Appeal letter to GOSS President

We, the undersigned citizens of Northern Bahr El Ghazel (NBEG) State, would like to bring to your attention the worsening conditions of the Aweil people. We are writing this letter on behalf of million of voiceless men, women, and children of NBEG whose lives continue to deteriorate long after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). On the onset, we wish to inform you that the signatories of this letter have no personal problem with Governor Madut Biar. We are concerned citizens who would like to see the lives of our people improve. According to our long term observations, the State of Northern Bahr El Ghazel is, in effect, a State without government. Perhaps, it is worth mentioning that a government which is not able to deliver services to the people has no legitimacy to lead the same people. Accordingly, the administration of Governor Madut Biar, in our opinion, has lost legitimacy to guide the people of Aweil since it has completely failed to deliver the badly needed services to the people of NBEG.

Based on our collective assessment, the government of Col. Madut Biar, without any trace of doubt, has failed our people especially at a time when they ought to enjoy the fruits of the CPA. Anyone familiar with the present circumstances in Aweil will agree with us that NBEG State is like a ship stranded without captain in an open sea where it continues to sink slowly and silently. NBEG is worse off now than it was a year or so ago. The government of NBEG is composed of many incompetent leaders who were handpicked without consultation amongst citizens of NBEG. While our people continue to suffer in “dignified silence,” Governor Madut Biar and his officials continue to willfully deny services to our people who have paid dearly to achieve CPA. This is intolerable and must immediately be addressed. It is quite surprising that no minister or advisor in the government of col. Madut Biar has ever dare raised an alarm over the worsening state of things in Northern Bhar El Ghazel.

In order to adequately highlight the gravity of the problems facing Northern Bhar El Ghazel State, we are going to breakdown this letter into brief sections each dealing with a particular area of concern and here we begin:

Worsening state of health:

Dear Excellency, the health care condition in NBEG State, to say the least, is horrific. If immediate and drastic measures are not taken to address the situation, Aweil will experience a major health crisis sooner rather than later. The recent meningitis epidemic which claimed hundreds of innocent lives epitomized the magnitude of health problem in NBEG. The question is: what is Governor Madut Biar administration doing to address this worsening health crisis? To the very best of our knowledge, Col. Madut’s administration is doing nothing to improve health conditions in the State.

Since assuming power in 2006, Governor Madut Biar has not established a single health facility to help alleviate health problems. As if that was not bad enough, few health facilities which Col. Madut Biar found functioning in the State are currently being closed down one after another presumably due to lack of funds. A case in point is the closure of the Akuem hospital, the biggest and only equipped hospital in the entire State of NBEG. Akuem hospital was closed in March 2007 when Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) which was running it pulled out. The government of Governor Madut Biar was given three months’ notice to assume the responsibility of the hospital but to everyone’s surprise, his administration chose to do nothing about it. Now the Akuem hospital is out of service and that essentially leaves the entire State without a well functioning hospital. The remaining clinics such as that of Aweil town are no better than death camps. They lack medicines, equipment, and personnel but, perhaps it is worth adding that they are exceedingly unhygienic. One prominent member in Aweil town jokingly told us that “if you want an immediate death, get admitted in any of the clinics in Aweil.” This sentiment underscores the true state of clinics in NBEG.

But the problems facing clinics in Aweil are not limited to those highlighted above; they also lack the very basic of services every clinic in the world offers. For example, clinics in NBEG do not provide food or porridge to patients; people admitted in them have to virtually struggle for themselves. At the same time, patients have to pay so much money for treatment and medication. There are many cases where patients have died from preventable deaths due to their lack of money for treatment. Those in power who have accumulated immense wealth have created these difficult health conditions without realizing that the people who come to clinics in search of treatment do not have anything to eat let alone paying hundreds or, in worse cases, thousands of dollars for medical attention. A government which does not put the lives of its citizens first has no right to lead the same people.

