and that he will not use the army and police to protect anybody. Defeated can come to Juba, and he will protect them. Is this peace?
President Kiir does not deserve any honor from the Chollo King; instead, Chollo King should have been honored by the President. Kiir should have credited the King for wanting peace and stability in the country. The King never encouraged or demanded his subjects to fight against Kiir’s degree, which gave Malakal to the Padang Dinka section. The killing of the tens of thousands of innocent Chollo Kingdom subjects by the Pandang militia allied to president Kiir or by the Nuer white army associated with FVP Dr. Riek clearly shows that the government is behind the displacement of Chollo people.
The Chollo politicians, like their king, have demonstrated nationalism and proved to South Sudanese what nationalism means despite losing their Malakal to the Padang Dinka section temporarily.
How can the King honor the President outside his Kingdom and term the event “Peace and Stability?” Has the Chollo King forgotten the suffering of our fellow citizens in the Greater Equatoria region under President Kiir? This honoring of President Kiir by the King is not only an insult to the general suffering people of our Republic but also to the families of Chollo victims.
The losers from the King honoring Kiir are, in no doubt South Sudanese in short. In the history of humanity, rebellion has always been a direct result of the government losing its legitimacy in the eyes of the people. The government of President Kiir lost its legitimacy when Kiir became a dictator.
No citizen will forget that our suffering directly results from Kiir choosing to look out for his interest and looting the country. Also, President Kiir creates insecurity and instability in the country to prolong his dictatorial hold on power – “divide and rule.” Honoring Kiir is a betrayal to the people of South Sudan and our fellow citizens in the Chollo Kingdom.
How can the King honor the president when Kiir is responsible for the innocent Nuer killed in Juba in 2013? And why does the King honor Kiir when our fellow citizens in Greater Equatoria are still suffering under President Kiir? In addition, the killing of the 3000 innocent Chollo Kingdom subjects in 2022 under Kiir’s watch does not warrant the King to honor the President.
The King credited Kiir for peace and stability in the country is misplaced, and this unwarranted credit to President Kiir has to be corrected. And the person who deserved to be honored was the Chollo King, who maintained a national position despite his kingdom suffering an invasion by the Padang militia and White Army.”
The writer is a concerned citizen who can be reached via musadillo@myyahoo.com.
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