Dr. Peter Biar Ajak, a former child soldier and renowned critic of President Salva Kiir, recently formed a new political party, the Revive South Sudan Party (RSSP).
Biar who was incarcerated in the notorious National Security Service Headquarters, also known as the ‘Blue House’ in Juba before being locked up at the Juba Main Prison, now lives in America.
Radio Tamazuj interviewed him about his new outfit and plans.
Below are edited excerpts:
Q:Can you introduce yourself to our listeners
A: Yes. Thank you so much for having me. It’s a pleasure to be with you at Radio Tamazuj. Also, I want to thank you for the great work you have been doing in keeping our people informed both in South Sudan and in Sudan and trying to bridge that gap between the South Sudanese and the North Sudanese. So, you are doing great work. We will always have a shared future there.
My name is Peter Biar Ajak. I come from Jonglei state in South Sudan. That is where my family came from. Until recently and before I came to Juba, I resided in Juba. First, I lived in Munuki, and then I moved from there to Jebel. That is where my family house is in Juba. I have been a member of the Red Army during the war and then later on toward the end of the 1990s and early 2000, I got a chance to come to the United States as one of the lost boys of Sudan. I did my education here and then when I finished my master’s degree, I moved back to South Sudan and went and worked immediately with the World Bank. After independence, I joined the government of South Sudan as an advisor in the Ministry of National Security. That is a bit of my background. When the war broke out in 2013, I resigned from the government and became an activist, trying to shed light on what was happening inside the country.
Q: Why did you resign from the SPLM?
A: This is a question that I have been receiving a lot and I keep reminding people to look at what the SPLM was fighting for. What were the objectives of the armed struggle? If you read the first manifesto that the SPLM released in 1983, what they argued they were fighting for at that time was a complete transformation of Sudan. This is the vision of New Sudan. Obviously, because of the dialectics of the 1980s, it was put in a very socialist-Marxist language. Now, over time there was a lot of confusion because many people started rebelling after the crisis in Bor in 1983. Many Southern Sudanese had become fed up with North Sudan. So, when they come to the bush and the SPLM is telling them their vision of New Sudan, this is kind of confusing. It created a lot of problems internally and as you know very well, one of the consequences of that was the 1991 split where those of Dr. Riek Machar and Dr. Lam Akol rebelled from the mother SPLM. And if you read the 1991 Nasir declaration, one of the things that they mentioned was the inability of the SPLM to fight for what South Sudanese wanted, which was the right to self-determination. So, when the SPLM finally had its convention in 1994, the objectives and what the SPLM was fighting for was discussed again, and two main objectives were put in the SPLM 1994 constitution. First, it was the vision of New Sudan, a Sudan that was fair in which we all belong, a Sudan that was equitable, that united all the people. The second thing and this is a direct result of the 1991 split, was the right to self-determination. The right to self-determination became a second objective.
For the vision of New Sudan to succeed, it did not depend only on the SPLM. It also depended on the northern Sudanese. They had to agree that they can also be equal to their fellow Sudanese and to be together in one country. It was difficult, unity was not made attractive for South Sudan. As a result, we voted overwhelmingly by 99.9% to create our own country, the Independent Republic of South Sudan. So, from that day, the SPLM had to achieve one of these twin objectives of the vision of New Sudan, or self-determination. If you look at the speeches of John Garang, once you achieve one, the other is not possible. If you achieve the new Sudan, then you are not going to go anymore for an independent South Sudan. And similarly, if you go for the independence of South Sudan, then it means automatically that the new Sudan has failed. So, since the day that we got our independence on July 9th, 2011, there has been a lack of vision within the SPLM, because the ultimate objective that people were fighting for was achieved. The vision of New Sudan no longer became a realistic thing to achieve, because Sudan was no longer the same. Similarly, we created our own independent country in the term of the Republic of South Sudan. So, the first point I want to mention on the issue of why I resigned, there was always that problem. The problem of the vision, the objective of the independent. I was in the SPLM, I was in the Red Army Foundation. I said in the SPLM economic task force, we try to come up with what is going to be the program of the new party and we try to get cadets around so that this thing could be discussed. But the problem is the leadership of the party did not want people to have this conversation and realized this clear problem. I and other young people started organizing, trying to push for this discussion within the party, we ended up being victimized and people being arrested, detained, being shot. As a result, you know, some of us had to run away to where we are today.
Q: Have you formed a political party because SPLM lost direction?
