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Northern Bhar El Ghazal State between the good memories of the affluence past, and the looming man-made hunger and starvation

What made NBGS to drop from top to become the weakest link, the improvised, and into the bottom of other nine states of South Sudan? Does the

government there feel privileged and honored?

By: Ateny Wek Ateny

One time the most prosperous state, the breadbasket of South Sudan, if not the whole of Sudan, the land of the most generous and frank people, the home to Aweil Rice Development Scheme (sponsored by EU) and had at its peak produced more than 1 million sacks of rice seasonally, the land to the most free and independent people (Mading chit America) liken to USA in term of freedom, abundance of food, and xenophobic-free society, Northern Bhar El Ghazal State is becoming the ‘laughing stock’ of the Independence SPLM’s South Sudan. Albeit, of the ‘flattery references’ for being the most secured state in the whole of South Sudan, NBGS had some kind of government sponsored insecurity i.e. food insecurity.

Of course, physical insecurity in NBGS did not cross into this millennium. The last wars fought between the people of NBGS lasted until the beginning of 1983 when like other southerners, the people of Aweil united against their common enemy – in this case, against the North. Yet, the wars fought in Aweil weren’t ethnic or sectional –motivated so to speak. Rather, the fights between the different neighboring areas of Aweil were either fought in the water-point or in the grazing areas. The Luo (Jurchol Community) the second largest ethnic group in NBGS had zero history of any war that had involved them against their largest neighbor, the Dinka tribe. Hence, Aweil had no history of ethnic fighting and shall never be fighting for it. The homogeneity of our society shall always act as a deterrent for any future fight between our different communities. While the Luo could be as few as 20% of the population of NBGS, the intermarriages between them and the Dinka make it difficult to find who would be 100% Dinka or Luo. Since the signing of the CPA, and the running-up to the referendum which resulted into independence of South Sudan, NBGS had maintained relative peace with its neighboring states and within itself. Apart from some trivial incidents in which some individuals’ human rights were violated, when they are beaten-up by unknown organized criminals with impunity, NBGS is a bit better than those other states where life of a person is taken away, sometimes like drinking water.

With that said, however, for me, the definition of ‘insecurity’ is wider and should not be confined to physical. Food insecurity is the most deadly. While the killings of humans by humans is bad and deserve strongest condemnation, death by hunger and starvation is worse – simply because it can wipe out the entire family. The president of the republic of South Sudan Lt. General Salva Kiir Mayardit had said on Wednesday 16th May, 2012 in the wake of the commemoration of the SPLM/A’s 29th anniversary that “the population of South Sudan and especially the youth to engage in agriculture activities to produce their own food instead of importing it from neighboring countries”. Of course, this is very important call from the president. It is not the first time – for the president of the republic to have said this. It was just a repeat of the million calls he (the president) had made to the effect – only the implementation that is letting down the president. No country that can prosper without its produces. A consumer can never save money, and therefore had nothing to rely upon, should that producer find another market.

The president call is echoed by some states’ governors who had critically and positively looked at what the president said in respect of agriculture. However, in NBGS the call of the president was totally misunderstood and badly echoed. Instead of looking for better ways in fighting off the most-conceived wartime-dependents on foreign aid mentality, the state government decided to punish its own citizens in a manner akin to the Taliban way of treating its own people. The governor of NBGS had since his accession to the reign of NBGS, had always been vocal about how the foreign-aid dependents’ people could turn producers. He (the governor) might be genuine in his call on people to return to cultivation – which if adhered to, would land them back into their affluent past. But, the manner in which the governor does this novel cause is outrageous and can culminate into disaster instead. The governor had called on the traders in NBGS to triple the prices of essential commodities as they so wish. The governor said on the wake of independence celebration in NBGS on 9th July, 2011 and I quote “the traders should triple the prices of essential commodities in order to force people to go back to cultivation. Even if you want to sell your pet, give it any price as you wish” said the governor. For the governor and his state government, this policy of pushing market to go higher shall help in reshaping the peoples’ mentality to drop the attitudes of relying on market which won’t be affordable to them, and will in turn force them to seek alternative means of survival. And of course this alternative would be nothing other than agriculture. It may work, but in a negative way.

Notwithstanding this policy, market is not part of what the government in NBGS thinks is part of what it can also regulate. The market is free against the freedom of the people of NBGS – only traders (and especially Sudanese traders) are beneficiary of this ill-intended, ill-informed policy, from the most inept state government. Even the other items that are not necessarily cultivated without erecting manufactures like soaps, cooking oil, salt, sugar all find their prices soared up for the advantage of the same Sudanese traders. The prices of fuel (the fuel that was imported costing only 30 SSP per jerry cans) and sold at 90 SS pounds per jerry cans – 200% interest and was imported prior to the start of Panthou’s war was increased to sell at 200 SSP per jerry cans 600% of interest – what a killing in cold blood?. Yet the state government is still happy – Sudan is the enemy, but its traders are our brothers. During the mobilization to support our gallant SPLA forces at all border frontlines, the governor of NBGS decided to urgently call the Sudanese traders who are doing business in that state. Everybody was happy to listen to what the governor had wanted to say to those ‘spoiled Sudanese traders’ to the effect.

