State television in South Sudan continues to air ‘blatant’ hate speech and to incite violence, according to the son of the late John Garang, founder of South Sudan’s rebel movement turned ruling party SPLM.
Citing a recent video clip of a South Sudanese army officer who appeared on SSTV, Mabior Garang alleges that the state-run TV aired “primitive” remarks “encouraging violence.”
In the video clip, SPLA Deputy Director for Information Gai Yoach tells viewers that the return of Riek Machar could result in another massacre of Nuers in Juba, as happened in December 2013, warning “you Nuers” to avoid supporting the opposition leader.
Machar has been appointed vice president of the country under the terms of the August 2015 peace deal, but he has still not returned to the country. Many members of his Nuer ethnic group in Juba, Bentiu and Malakal still remain hiding inside UN protection sites, while many other Nuer-inhabited areas are under control of his rebel movement, SPLM-IO.
The Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) has said that delays in finalizing security arrangements for Machar’s return are the key holdup in delaying formation of the Transitional Government of National Unity. The monitoring body has urged Machar to return after redeployment of some SPLA forces from Juba and arrival of his bodyguards to Juba.
However, Gai Yoach, the SPLA spokesman and a former militia commander, warns that the arrival of Riek Machar to Juba will result in a bloodbath.
Speaking on SSTV, Yoach said, “Now that the agreement has been signed, the president has signed it, those people are coming, so you take care from those people.”
“They may cause to you another thing. The reason is that he signed the peace not because he wants to come be the vice president, no – he is not coming to serve as vice president, he is coming – the reason is that there are still Nuers which have not been killed.”
“You consider what I am saying: he is angry because some Nuers remained in Juba, why they were not all killed, he is coming to kill you again, so this is the aim of Riek to see these people are finished.”
Gai continued: “He is now happy that many were killed, he is not happy with those who are still alive, he is coming to kill you again, so you look at it carefully, you the Nuer, look at it carefully”
The view expressed by Gai Yoach represents one side in a running debate over whether Machar was a victim of the December 2013 massacres in Juba, as he claims he was, or he was responsible for having brought violence upon the Nuer, as here implied by Gai Yuach.
Mabior Garang, who is also spokesperson of SPLM-IO, wrote in a statement on his Facebook page last week that Machar is still fully committed to the peace deal signed last August but cautioned that ‘hardliners’ are trying to derail the agreement.
“We call on President Salva Kiir to discipline these officers who have tarnished the image of the People’s Liberation Army… and of South Sudan in general,” said Mabior.
This is not the first time that SSTV has been accused of airing hate speech and warmongering. Former Justice Minister John Luk and former SSTV chief Khamis Abdel-Latif are among those who have criticized the station.
Related:
John Luk: stop hate speech to bring peace (17 Dec. 2015)
Former head of SSTV accuses Makuei of warmongering (13 Dec. 2014)