A: Yes. The SPLM no longer has a program because the program that it organized and marshaled the people of South Sudan to fight has been realized. This is the independent Republic of South Sudan. And then there is resistance within the SPLM to soul-search what might come next because the SPLM has become only about securing position by a certain individual so that they use the SPLM as a vehicle to be in power. If you look at the SPLM as a party itself, it has no program. It has no agenda. When people try to bring this up, you know, it become always about “so and so is planning a coup” and “so and so is planning this and that” and there are all these accusations. So, we realized that since the party no longer has a vision and there is a reluctance within the party to bring the cadets together we can think about what can be done and is only being used as a vehicle to loot the resources of the people of South Sudan, we felt that it was important to form a new party, to revive our moral values, revive our focus of development, revive the objectives for which we fought the long war for independence.
Q: A lot of people feel that you have formed this Revival South Sudan Party just to challenge President Kiir because he jailed you three years ago. What do you say about this?
A: Well, there is no doubt about the fact that President Salva Kiir jailed me. I am not the only person that was in jail in South Sudan. But I was jailed trying to push for an agenda within the SPLM. You remember at the time I mobilized a lot of youth and civil society leaders to try to push for generational change. The objective of that was actually within the SPLM because if you know in the history of the SPLM there was what we call the “black army and the red army”. The mission of the black army was very clear: they were to destroy the old Sudan, in which we were treated badly. They were to bring about either the new Sudan or the Independent Republic of South Sudan. The Red Army was to be the seed of growth, whether in the new Sudan that we would realize or the independent South Sudan that we realized. You will need a new generation with new ideas and a new vision of development and progress. That was the objective. Now, in 2011 and just before we got our independence, we formed the red army foundation which at the time gave birth to the red army league within the SPLM, and we were fighting for this because we were saying all leaders in the SPLM who are divisions and zones commanders have been learning for 21 years how to destroy things, how to destroy villages, how to attack things. They never really thought about how to build, how to get legitimacy from the people, how to build a path of progress, and how to provide our people with hope. So that was the one thing that did not happen within the SPLM. There was that rejection. So now what we wanted as young people within the SPLM was to have that path to be able to shape a new vision. This was the reason why we were prepared in the SPLM, as members of the red army, it was the reason why we were recruited as children so that we can understand the history of the liberation struggle, the grievances of our people and internalize it so that when we come of age, we can provide a new vision for our country. So President Kiir jailed me, but the reason I’m forming a new party is not because he jailed me. If you remember a few months ago, I apologized to him. I wrote a long apology letter to him because he is my uncle. He is my elder. I’m not against him. Salva Kiir is a hero of South Sudan. And not just only him, but all the other comrades like Riak Machar, Wani Igga, Kuol Manyang, Daniel Awet Akot, and the rest of the generals in the SPLM, are heroes of South Sudan. They are the ones that made it possible for us to be an independent country. What I’m saying by forming this new party is to say thank you very much, you have done your job. With honor and bravery, you have brought about the independent Republic of South Sudan. But now the time has come for a new vision based on hope, based on progress, based on prosperity, around which the people of South Sudan must unite.
Q: As a new party, do you think you have a manifesto that strives to have a different perspective than the existing parties in South Sudan?
A: Absolutely. The focus of our party is very unique. We are reviving what we knew we already had. We had a spirit of unity. We have a spirit of determination. We have a spirit of self-reliance. If you remember back in the 80s before the war of independence started, the hospitality of South Sudanese people. Everywhere you go in our country, you are welcome and respected. You are given whatever you need. If you come as a guest, you are given free lodging. These are values, these are our norms. You know, these random killings that you see that are going on nowadays. Back in the days when even if there was war, there are some norms, you will never kill an old man. You will never kill a woman. You will never kill a child. These were our norms and our values as Sudanese people. Even with the Jalaba, we did not do these things. The same goes for corruption, the degradation of our values. You know, we were a united people. If you find a Southern Sudanese was attacked by someone else, anyone that was there, it doesn’t matter whether they come from the same tribe as that person or not they will immediately jump in and they will defend their brothers or sister that was being attacked. We want to revive those values. We want to revive that sense of aspiration and there is no other party that is focusing on that. We want to revive it, not simply so that we are excited about being together, but we are excited in forging a new path, a path that is leading to prosperity so that our people can accumulate wealth. They can upgrade their understanding and control of their environment.
Q: How are you going to achieve these objectives?
A: Well, the reason why political parties are formed is so that we can come to the people of South Sudan and if they agree with our agenda, they will give us the path to power. We are not looking to be against anyone. We are going directly to our people. We believe in our people. We believe that our people know exactly what they want. This is why they were able to fight one of the longest wars in the world and endure some of the harshest realities that any people in the world have ever endured. We know that they know what they want. This is why they vote overwhelmingly for independence. So, what we are doing with this party is to organize ourselves, and the elections are coming. We want to come to the people of South Sudan with a different vision because people always say what is the alternative? We are presenting ourselves as the alternative with an alternative vision, a very radically different vision, a vision that imagines South Sudan as a shining city on the hill. This is what we are trying to do. We are trying to mobilize our people and marshall them toward the realization of the promises made by Prophet Isaiah.
