South Sudan Should Rebuild its Lost International 'Innocence'

South Sudan was a darling of the west during the war of liberation. US, the EU and other international allies stood by South Sudan anytime there was a disagreement between Khartoum and the then southern rebels. The general narrative in the 'west' then was 'innocent' south against the 'belligerent' north.

However, after independence, the south lost the then innocence. As a sovereign country in the group of nations, the standards  applied to every country was turned against it. Not only did Juba, now the seat of the southern leadership, assume that the 'west' would always stand by it, it also assumed that 'Truth' is something that is so apparent that everyone can see it. The leadership would soon realize  the nature of diplomacy and the honest dishonesty in international relations.

The disputed area of Abyei, the south's takeover of Panthou in 2012 and Juba support for the SPLM-North cost South Sudan its innocence. While Khartoum has always been belligerent toward the south, the southern leaders didn't know that 'this is ours and everyone should know it' is not a formidable defense in international politics. Instead of making their case before the United Nations, Juba started to act in a manner that displeased its allies and the international community. Juba, instead of Khartoum, was the belligerent party. That reality stomped South Sudanese leaders in Juba!

While Panthou, in all honesty, belongs to the South, the manner in which Juba acted was imprudent and rash. This earned Juba its first, stern international condemnation. And folks in Juba couldn't understand why they were being condemned when Panthou belongs to the south and that Khartoum was the one that provoked them. To their chagrin, they realized that after-the-fact explanations are usually seen as an excuse.

But instead of sending its diplomats to foreign capitals and to the UN to smooth out the situation, the president and his officials started to condemn the UN and the international community as being 'unfair.' From that time on, the relationship between South Sudan and the international community only went one way: downward.

This sour relationship turned Juba officials against the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Allegations and events that are not well researched were used to criticize UN as working against Juba, and to some extent, a parallel government. However, UNMISS did more in five years than what the government has done in over ten years.

So when the UN Security Council members went to Juba last weekend, I thought it was time for the government to re-establish its relations with the world. There are many crises in the world. But the fact that the UNSC decided to go to Juba is a testimony of the seriousness with which UN takes the suffering of the people of South Sudan.

Juba should therefore use this opportunity to correct its mistakes and regain its lost innocence.

TABAN DENG GAI SHOULD UNITE THE NUER FIRST

While Taban ascendancy to the post of FVP was a sinister scheme, his good working relationship with President Kiir is proving to be a dilemma for IGAD. He speaks of peace and renunciation of violence. While we know those are empty rhetorics, his words are politically efficient when it comes to their effect on regional countries and the international community. The international community only cares about PEACE in South Sudan regardless of who brings that peace.
This is going to be an uphill battle for Riek Machar as the odds are stacked against making him irrelevant politically. Taban has abandoned ARCISS. There's no, in principle, IO in Juba but SPLM. However, Taban's amplification of his call for PEACE and RENUNCIATION of violence is playing into the ears of peace partners. What he doesn't know is that his task is HARDER AND BIGGER than he realizes. The needless death that occurred between Lou Nuer and Jikany in the early 1990s because of Riek inefficiency shouldn't be allowed to happen again. Taban has a better chance of assuaging feelings in the country between Jieeng and Nuer if he succeeds in uniting the Nuer.

The major problem with Taban and his SPLM backers is to avoid dividing the Nuer and pitting them against one another. A divided Nuer, no matter how good Taban's working relationship is with President Kiir is, poses a real obstacle to peace and security in South Sudan. The unity of Nuer and South Sudanese can't be simply wished to happen by making Riek irrelevant. It needs a strategy that can bring reconciliation and healing.This is where Riek Machar and his supporters are very important. To dismiss Riek Machar as irrelevant or to ask him to quit politics and return to Juba as a 'normal' citizen without the cooperation of both Riek and his supporters is foolhardy. It's to brood another future conflict while calling for temporary peace.
Taban assumed Riek's position as a place-holder only to find the temptation of power too SWEET to leave. But if Taban appeases the angry Nuer by doing grassroots mobilizations without using money to buy support or use intimidation as he's currently doing in Juba, then his chances of bringing peace to South Sudan would be great. ARCISS was forced by IGAD and that's what brought its collapse. obviously, IGAD didn't create a good working relationship between Riek and Kiir.
Taban should, therefore, understand that bottled-up feelings are a crisis postponed. It's therefore important for Taban to start uniting the Nuer before uniting South Sudanese. Taban-engendered unity of Nuer is a precursor to the unity of South Sudanese and the advent of peace in South Sudan. Otherwise, Taban is only making things worse.