Your Excellency, the unspeakable health care situation in NBEG effectively constitutes a mass death sentence for our people. Aweil people would like to know why nothing is being done to improve health condition in the State; they need to know why the few health centers are being closed down instead of being improved as well as increased in number.

Deteriorating state of education:

Your Excellency, another area where Governor Madut Biar’s administration’s failure is notably visible is the educational sector. Since Col. Madut Biar came to power last year, education has increasingly deteriorated instead of improving. When your government launched a ‘go to school’ education policy which aimed at providing education to every child in south Sudan, citizens of Aweil like other southerners were very pleased with the move. Everyone’s interpretation of the “go to school” policy was that the fruits of hard earned peace were finally being realized. More than a year since the launch of the GOSS education policy, no single school has been built in Aweil by Governor Madut Biar’s administration. As if that was not disappointing enough, no single school in NBEG has been rehabilitated by the same administration. The question we would like to ask is: was NBEG not part of your “go to school” education policy? Why is the policy being implemented in other States and not in NBEG? Aweil people deserve an honest answer from Col. Madut Biar’s administration.

Your Excellency, it is needless emphasizing that NBEG is the most populous State in the whole of South Sudan which qualifies it to receive more services including schools than any other State. Yet, NBEG does not have a single high school, not even an improvised one. Thousands of children who finish primary school in the war-time schools are not able to go to secondary school. Consequently, Aweil children who finish primary school go back to the farms where they end up looking after the animals - this represents a massive waste of human resource. Aweil people would like to know why two years after the signing of the CPA, children in Aweil still have no access to secondary and higher education.

Your Excellency, even if your government in Juba, in hypothetical sense, was not allocating funds to the States for development, a well functioning government in NBEG led by development-oriented leaders would still have built schools from million of taxes collected monthly. Million of Sudanese pounds are collected each month from various markets in NBEG including markets of Aweil Town, Manger Ater, and Warawar; where does this tax money go? Why is Governor Madut administration not making use of tax money to build high schools and provide other basic services?

The war-time schools which were built by the community with the help of the NGOs face yet another problem: they face sever lack of teachers because NBEG government has not made any effort to provide teachers. The few teachers who sacrifice themselves to teach are quitting in large numbers because they go on for months without pay. How can quality education be achieved if teachers are disserting their profession due to lack of salaries? The long term implication of this trend, if not immediately addressed, will be far reaching. Other States have made efforts to get teachers from refugee camps in Kenya and Uganda; others have gone has far as sending some of their teachers for further training. Nothing of the sort is being done in NBEG. Why? Your Excellency, education is the key to national and human progress and so your timely intervention to turn around the failing standard of education in NBEG is highly needed.

Water shortage:

Provision of clean water is another area in which Governor Madut Biar’s administration has seriously failed. To this very day, no plan has been made to improve water situation in NBEG, people are still drinking rain water which is a major source of diseases. The few water wells or boreholes that can be found in NBEG today are outcome of individuals’ efforts and NGOs. The government of the land has done virtually nothing to help in the provision of clean water. Furthermore, these water points are mainly confined in towns leaving the rural communities to rely on dirty pool waters. Other States of south Sudan are trying very hard to improve water condition for their people while leaders in NBEG are doing nothing.

Neglect of border and state security

Your Excellency, another issue which is equally of utmost importance is the question of border security. Sources revealed to us that there is a massive buildup of militia in and around southern Darfur and Kordufan yet Governor Madut Biar administration, despite repeated warnings, has no countermeasures to deal with the situation. This buildup poses an increased security problem to the State of NBEG and indeed the whole of south Sudan. Additionally, the security within NBEG itself is terribly bad. The responsibility of ensuring State security falls squarely on the government of States yet the government there is doing nothing to improve State security. Your Excellency, majority of Aweil citizens are highly concerned over this issue, we are therefore calling on your administration to pay immediate attention to this matter.

