Somalia’s call for tranquility amid South Sudan’s turmoil
MOGADISHU, Somalia – In a heartfelt appeal that reverberates beyond borders, Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud urges for serenity in the embattled lands of South Sudan. His call is more than a mere diplomatic overture; it’s a call to humanity, to an ethos of empathy and understanding. Somalia, a nation familiar with the turbulent waves of unrest, offers its hand to South Sudan—Africa’s youngest sibling struggling to carve a niche of stability in its nascent years.
With President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar at loggerheads, their respective constituencies find themselves entangled in a conflict marked by disquiet and displacement. Is it ordinary for differences to escalate into disorder? What can be salvaged from the wreckage of discord? In light of such dramatic events, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud extends his voice of reason into the fray, reminding us all that dialogue is not just a tool but a lifeline.
“I spoke today with President Salva Kiir Mayardit and First Vice President Riek Machar about the security situation in South Sudan,” Hassan Sheikh revealed. His words, simple yet profound, carried the weight of a nation’s yearning for peace. “Somalia stands in full solidarity with the people of South Sudan and remains committed to supporting efforts for a peaceful and lasting resolution.”
As history unfolds, we see the U.S. State Department responding swiftly. On a consequential Sunday, a travel advisory was dispatched, cautioning its personnel to exit Juba amid rising tensions. The world watched as nonemergency government personnel made haste towards safety, leaving cautionary echoes behind—the sound of a nation on edge.
Consider the poignant scenario, where ministers find temporary confinement in government quarters. This is the reality when words falter and walls close in. The White Army, with its grievances and guns, roamed the northern realms. Associations with Riek Machar masked as both identity and liability, dictated the rhythm of abductions and releases, shaking the fragile truce.
Recounting Machar’s tenuous predicament, his residence became an emblem of military presence and political pressure. His allies voiced concerns that such forces imperil the peace treaty etched in 2018—a pact born after five tumultuous years of civil unrest. Can agreements hold when trust unravels under the weight of suspicion?
In an alarming twist, the skies—a supposed sanctuary—became a new theater for strife when a U.N helicopter faced hostility while on a mission to retrieve souls from the north’s clutches. The United Nations was unequivocal, labeling the incursion a “war crime,” thus crystallizing the severity of the act.
The U.N Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan sounded the alarm with a sobering reflection, “We are witnessing an alarming regression that could erase years of hard-won progress,” said Yasmin Sooka, the commission’s chairperson. Her words, painted with urgency, urged leaders to transcend divisive narratives and unite for the people—to advance toward democracy and human rights.
Harmony, when disrupted, asks us to pause. The voices of leaders and citizens alike converge at a crossroad—a decision point determining a shared future in South Sudan. Through dialogue and dedication, can peace become more than a fleeting promise? As we ponder this, the concluding words resonate.
Edited by Ali Musa, Axadle Times International–Monitoring.