Q: Can you tell us about some of these people you are working with?
A: They are coming and there is no need for me to begin putting people’s names out. You can see from that document. It could not be produced by any one individual. That document contains the aspirations of the South Sudanese people. It took us months to write it with a lot of participation. A lot of people, some who are in the diaspora, those who are in Juba, and those who are in the States, we borrowed from all the other sources where the aspiration of South Sudanese people has been articulated. So, this is a vibrant party. But one thing that I want to make clear is that this party is very young and what we are trying to do now is first sell our vision. We are, as I speak with you, writing our constitution, and it is going to spell out the actual structures that are going to be within the party and is going to present a road map toward our convention, which we are going to hold sometime next year in South Sudan. Those who say that this party is a briefcase party are people that are trying to underestimate what it is that we are capable of. I have to remind them that the people of South Sudan cannot be underestimated. We managed to change colonial borders. We created an entirely different country where people are capable of doing anything. And as young people of South Sudan, this is something that we are united to do. You know very well the situation in our country. We are not here to criticize anybody, but what we are here to say is that enough is enough. This is the only country we have in the world. There is no other country that we have. This is the only country in the world and is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, in fact, a very rich country, a land of great abundance. We need to fix it, and fixing it requires leadership, vision, and program. This manifesto set out the kind of program and agenda that needed to be taken so that Sudan can become the best country in the world.
Q: How are you going to lead this party from abroad? When are you coming to Juba?
A: I am coming to Juba soon. Let there be no doubt about it. South Sudan is where the transformation needs to happen. It is where God has made promises to our people and is where we are going to realize those promises. We are not going to realize them in other countries. We realize them in our own country. So, I can tell you right now, I am coming back. Our team is working on laying the ground and making sure that the arrangements are made. There are a lot of issues that need to be worked out, but I am coming back. And within a very few weeks, you will be quite aware of when exactly I’m going to land, but I can tell you 100% I am coming back to South Sudan. It is not just me but other South Sudanese sons and daughters who have been forced to leave their homeland simply because they dare to dream of a better future. All of us, we are coming home.
Q: You left this country due to security concerns, is your security guaranteed if you return?
A: Of course, my security is guaranteed. The entire security of all the citizens in South Sudan is guaranteed by the government. And we know that in Juba the government is there, all the security forces are there, and the mandate is very clear from the constitution. We also have elections that are coming up and our President said very clearly when he was addressing the SPLM rally in Wau that now the election campaign has started, he is inviting and extending a hand to every political party around the world, opposition political leaders to return home and participate in the elections. A lot of people have already returned. Lam Akol has returned. Even before Lam returned, armed groups, people who have rebelled and taken up weapons and killed South Sudanese have returned. They are in Juba being protected by the government. I was detained and pardoned by the President. The President issued me a presidential pardon and I left the country only one month after I was pardoned. I don’t think I have committed any crime during that time. I left out of political grievances and concern for my safety. But now that the government of South Sudan has prepared the ground, the parties to the peace agreement have done their level best to graduate the security forces, I am very sure that the government of South Sudan is capable of providing me security and if they are not capable of that, then they should make that clear so that we can look at other options. But I have no concern whatsoever about my security because I do not doubt that the government in Juba is going to provide me security and I, as part of a political party that is decided to participate in the election will be protected.
Q: Are you in contact with the Government of South Sudan right now?
A: Who is the government of South Sudan? If you look in terms of institutions or functionaries or individuals, there are all kinds of individuals in the government that I’m in contact with. But what I know for sure is this, in terms of the security institutions that are in charge of the capital city where we have the police, because this is really at the end of the day the role of the police. And the police, I have no problem anywhere there. They are very capable. The IGP has been doing great work. Recently, he was talking about his plans to make sure that the election is peaceful and orderly, which is extremely commendable that he is already thinking about that years and months in advance. We have the National Security Service, whose job is really to focus on intelligence gathering, although that has been stretched a bit over the last several years. We know that they are there, they’re capable of providing security. The SSDF is there, they’re providing security and all of these institutions agree that the country needs elections, and the only way that the election will happen is if different political leaders are providing different visions and options for the people of South Sudan. So, I have no doubt, you can ask the IGP yourself or the spokesperson of the police. Ask them if they will be able to provide me security and if they say no, then now you have a right to worry. Otherwise, I am very sure 100% that the IGP, with all the security institutions and the national security, is all ready and capable of providing me security.