Global IssuesSOUTH SUDAN: Making of a Nation still Holding on to the Past
The five children of Mary Muwombi have grown up in the war of south Sudan. It was a harsh existence - living on the brink of death and eating whatever they could find just to survive.
'My children grew up in war. Every day I lived for them. My husband literally lost his mind, and I became their father too. 'We were always on the brink of death, living on wild vegetables, things that if you ate today would kill you,' Muwombi said.
And while south Sudan is still rocked by pockets of insecurity in some parts, Muwombi and people like her hope they have lived through the worst of the conflict. But this newly found confidence is not enough to erase the strong sense of uncertainty pervading the arid country.
But Muwombi, who lives in Eastern Equatoria state epitomises a feeling of hope. But she also knows she could not survive another war. ' I could not again live through that past. I would flee to another country and never return. I would forget my Sudanese heritage.'
Having bled from a 22-year civil war which saw south Sudan on the brink of total destruction, 2005 was the beginning of a journey towards the remaking of this geographically massive country.
The drawn-out conflict saw many flee southern Sudan, and with the end of the war it is expected that the population estimated by United Nations agencies to be between 7.5 and 9.7 million will grow by as much as three million in less than six years, as refugees return.
Like Muwombi, they have all faced their own hardships. Because hers is not a unique story. 'I was about 18 when the war began. I gave birth to my six children and raised them in war, another conflict would undoubtedly kill me,' says Maria Ogeno.
'When I hear that conflict has increased in recent past in some states, I feel like it’s happening all over again — the war, the paralysing fear; it is difficult to think about the future.'
There have been violent cattle rustling in parts of Eastern Equatoria as well as the abduction of young children, which has raised tension among different group.
Ogeno’s feelings are defined by the clear humanitarian needs in the country, despite talks by the government to enter a recovery and development phase. In addition the awaited massive return to the south by internally displaced people, as well as the refugees, remains to be seen.
With the establishment of the Government of South Sudan (Goss) at the federal level in Juba, Central Equatoria state in July 2005, there have been considerable efforts to form a sense of governance, particularly with the development of an interim constitution.
The government has appointed several commissions in the south to drive the nation towards healing and reconstruction. Some of these include the census, an investigation on HIV/AIDS (which health experts say is a ticking bomb in the region) and the Human Rights Commission.
Ministries were established in October 2005, but they are still nascent, some too understaffed to make any real impact.
Despite these efforts there is clear evidence of the massive destruction of war. The infrastructure in south Sudan needs urgent reconstruction. In Eastern Equatoria state, for instance, which suffered the brunt of the conflict, residents do not burn litter as this could trigger explosives underground.
'While driving to certain sates, one is advised not to veer off the road because there are mines in most of the deserted lands,' says James Mulumba, a tour driver. 'We always make an effort to avoid the bushes and vegetation; otherwise one can lose a limb.'
Most buildings lie in a very dilapidated state. There are no proper roads, and most of them, including the main ones, are dirt roads. Parts of the country are therefore impassable during the rainy season, which can mean for up to six months.
Structures for basic services are non-existent, leaving many Sudanese vulnerable to preventable death. 'This is in spite of the commitment by donors’ and the international community to making a new Sudan. There’s always a level of fear that the hard work to rebuild might be for nothing,' laments Nakinei John, a social worker.
'Many people will feel reassured only once the elections and the referendum have passed. That way, and depending on the outcome, people will know exactly which course to chart.'
John spoke of marauding armed groups and militia, a constant reminder of how transient the calm might be. The war may have ended, but the bitter past remains strongly etched in people’s minds.
'This is because of the lives they lost, the homes which became ashes and the daily constant reminder as one looks at the physical state of the country — the huge cracks on most buildings, and the many shanties because people will not invest in proper homes,' John muses.
'The hunger that threatens most Sudanese, the high levels of illiteracy as school opens late in the morning and is over by noon. All symptoms of the disease that ails the people — the inability to move on based on the hope that things will change for the better.'
Although it may be unrealistic to expect that a past characterised by bullets and blood can be forgotten, just because a peace agreement was signed in 2005, the making of a nation demands that strength be drawn from this painful remembrance to ensure that those dark days never return.
As the situation stands, south Sudan is at a crossroads, eager to reach the promised land in the form of a new Sudan, but the destruction and suffering of the past is proving too powerful to overcome.
Only time will tell whether these people will forever remain at the mercy of a past riddled with death and destruction, or finally break free to become a testament to a country that has suffered — but survived — one of the longest conflicts Africa has ever known.
But meanwhile, Muwombi’s face bears testament to her past and the history of her country.
Her face is emotionless as she speaks, something the 54-year-old attributes to the hardships of war. 'It wrings you dry of all emotions. When the war was at its climax my eyes were like a well. I would cry day and night, but those emotions are now foreign to me.'
© Inter Press Service (2009) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service