Lack of comprehensive plan for returnees

Your Excellency, we would like to draw your attention to another problem which also amounts to human tragedy in Northern Bahr El Ghazel. While we truly appreciate the idea behind the returnees programme, the way it is being handled by Col. Madut Biar’s administration is a total disaster. The administration has no plans for the returnees once they are back in the State. Returnees are transported from Khartoum and dumped in Aweil where they have to fend for themselves. They are not provided with basic services such as food, water and shelter; how can they survive without a support system in place? Some returnees do not have homes or relatives to help them start a new life, how can they survive on their own without a minimum support from the government. In our opinion, Governor Madut Biar’s administration should have instituted prior arrangement before initiating returnees project so that they, returnees, are provided with basic services for at least a month or two to help them start off new and successful lives. Your Excellency, we appeal to you to treat the matter of returnees in Northern Bahr El Ghazel as another matter of urgency

Neglect of disables, widows, and orphans

Your Excellency, it is also worth drawing your attention to the plights of disables, widows and orphans in Northern Bahr El Ghazel. The CPA we now cherish was paid for, quite dearly, with blood of our martyrs as well as brothers and sisters who lost their limbs during the struggle. While there is nothing much anyone can do to those who lay down their lives for our freedom, our disables, widows, and orphans who by any measure are far more deserving than anyone else, should be accorded greatest priority. Unfortunately, these three groups of people in NBEG are the most neglected of the neglected people. Col. Madut Biar’s administration has deliberately refused to establish comprehensive programmes to help them cope with the post-war realities. For example, the disables cannot afford to till the land as they have lost legs or hands yet they are being left on their own without support base. Quite frankly, disables should be on the priority list of NBG government unfortunately no one seem interested in their existence let alone establishing a support programme for them. Your Excellency, we are also calling on your administration to look into this vital matter.

Illegal taxation

Your Excellency, the issue of illegal taxation is also a big problem in State of Northern Bahr El Ghazel. Governor Madut Biar’s administration has failed to create an elaborate taxation programme which is very vital for the growth of business industry. Some traders are taxed many times a day by people whom they do not know. This constitutes highest level of lawlessness and it is impeding business progress in NBEG. Col. Madut Biar’s administration seems to forget that south Sudan has gone pass war time era when some irresponsible soldiers would loot innocent civilians without regard to military code of conduct. We strongly belief that business is very important for the growth of our young nation; we therefore are calling for your intervention to bring this lawless situation in Northern Bahr El Ghazel to a speedy end

Rampant corruption

Your Excellency, corruption is the single most problem responsible for almost every major problem facing people of Northern Bahr El Ghazel. According to our assessment, Government of Col. Madut Biar is one of the most corrupt administrations in the ten States of South Sudan. One of the corruption practices in Northern Bahr El Ghazel is the ghost workers syndrome. Governor Madut Biar administration has not established clear employment guidelines and records. Consequently, thousands of non-existing workers or ghost employees are paid million of dollars while real workers in the field such as teachers and hospital staff go on for months without pay. This is not to mention other backdoor practices through which million more dollars vanish into the thin air. The mode of employment is another source of major corruption in NBEG. Col. Madut Biar’s administration has a tendency of employing mainly relatives of those in power most of whom lack qualifications to do the job. How can our State progress if people who can do better work are not employed?

One recent case of corruption in Northern Bhar El Ghazel involves government’s buying of highly overpriced cars which Madut Biar distributed to his ministers and close aides. The prices of the cars are alleged to range between $90,000 and $95,000 per car. What is the point of buying such expensive cars if indeed this money was to be genuinely spent? Governor Madut Biar needs to explain why he is wasting this much money on these needless vehicles while the lives of Aweil citizens continue to deteriorate. Your Excellency, we strongly call on your administration to conduct an investigation over this purchase. Our people should be told why services are not being provided to them while million of dollars is being grossly misappropriated as in the case of these unwanted cars.