I was in Aweil, and if my memory does not let me down, I remember the date was on Wednesday, 25th April, 2012. As curious as other citizens of Aweil town, I decided to go to South Sudan Hotel in Aweil (where the governor was talking) to hear what the governor had to tell the ‘spoiled Sudanese traders’. As reasonable person would always predict some outcome, I thought the governor was willing to tell his ‘most-beloved-traders’ not to take the advantage of the war we are fighting with their brothers/sisters. However, to my surprise, the governor had only called the Sudanese traders just to assure them of their safety. I believe, this is a very responsible move from the governor to have echoed what the president had said to the effect. But, assurances of the Sudanese traders’ safety should have been tied to the assurances to fellow citizens from not being swallowed by the rapid rise of essential commodities. The governor is a governor by virtue of those citizens, not Sudanese traders unfortunately. I am cognizant of the eventual rise in the price of everything in RSS as a result of the lack of dollar, but the government should leave the market to rise without advocating for such rise. In NBGS, government is the leading advocate of the rise in market – and it is doing it willingly. And, this policy shall have effect on already fragile state (the most impoverish state) according to the Bureau for Statistic Report on Poverty 2011. The author disputed those findings. NBGS is not poor, but is poorly managed. Paradoxically, poverty is workout in a very scientific way which sometimes may be difficult to understand, but the reality may be different. NBGS still had a lot of livestock more than some other states favored by the report to be less impoverished. But, since the author had no intention to dwell on whether it is true, or not the NBGS is the most impoverished state in South Sudan, the truth of the matter is that, the average person in Aweil had at least 10 or more cows to keep him/her live to the next season. The looming hunger and starvation in NBGS shall affect almost every household – this is not because people are improvised, but the market which is rising up with the rocket speed may be unaffordable.

The price of sack of grain is 3 times higher than the price of cow. You can sell two cows in order to buy one sack of grain. While the prices of livestock drop rapidly on daily basis, the prices of dura rise up three times higher. Some people will die because they cannot buy the dura even if they sell their cows. Scarcity and greed combined is to blame.

During the hunger and starvation periods in the recorded NBGS’ history; 1976, 1986, 1988, 1998, Aweil had never suffered uniformly. If the crop failed in a given area during severe/shortages in rainfalls, like the 1976’s hunger which hit Aweil South, the livestock were driven to the neighboring Aweil East to barter them with grains which were in abundance there. There are few other examples, but space dictates to remain outside the remit of this article. This is not the case after our independence. NBGS is to be hit by the looming rejoinder natural and man-made hunger. Thanks the governor is leading by example. In one of his speeches, the state governor challenged his ordains about the fact that he and some of his ministers do have farms and so they are able to produce enough for their children and even for the market. This is very good example. In fact, the state governor, some of ministers, state advisors, and former constitutionals post holders do own large lands and they are producing as stated by the governor, and the citizens should follow suit. And this is due to the fact that, they had what it takes to cultivate. But does what they (constitutional post holders) produce come to market any cheaper and in time? The answer is BIG NO. So why are we not leading by example here? As we lead people to cultivate, we should also lead them to bring their produces to the markets in time for helping prices to be affordable even to the average person.

Whilst the hunger loom in NBGS, the constitutional post holders of that state had stored amongst themselves not less than 20,000 bags of dura, pending the market coming into its climax. The target is that each of them is waiting for the price of his/her choice at best. At worse, our-grain-producing constitutional post holders in NBGS are targeting the UN to buy the stored stock from them with hard currency in order to relief the people they are governing. We may be advocating for getting to agriculture, but if we don’t advocate for the greed to be drop, the production will still be stored until the prices are higher.

Finally, I would like to conclude by urging the government to pay money into the agriculture sector. And, instead of the survival of the fittest scenario, the best is to subsidize essential commodities, or give loans to farmers who would be willing to sell their produces as quick as possible before another rainy season. Otherwise, the government may force them either to pay back the loan they owed the government in full, or risk their produces being confiscated. Regulatory measures in the agriculture sector are the best, as in the market. The market should not walk to the opposite direction of the government. I mean, the rise in prices should not be sponsored by the same government that would be hit hard, if citizens die of hunger. I know some governors do get infuriated when they are asked of hunger in their states. The measure themselves not people. Unless those governors don’t feel they were elected, legacy should not be confined on how many prefabs one had erected, or how many Anglo-Egyptians’ buildings one had renovated, or how many poor-quality tarmac roads that are constructed. Rather, good accountable governance is what is needed. And living standard could be rise as a result. In this, the poverty in NBGS and the looming hunger are the by-products of miscalculated policies aimed at making everyone to dependent of ‘interest groups’. I am not happy to see Aweil becoming more impoverished, and so its government should drop the assumption about the use of the most-secure state in the south, and rather engage in properly thought projects. Bulding alone do not make countries rise, without proper rise in the living standard.

The author hails from NBGS, and is a civil society activist and could be reached by e-mail; atenywek@hotmail.com