Bishop Edward Tombe of the Rajaf Diocese of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan says the recently concluded national dialogue process was an important process but not inclusive. He also calls on South Sudanese citizens to play their roles to ensure the peace agreement is fully implemented for the sake of peace and stability in the country.
Bishop Tombe spoke to Radio Tamazuj and below are edited excerpts from the conversation.
Q: What is your opinion on the just concluded National Dialogue?
A: Generally, I can say there is relative peace in the country. If you are in Juba, you will feel that there is peace but when you go to some parts of the country, inter-communal conflicts are going on among communities.
Secondly, regarding the National Dialogue, I have not taken part in the event because the selection criteria were based on counties. But based on my communication with the participants at the event, they say there was good participation but other political parties such as the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) under Riek Machar and the National Democratic Movement (NDM) of Lam Akol and other parties were not present. So, I can regard this as partial dialogue. I managed to read the resolution of the dialogue but they look good. So, it is as if the government organized monologue because it was the government alone.
Q: What have you observed on the list of the resolutions of the National Dialogue?
A: I would say it is a good step when people engage in talks, it is better than fighting. Even if someone talks alone in his house, let’s listen to what he or she is talking about. But the problem here is that this dialogue was not inclusive. There is a big doubt about the implementation. Even when you ask some participants about this they say we don’t know if it will be implemented.
If there is a commitment to this, it should be implemented. Let’s look at unifying the army, they keep on saying there is no food for them but is that true that we don't have food for them? We as South Sudanese own cows, agriculture. Why don’t we contribute to the success of this process? Even if it is one batch. That is why people are doubting our government that they are not serious. The international community keeps on saying there is no political will among our leaders.
I know politicians are keen on their seats but for us, as citizens, we can take it as a duty to support this army with food and they graduate as one united army, not tribes. We don’t want to see them as an army belonging to parties but a united army for South Sudan.
It is so painful that our leaders depend much on donors but they have their interests in the country. I would like to take this chance to call on all patriotic South Sudanese to collectively support the army with food so that they can graduate.
Q: Who do you mean here the government or the citizens?
A: No! I mean South Sudanese citizens. The government has done its part. Our citizens have been contributing since the struggle period, we contributed with goats, chickens, Cassava among others. We should do the same now so that they graduate. It is even shameful for us to see our army is being fed from outside. I call on our citizens to begin contributing food to our army.
Q: But do you think it is food alone that is delaying them in the training centers?
A: I am talking about food and if we begin to contribute our friends outside will say these people are serious. Our main problem is that we are still divided into tribes, regions, and political parties. But if we unite and begin to support our army in the nearest training centers that will be good. I think our friends will say a commitment and they can come in with the rest like guns and uniforms and so on.
We met with the president (last week) and he was telling us that our army is unable to get guns because South Sudan is under arms embargo sanction from the international community. He requested the council of churches to intervene and ask that the arms embargo should be relieved. But I read something in the newspapers yesterday that the head of UNMISS, David Shearer, says South Sudan can request for non-lethal items such as uniforms and it can be granted. So, they are afraid that if we are given guns we will still go back to war and fight each other again.
Q: What is your take on the delay in the formation of state governments, in Upper Nile the governor is not even appointed?
A: Thanks so much for this question. We raised this issue in our meeting with the president and he said they have discussed this several times with Dr. Riek but they were not able to reach a solution. According to the president, there are three reasons for the appointment of Gen. Johnson Olony. Firstly, Olony was fighting on his own not with the government nor with SPLM-IO. Secondly, Olony is not wanted by citizens of Malakal and thirdly the government wanted to ask Olony to come to Juba so he can sign a commitment that he can’t return to war again. This is what the president told us. Of course, we couldn’t get a chance to meet with the first vice president up to now.
But I would like to say, why don’t SPLA benefit from the experience of the first struggle movement known as Anyanya one. General Joseph Lagu faced the same problem and there are some of them still live up to this moment. How did Lagu manage to unite his army? We should not wait for someone to come and unite us. Even the issue of ranks was the same as now. There should be criteria and qualifications to manage these issues. We are supposed to change into a professional and well-trained army. An army that is national so they can defend our border. We don’t need to see people from the rural areas that are selected to become a soldier. We need a qualified professional soldier. We are no longer liberators but defenders.
Q: What is the role played by the church during the recent floods in some parts of the country?
A: We met last time with some church agencies including the church council. They say they are facing an issue with funding. As you know, COVID-19 has affected all aspects of life. And as we also depend always on funding it has also affected us.
We should begin to take our responsibility as our duty. This country is rich in oil. We are supposed to give some percentage to God. This oil is a gift from God for this country. If the government can give even 01% to the church, it will be able to offer services to poor people. We are supposed to accept the mistake that we fell into. We said we're able to rule ourselves, where are we now? Our economy is now down.
If we read in the book of Malachi 3:10, God tells us that we are thieves, we don’t give an offer. We are supposed to give God 10% of everything we have. Not only the government but each one. God will bless us and stop this war. Not America or the UN or Australia. Our problem is that we claim to be believers but our attitudes are different and our behaviors are just like hypocrites.
Q: You might have been following up on developments in the holdout groups that again have divided themselves into factions. What is your message to them?
A: I don’t want to talk to politicians whether they are in the government or the opposition. Every politician has his interest, they have personal and party interests. We now want to talk to citizens who can take up their duties. If citizens take up their roles, politicians will follow their decision.
If you look at our politicians they keep on shifting from one party to another just like a game of chairs. If citizens take up their role, politicians will be under their feet, even if it is through elections or other means.
Q: What is your message to the people of South Sudan?
A: First of all, we should all profess our guilt before God as believers, being Christians or Muslims. Secondly, we need to ask God to guide us and give us wisdom as citizens. We have prayed several times for our politicians but they don’t listen. Even when they went to Rome, did they listen to Pope? No.
Let our citizens take up the duty to support our training centers with food. How many soldiers are there, but yet we are eating daily. If we build this confidence, donors can come in to support our efforts.
Lastly, please, the government should give God 10 percent of the oil. We should not claim to be Christians but we don’t follow his law.