Hijacking of NBEG government by Church of Christ Pastors

Your Excellency, the constitution of south Sudan has made it abundantly clear that State and religion are separate entities in south Sudan. This literally means that south Sudan, unlike the North, is a secular society. However, this constitutional provision is being violated in NBEG by Governor Madut Biar administration. The NBEG government has been hijacked by Pastors of Church of Christ who include: Pastor Kuac Wek Wol, minister of education, Pastor Victor Deng Ngor, deputy governor, and Pastor Wol Kuot, commissioner for Aweil south. The recent appointment of two Pastors vis-à-vis Victor Deng Ngor, and Wol Kuot was influenced by Pastor Kuac Wek Wol who obviously wanted to work side by side with his fellow pastors. The appointment was endorsed by Col. Madut Biar who happens to be a personal friend of these pastors. What reason is there not to believe that the NBEG government will be run according to the doctrinal teachings of church of Christ? Sadly enough, these Pastors do not possess any qualifications which merited their appointments. Their appointment to the apex of NBEG government leaves a lot to be desired. Citizens of NBEG do not trust these pastors because it was them who introduced church of Christ to NBEG only to desert it in search of well paying government job. The church of Christ in NBEG has literally collapsed as there is no pastor left to run the church. Honestly, how can citizens of Aweil entrust the destiny of their State in the hands of such unpredictable people? The decision by these pastors to desert the church so as to secure well paying government jobs represent classical opportunism. Simple logic suggests that these opportunistic pastors will desert our government in the same way they left the church if green pasture opens up somewhere else.

Your Excellency, we citizens of NBEG do not want to see our State government turn into some kind of religious institution, the likes of which is advocated for by the Ugandan rebel leader, Joseph Kony. The appointment of all these Pastors into prominent positions in NBEG government is a threat to secularism stipulated by the South Sudan constitution. These Pastors should first succeed in promoting failed church of Christ in NBEG instead of leaving it to collapse. If these pastors could not establish a strong church of Christ in NBEG, why do they think that they will succeed in politics?

Overall evaluation

Your Excellency, our disappointment is not limited to the problems we have identified above, we are unhappy with the overall performance of Governor Madut Biar’s administration. Indeed, the government of Col. Madut Biar is disconnected with the people he claims to lead; no one in or outside Aweil knows what Governor Madut’s government is exactly up to. This is largely because Governor Madut Biar is not communicating with the citizens. Since his appointment, he has never made a single press statement to inform people what he intends to do or, at the very least, encourage citizens to do one thing or another. What kind of a leader does not communicate with the people he is leading? Col. Madut Biar’s administration has no plans for State development. We have come to conclude that his administration, as we remarked earlier, has seriously failed and has no signs of ever recuperating.

As a matter of example, Col. Madut Biar’s inability to run the State was his poor handling of incident allegedly involving GOSS President Advisor, Cdr. Lual Diing Wol and Chief Mapiu Mou Tong in Mayen Ulem, Aweil North County. This unfortunate event brought our people to the brink of war. Out of desperation, a group of Aweil citizens wrote letter to your office asking for your timely intervention. To this day, nobody knows how the issue has been resolved as the Governor chose to do nothing about it.

Your Excellency, our people have patient for far too long and can not longer afford to sit back and watch things go from bad to worse under the guardianship of a government that shows no signs of delivering services. Effectively, a search for new Governor is urgently called for.

Recommendations and way forward

Your Excellency, the future of NBEG State is in grave danger if no quick and dramatic action is taken to turn things around. We have thus decided to make humble recommendations which we hope will pave the way for brighter future for our beloved State. Our recommendations include the following:

1. Appointment of new Governor: Your Excellency, based on our numerous grievances mentioned thus far, we have come to belief that the only way to improve things in the State of NBG is by replacing Governor Madut Biar with new and capable Governor. Governor Madut Biar has proven, beyond doubt, to be incompetent and ineffective and so we are strongly recommending the appointment of a new Governor who will work for the people of NBEG instead of families, relatives and friends.

