It was not long after the fall of South Sudanese hero, and the founder of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLM/SPLA), Dr John Garang de Mabior, on 30 July 2005, that South Sudanese people and their government unanimously proclaimed 30 July as Martyrs’ Day. To them, the date has become a sacred moment, for it is the day on which all South Sudanese citizens both at home and overseas light candles in memory of enormous sacrifices made by their fallen heroes and heroines during 21 years of liberation struggle against the sectarian repressive Khartoum-based government.
United under the banner of “Justice, Liberty and Prosperity”, and enthused by the slogan of “Victory is Certain”, the SPLA ladies and gentlemen, both living and dead, fought so bravely to the last atom of their strength to make sure that freedom, justice, equality, and prosperity prevail. From the tropical forests of Upper Nile to the bushes of Bahr el-Ghazal, and the thick jungles of Equatoria, the liberators built a united front to put to an end the bourgeoisified bureaucratic minority clique regime in Khartoum. Their first vision was to establish a “United Socialist Sudan”, where all Sudanese could be equal stakeholders in governance, irrespective of their race, religion, ethnicity, language, or gender.
However, as time passed on, internal wrangles submerged comrades, marking the genesis of almost every problem shaping South Sudan’s political dispensation today. The autocratic style of leadership, lust for power, dollarization of the Movement, and geopolitical changes as well as paradigm shift in global order were thought to be the main factors responsible for the SPLM/SPLA’s internal power struggle. Consequently, the vision of a United Socialist Sudan was strategically transformed into the vision of “New Sudan.”
Unlike its predecessor, the New Sudan was quite flexible in both ideology and objectives. Ideologically, it embraced the mixed economic model and envisaged a liberal democratic society. In addition, the initial objective of transforming the whole of Sudan was slightly modified, by incorporating the clause of “self-determination”. Gradually, those changes developed into SPLM’s longstanding socio-economic and political endeavors.
As we honor their sacrifices this year, the questions to ask are: Has the vision of our martyrs been realized? Where are we currently heading as a nation? What vision or ideology is guiding our national strategic plans? These questions and many more, are so imperative when remembering the voluntary contributions of our fallen heroes and heroines. Laboring in an attempt to find concrete answers will enable us not only to reenergize but also to move towards a more perfect, free, just, and prosperous South Sudan.
Despite the country our martyrs sacrificed for has been attained, it is self-evident that this nation is still on the brink of becoming a failed state. Multiple problems, ranging from economic hardship, and rampant insecurity to social decay are raging in all corners. Many of these challenges are our own making.
For example, the country’s economy is crumbling due to over-dependence on oil exports, social felonies, and endemic corruption are widening because the rule of law has been compromised, extreme poverty, deteriorating education system and health deficiency are deepening as a result of negligence, climate change is threatening due to poor environmental management, and ethnic politics, trust deficit and kleptocracy are consolidating because the state-nation building has been disregarded. If our martyrs were to resurrect, they would only see these glitches. Their day comes amid these challenges.
To confront these problems collectively, we need to rethink the philosophical vision of New Sudan. For three decades or so, this vision was determined to eliminate all forms of human suffering, ranging from marginalization to economic backwardness. According to the late Leader Dr. John Garang, the vision of New Sudan could address these issues through the creation of a “socio-economic paradigm shift which entails recognition of political diversity”.
The SPLM Strategic Framework for War-to-Peace Transition, for example, was formulated in an attempt to fulfill the vision. Combat against pervasive and humiliating poverty, social felonies, and political disenfranchisement, particularly in the war-affected regions which have now become the Republic of South Sudan was at the forefront. The framework was to translate the vision of New Sudan into a reality, which in its entirety aimed at creating a country of freedom, liberty, equality, and social harmony for all people, by undertaking the following seven highlights:
- Prioritizing agriculture as the engine of growth
- Developing institutional infrastructure for a better future;
- Developing physical infrastructure to enhance economic growth and development;
- Regenerating social capital;
- Restoring peace and harmony;
- Transforming the SPLM from a wartime guerrilla organization into a peacetime organization;
- And transforming the SPLA from an insurgency-based army into a conventional army.
Although it has been strongly disparaged by Garang’s personal enemies and political rivals as “utopian”, the New Sudan is well worth appreciation on this historic day. It was this vision that guided the SPLM for nearly two decades. Conceptualized by Dr John Garang himself, shared by comrades in arms, and embraced by marginalized masses, the vision had been written into multilateral resolutions and declarations and was on the brink of becoming a national consensus. It also has become an area of academic curiosity.
Ultimately, what must be known about the New Sudan is that it is a vision (philosophy) and at the same time a tactic, a strategy and an objective to be achieved. As such, it cannot be narrowed to only transforming the whole of Sudan. Like Marxism, the New Sudan aims at creating a human society in which all people are equal in rights and dignity, and enjoy the state benefits collectively.
The New Sudan envisages a society where the rule of law is entrenched and respected by the government and the governed. Viewed this way, one can clearly discover that the New Sudan is borderless, and therefore, it is more relevant and applicable to the current state of affairs of the Republic of South Sudan. The country both living and dead South Sudanese fought for has inherited the structures, tactics, and strategies of the Old Sudan. The New Sudan is the complete opposite of the Old Sudan of oppression, sectarianism, corruption, and death.
This masterpiece is a dedication to the vision of New Sudan and all our martyrs. It is an assurance that the vision of New Sudan and the heroic sacrifices of our fallen heroes and heroines did not go insanely. We will always pay a maximum recollection every year. With Dr John Garang as the core, I salute our martyrs whose blood cemented our nation’s foundation. Their heroic and unyielding courage is honored. May the freedom, justice, liberty, and prosperity they envisioned reign over this beautiful land!
The writer is a South Sudanese Master’s student of Political Science at the School of Social and Economic Studies, University of Juba. He specializes in International Relations and Diplomacy and can be reached via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The views expressed in ‘opinion’ articles published by Radio Tamazuj are solely those of the writer. The veracity of any claims made is the responsibility of the author, not Radio Tamazuj. BY AMAJU UBUR YALAMOI AYANI, Radio Tamazuj
