Southern Sudan: Former Child Soldiers Embark on Positive Plans

By Henry Neondo

NAIROBI--- Whichever way the referendum, set to determine the political direction for south Sudan goes, the Sudanese youth, most of who grew up as children-soldiers during the civil war in the 1980-1990s, want a bigger role in the new dispensation.

 Last week, they came to Nairobi in their hundreds---some flying in from as far as Australia, Canada, the UK, the US and from all other corners of the world for the first Sudanese Summit.

 “By bringing Sudanese  society together with a focus on young people, our mission is to change hearts and minds to avoid a resurgence of conflict before and beyond the 2011 referendum.  In addition to sharing knowledge and providing inspiration we will highlight a set of commitments and processes for young people to sign onto in order to achieve a workable grassroots-based peace for Sudan”, says Emmanuel Jal, a popular UK-based musician and one of the co-organisers of the Summit.

 As to why they chose Kenya to host such an important summit? A UK-based south Sudanese youth, Mario Konyan Joseph, says, Kenya will always remain a second home for most south Sudanese.

 “The country gave us refugee at the most hour of our need. We had trekked over thousands of miles. We found a home. We got an opportunity to school and some of us have been lucky to land plum jobs internationally. The country fitted the bill to host this Summit,” he said.

 The idea of the first Sudanese summit was first thought of and fine-tuned by Jal, an actor and model Gar Danny, David Vincent Nyuol and other talented youths who put in their monies to realize the Summit.

 According to Nyuol, the idea for the Summit came to him while in New York for an event where he met Emmanuel Jal. The two shared the idea that could bring all south Sudanese youths from the Diaspora to share acquired expertise with their nationals back at home.

 Danny says the youth know that south Sudan is not just for the native of the region. But it is for all and the youth are determined to create an enabling environment that will facilitate this, especially for those countries that have hosted the south Sudanese since the days of civil war.

“Sudan is on the brink of the dawn of a new era. As the January 9, 2011 referendum approaches, the Sudanese Summit aims to ensure that our young people, and fellow brothers and sisters are committed to peace and change through responsible action”, he said.

The Sudanese Summit aimed to build grassroots leadership, strengthen Sudanese civil society, and support peace and stability in Sudan. 

It involved a two days of inspiring talks by a diverse group of leaders from South Sudan, musical performances, film screenings and theatre.

Most youths in attendance called upon south Sudanese to join hands with each other. The summit aimed to tap into skills and talents the Sudanese youths had acquired internationally and have them share with their siblings in Sudan and in refugee camps across most of eastern Africa.

 They hope this will help boost their morale and hopes in their education and health in the short-term and later help spur technological advancement, business growth and general empowerment of the south Sudanese back at home.

 Brigadier Manuel Lul, a former child soldier himself said the Summit came at the appropriate time when the country is undertake the most critical step of its destiny.

 “During the war, we destroyed. But now, it is time the youths came to rebuild their country using the skills and resources they have acquired from elsewhere. This referendum gives us a golden opportunity that we should not throw away,” he said.

 As for the US-based Samuel Garang Akau, time was ripe for the country to seriously consider building a strong small and medium enterprise and help save the youth from wasting away in gossiping, complaining of lack of jobs, tribalism and nepotism.

 Garang said most youths in Sudan are quick to complain of corruption, lack of jobs. While this is true for most governments the world over, the reality is that no government has enough jobs for everybody.

 He said small and medium enterprises employ 51 per cent   of Japanese people. Studies have shown that 49 per cent of employments in major economies of the west occur in small and medium sized firms.

 This is quite the reverse in south Sudan where the government is the largest employer. The worst part of this is that there is only one major sector that offers employment in the country, and this is the oil sector.

 The south Sudan government should not overlook the role of private enterprise. “Unless small and medium enterprises are developed, the desire for change in south Sudan may not be realized”, he said.

 Garang said he has set up an organization that will support young entrepreneurs from South Sudan who have workable ideas which they will help to refine by training, mentor and incubate.

 For David Farajalla, who flew in from Canada said the youths care about the welfare of their home country and the people they left behind.

 Recalling the years of civil war, Faraljalla said south Sudan has undergone 50 years of massacre, injustice, oppression, years when many youths lost their siblings, parents detachment from relatives.

 He recalled of thousands of child soldiers who were recruited and used by armed forces, government-backed militias and armed opposition groups in Sudan, destroying much of their lives.

Yet as at the moment restitution is not in sight.

 Many who have gone through the war never wish to see the same repeat again for themselves and the children they get.

 He said however there are still reasons to be apprehensive. Armed conflicts still continue in Darfur where Sudanese Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) (both non-Arab ethnically based groups) fighting the SAF and their proxy Janjaweed militias over perceived exclusion from state structures of power and wealth.

 He adds that indications on the complete implementation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), though ongoing, “no one can tell for sure how the entire proves will end”.

 The CPA officially ended more than two decades of north–south conflict between the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A).

 It provided for a six-year interim power-sharing agreement to be followed by a referendum in 2011, in which the people of southern Sudan would vote on self-determination.

 In the interim, the CPA established the transitional Khartoum-based government of national unity (GoNU) and a semi-autonomous Government of southern Sudan, based in Juba, southern Sudan.

 “This is the reason why we wish to join hands with everybody to ensure that peace remains”, said Farajalla.

 For Australian-based Susan Yengi and Nyabana Dhol, time was ripe to begin to prepare the youths just coming from high schools and colleges in various countries they sought refuge for global jobs.

 The two have gone beyond a major obstacle facing most south Sudanese in exile. Yengi said she was surprised to see a lack of cooperation among south Sudanese in exile. “Having gone through so much, it was sickening for me to see that Sudanese people out there don’t want to cooperate”, she said.

 However, together with Nyabana, they have teemed up to set up recruitment and training organization that would be targeting south Sudanese globally and help place them in employment.

 In recognition that most may not have needed skills, the duo will be offering relevant training skills tailored to help make them marketable.

The Summit is planned to be held regularly, either once in a year or two.

 For more, visit: www.sudanesesummit.com