2. Extending GOSS fight against corruption to NBEG: Your Excellency, we very much appreciate the way your government is fighting corruption in Juba but that war should not be confined to Juba only, we would like to see it extended to NBEG where so much corruption is occurring. You will be shocked by what your anti-corruption team finds in NBEG when you take this war there.

3. War against incompetence: Your Excellency, while your government is fighting many kinds of wars: war against corruption, war against illiteracy, war against hunger, et cetera et cetera, we would like you to add another dimension of warfare: the war against incompetence. One major factor behind negative-development in NBEG is incompetence. Senior officials in Governor Madut Biar’s administration seem to exhibit similar mindset: that of people who lack sense of direction. None has so far raised an alarm over the worsening state of things in the State of NBEG. There can be no development without plan of action or elaborate programme outlining major developmental projects which the government is intending to accomplish.

4. Wider consultation during appointments: Your Excellency, majority of Aweil people are not happy with how their leaders are appointed. One of many reasons we blame for problems of NBEG is the way our leaders are appointed. For instance, the way Governor Madut Biar came into the political scene is a mystery to majority of NBEG citizens. We are recommending that the next government of NBEG should be formed through wider consultation. Appointment of the new governor and commissioners should be made through popular consultation so that Aweil have a say in the selection process of their leaders. Nominated leaders like Governor Madut Biar are only accountable to those who nominated them instead of the people they lead. We would like to have a say in the appointment of our leaders so that they are accountable to us

5. Appointment of Aweil citizens abroad: Your Excellency, NBEG State has done very poorly pertaining to the appointment of its sons and daughters abroad. Aweil is blessed with thousands of competent citizens scattered all over the world, yet Aweil government is not involving them in State affairs. These patriotic citizens can do amazing jobs if given opportunity but they are not being welcomed by the State government. It is very unfortunate that, since 2005, the government of NBEG deliberately refused the participation of Aweil community abroad in State business. This is despite many efforts made by the Aweil citizens abroad to get involve in the reconstruction and rehabilitation programme of the NBEG. We would like the next government of NBEG to include Aweil citizens abroad.

Conclusion:

We would like to end this lengthy letter by saying that the grievances outlined in this letter represent the views of vast majority of Aweil people. Aweil citizens, both within and outside Sudan, are extremely angry with the poor performance of Governor Madut Biar’s administration. It is therefore imperative that an immediate action is urgently needed to address these grievances. To that effect, we are appealing to your government to seriously consider everything we raised in this letter. It is our hope that you will treat this letter as a matter of urgency. Thank you in advance for anticipated consideration you accord this letter. For contact: nbegconcerncitizens@yahoo.com.Thank you.

On behalf of million of voiceless men, women and children of NBEG:

Mr. Dhor Aher Arol
Mr. Deng Deng Guruk
Mr. Riakriak Akok Garang
Mr. Yai Lual Nuair
Mr. Isaac Mabior Ngang
Mr. Awach Anei Wal
Mr. Kuol Akech Dut
Mr. Ngong Kiir Ngong
Mr. Santino Bol Ajith
Mr. Dut Mayen Machar
Eng. Ngong Akok Madingdit
Mr. Garang Alou Achan
Mr. Wol Wol Aken
Mr. Alou Deng Ngong
Dr. Natale Tong Tong
Eng.William Duk Garang
Mr.Denato Dimo wol
Eng.Athian Ayeng
Mr. William Deng Ater
Mr. Thiep Thiep
Mr. Aguer Deng Ajook
Mr. Deng Yel Akok
Mr. Peter Mawein Deng
Mr. Tong Mayar Angara
Mr. Mou Mou Mou
Dr. Mawein Akot
Ustaz Sabrino Majok Majok
Mr. Garang Kuot Kuot

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Little child taking bath in dirty pool water, representing water shortage crisis in South Sudan

Small child taking shower in contaminated water.

Aweil youths at dance ground performing the famous "lor Awana" or Awana dance