FOR THE PEOPLE OF SOUTHERN SUDAN.

I so much wish I could attend the celebration marking your independence people of southern Sudan, I so wish I could be given five minutes to talk to you about some issues that have over the past few days been gnawing at my heart- any true politically conscious son of Africa would wish for the same. Since I won’t be with you as you mark this great day for the life of your state, I am sending you this letter to the true sons of Sudan and say what is on my mind, I hope this finds you in time.  

Your state, beloved people of southern Sudan is a fragile state, I need not mention the fact that yours is a state only coming out of a civil war spanning five decades, a nation that for many years has been viewed as the sore thumb of Africa or only dismissed as another of the many Africa’s tragedies, a state that now has earned a new title overnight “the resource rich southern Sudan”.

People of Sudan  you are happy because finally you get to enjoy the independence that many have lost their lives fighting for, happy because you can finally be the deciders of your future, happy that you can now work on reconstructing and rehabilitating what was destroyed in the many years of war. Ironical as I may sound, there are others happier than you or the people of Africa for your newly earned status; these others are hidden in the recesses of international economic and political uncertainty and the intricate web of the international system. Happier are many multinational corporations and international cartels ready to pounce on your newly born state to siphon your resources, ready to replace the sale of weapons with very lucrative “development agendas”, they will act so much as the sons of Sudan, they will make you believe that they were in the battle fields with you, but beloved sons of Sudan these others don’t care so much about this new state that needs to be nurtured and nursed to stand on its own. Amid these celebrations you need to be wary of these others.

The people of southern Sudan while you were busy fighting the war of your liberation, long before oil was discovered in your god-blessed land, most nations of the world did not want anything to do with you, you were a pariah state in the international system. Others saw your fighting as an opportunity to make money, those are the industrial-military states, they were selling arms and weapons to you, they did not care whether your died or not, they were least concerned with the plight of your refugees, I tell you they changed the television channel when the grim picture of your sufferings came on the screens of their television without an iota of humane concern.

They do not know the efforts you have put in your dreams to see this special day, they do not know the sacrifices of a man like John Garang de Mabior, they do not know why you were fighting, No they don’t!!!,they were of the opinion that SPLM was a terrorist organization or something akin to that, what they know now is your oil and your resources.

I am telling you, there are others still amidst you, in the name of politicians who still bear the same sentiments as those that want to exploit and let your resources flow into plunder, and they are your sons, but friends, history has shown that power corrupts and turns people into lesser beings, the humanity in your politicians and leaders will be replaced by greed and selfishness, they will be indifferent to your cries if you let them be corrupted by power and greed. If you don’t put in place checks to limit their powers, people of southern Sudan, they soon will start fighting amongst themselves; coup de tats won’t be a thing of the past if your leaders don’t see the big picture and learn from the history of the many of your sister states in Africa.

Soon and very soon my friends many states will be coming up to you to finance this or that project, welcome them, but please be wary of their sudden generosity, be wary I say to you, they will come in the name of charity and aid, but these aid will not be free, no, it will come with so many conditions.

They might be driven to finance another war, promise yourselves on this day that you won’t carry arms and go down the same path that you came, brothers.

Know your true friends; for many will come, so cunningly dressed in sheep clothes when at heart they are savage foxes ready to devour the lamb that is your state.

A new nation like yours has better chances of avoiding corruption and shunning it, do not condone corruption, not even at the price of your slives, look at your neighbor, Kenya, and learn from its mistakes. Inculcate good morals and integrity in your children and leaders; help them learn to be tolerant and respectful of other’s opinions, teach them to embrace diversity in culture.

In establishing your infrastructure and institutions, study those of others and draw your own lessons, for most nations in Africa today are still struggling to remedy the mistakes that were made at their teething stages, you have a better chance to sidestep all the mistakes that were made by such states and once you do this, yours is the kingdom of success and development.

I wish I would continue sharing with you on more of this, I still will in the future and for all those of you on the frontline of establishing this nation I wish you Godspeed, I pray that the coming years will be blessed with peace and prosperity for you all. On behalf of many others like me I say, thank very much and bon chance.