![SPLM-IO Director of Information and First Vice President Machar’s Press Secretary. [Photo courtesy]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sudanspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/376498681_3807967519489577_8978366766676455098_n.jpg?resize=848%2C423&ssl=1)
The call comes two days after Akec sparked controversy when he attacked Unity State Governor Joseph Nguen Manytuil at South Sudan’s first economic conference held in Juba last week over the ongoing dredging of the Naam River.
First Vice President Machar was present when the two men verbally clashed, with Governor Manytuil accusing Akec of calling the people of Unity State “animals.”
It is not clear when Akec uttered such insults, but on April 15, 2023, Akec made a brief statement on his social media Facebook page in which he referred to pro-dredging voices as “Gatluaks.” “Gatluak” is a popular name only used by the Nuer.
“To all Gatluaks of this world,” he wrote at the time. “please know that Naam River is part of Sudd Wetland. If you mess up with Naam River, you mess up with all the Sudd Wetland. You mess up with lives of 5 million people who benefit from its ecosystem services.”
In a statement, SPLM-IO director of information and public relations Puok Both Baluang questioned if Akec would have caused such havoc had it been President Salva Kiir Mayardit who was chairing the conference and if the flooding was taking place in areas that do not belong to Nuer.
“If President Kiir had been the one presiding over the session, would John Akech have behaved the same way he did yesterday at the economic conference?” he questioned. “Would he have led the campaign against clearing the Naam River if ‘Gatluaks of the world’ had not been the nation impacted by the disastrous flooding, despite the national government’s approval?”
Baluang, who is also the acting spokesman of the First Vice President, called on Professor Akec to resign and apologize to Machar and the people of Unity State.
“As a concerned Unity State citizen, I think John Akec ought to apologize to the first Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon, who presided over the economic conference’s day 5 session, the conferees, and the people of Unity State for his heedless deeds and remarks towards them, or he must resign as vice chancellor of Juba’s University,” he said.
I think the matter came up within the meaning of first Economic Conference in the Republic of South Sudan. Now, you guys the issue came about to discuss the resources own by Sudan South as a nation existing in this world.
The main factor of John Akech, the current Vice Chancellor of the University of Juba indicates the willingness of somebody defending the main resources of his home country, South Sudan, so I think here Mr. Buliang the matter should not slide to political side rather than economic side.
Yes,all of us knows that flooding always affected people of Unity State, but also not even part of Unity State alone but whole South Sudan. Take an example of state, Northern Bahrelghazal State, the flooding is reported every year and even can ends up damaging the crops being cultivated by the surrounding and people who are living there. That was why you heard the story of Hon. Deng Tong who contributed 1500 USD to rescue people from flooding NBGs of Aweil North County, but unfortunately the guy end up behind bars because of what he did to his people. So, the crucial point and the cash word here, is the Conference of Economic to be held for the first time in South Sudan and political lobbying.
Now, I think my comment of yesterday was clear, as I said that if Prof. Akech really termed people of Unity State to be animals, than he has to apologize and not to resigned as you put it on your writings and that is where we are right now. John Akech had clarify in his writing of yesterday accepting his mistake of insults and from there, he had already apologize to the people of Unity State where Dr. Riak Machar, the current first Vice president remains there as the normal citizen of Unity State.
I want to say that dredging is not bad but the acquactic life and animals living under water will automatically move away to other places of the world, and from there people who survives from fishing in Unity State and other parts of South Sudan will never and ever see again the big fish which is normally caught within corners and all rivers of South Sudan.
Let us accept the fact that what will affect Unity State, will also affect other corners of South Sudan. My suggestion here is that, let the government get the means of resolving this issue of dredging and not cleaning that environment which is part and parcel of Sudd land of mother land, South Sudan.
Thanks.
Thank you bro for that very comment,you know in s.sudan every one think about where they belong.its unfortunate even politics ,this yong man should leave professor alone he has done many good things ever for the good of the people of s. Sudan and never fought a war so the dregging of river is taten only by the people of unity state ad de last solution for flooding but not looking at its negative effects coming later future.
Will the dredging end flooding in Unity State? If other parts of the country like Jonglei declined Egyptian efforts to dredge some of the rivers and the Nile, what criterion was used by Unity State leadership to greenlight the dredging there?
We should make decisions informed by scientific research. It was nearly unanimously agreed in an international conference that dredging activities should be halted owing to their impact on the ecosystem. The decision to allow dredging to take place in Unity was questionable hence the need to vent out pulic exasperation and disappointment. What Akec did was not being done to disrespect Riak but to tell the truth in his presence. Issues of importance should be dispensed in the presence of important people to reach the right audience.
Calling for his resignation is arrogance and irrationality given how much he is contributing to the development of education and economy of South Sudan. Let us learn to also hear divergent opinions, our leaders are accustomed to flatteries which are outmoded in the 21st century politics. This is an era of rationality and transparency.
THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG BEHIND THE ACCEPTANCE!
Comrade,
Let us not joke, dredging will continue in unity state naamriver.
We don’t care about jonglei nor bar el ghazal,
We lost a several resources due that devastated flood.
Akech is just trying his political project if he will success!!!
What we are doing we,the officials of unity state government is to rescue our citizens from being victims for over four-years .
We want akech to apologize to H.E.Dr Riak Machar and the people of unity, because he explained citizens of Bentiu that are animals at the present of vice president Dr machar.
That was Dinka politics where to scatter the Nuer in Bentiu from where they belonged, It is none of Dinka business that if the Nuer in Bentiu faced difficulties and they were happy to challenge the Nuer by destroying others in different ways by saying that Nuer doesn’t understand the impact of the clearing while they are dying 24/7 from flood devastating process from swamped.
There will come a time when land reclamation will be on top of our government’s Agenda and the issue of dredging will no longer be debatable but until then, it is very important for the government of South Sudan to derive a permanent solution to the floods that affect citizens and their livelihoods. there is no pride in seeing our citizen’s suffering because of floods every year.
it is time the government conduct a conference on “NATURAL DISASTERS” and most especially floods and drought, this conference will inform the decision makers on the next course of action to take so that citizens can prosper in all parts of the country.
if this is not done, then all the government efforts to reduce poverty will be futile because every year citizen’s lives and livelihoods get destroyed.
Both Prof. Akech and Unity State governor are all concerned citizens, Akech is looking in the long term effect of dredging, how it will affect the future, and the Governor is looking at the current effect of the flooding and how lives and properties of citizens get destroyed.
to be truthful, there is no future without the present, so both are all correct in their own view points and their interests are all for the better of the people, they only need to strike a balance between their options to achieve a win win situation. that is, the flood issue is resolved without long term effect to the environment.