By Peter Makuac
South Sudan’s rebel leader Riek Machar sits in the bush in a rebel-controlled territory in Jonglei State January 31, 2014. A regional African group mediating to end the conflict in South Sudan aims to deploy the first monitors of a shaky ceasefire at the weekend, senior officials said on Friday. The government of President Salva Kiir and rebels loyal to his sacked deputy Riek Machar agreed a ceasefire deal on January 23, but both sides have accused each other of violations. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic (SOUTH SUDAN – Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS)
William Shakespeare wrote a play called Macbeth which is sometimes referred to as The Tragedy of Macbeth. The play is about a brave General, Macbeth, who on his way back home after defeating enemy forces is met by three witches who prophesied that he will become the King of Scotland one day and the descendants of his colleague Banquo will become Kings of Scotland.
Macbeth shared the prophesy with his wife Lady Macbeth who immediately started to pressure her husband to fulfill the prophesy as she has had massive ambitions to become the Queen of Scotland and they hatched a plan to invite the King to their Palace for a feast and he eventually assassinate him and then went ahead and killed Banquo but did not manage to exterminate his family. Macbeth was subsequently crowned the King of Scotland.
There is a striking similarity between the Tragedy of Macbeth and Riek Machar’s fate in South Sudan. Riek Machar and his equally over ambitious wife Angelina Teny are obsessed with Riek becoming the president of South Sudan. According to Riek and his wife Angelina; Ngundeng had prophesied that a left handed and gap toothed Nuer will rule South Sudan.
Riek with his blind ambitions and taking advantage of the ignorance of his Nuer supporters seized this opportunity to mobilize his people and make them believe that he is the “chosen one” to lead South Sudan. This belief is what prompted Riek to rebel against SPLA in 1991 which resulted in massive suffering of our people and caused the deaths of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese and this delayed the emancipation of our people from the tyrannical regime of Khartoum.
If it was not for the steadfast resolve of our Nation’s father Dr John Garang and those who have stood by him, there wouldn’t have been anything called South Sudan. We would have been stuck with an agreement similar to the dubious Khartoum Peace Agreement.
Instead of atoning for his past transgressions, Riek yet again stabbed the people of South Sudan on their backs and again subjected the populace to untold suffering over the last two years by attempting to fulfill his delusional prophesy of him becoming president. He tried to topple the government by engineering a coup but he failed miserably.
After his failure, the desperate person that he is, Riek retreated to his tribe and exploited them to fight on his behalf. Riek used witch doctors or kujurs such as Wurnyang to mobilize Lou nuers and he lied to them that when they fight even when they are killed in battle they will rise up just as the fabled phoenix and that they were fulfilling Ngundend’s prophesy. That is why the White Army cover themselves in burnt cow dung.
Once again in the recent fighting he is known to have used a witch doctors or Kujur known as Dak Kueth to mobilize Lou Nuer youth to fight for him and many of them were killed in various battles around Sudan Safari, Bor, Ayod, Mathiang and Gadiang. Riek was shown in numerous videos online setting up a shrine in Gadiang and lying to his followers that the shrine is for Ngundeng.
Riek is also known to consult fortune tellers and astrologers regularly especially Darfuris. On his recent trips to Chad, Sudan and Nigeria he visited Falata Kujurs and rumours has it that he was told some things that he did not like and that he will never become the leader of South Sudan. That is one of the reasons why he has been very reluctant lately to return to South Sudan.
Angelina Teny is notorious for being very pushy on her husband in order to fulfill the “prophesy” as she interferes with her husband’s work in order to achieve her lofty ambitions at any cost.
Lady Macbeth later was overcome with grief and guilt for her actions and as a result became mad and eventually committed suicide. Macbeth on the other had become delusional and tyrannical and tried to use every means possible in order to stay in power. He eventually was overthrown by his own people and killed.
What shall be the fate of “Macbeth and Lady Macbeth of South Sudan?” Is it going to be the case of life imitating art?
Ghol Chot says
April 15, 2016 at 9:04 am“Riek Machar and Angelina Teny: The Macbeth and Lady Macbeth of South Sudan”
Mr. Peter Makuac,
You know the Nuers. They don’t know that they are being Geo-politically-football-played by some criminals in the US, the UK, the UN and their evil juus. We have killed them, lots of them. But they continue to worship their Riek Machar demigod. And they think they will be allowed to get away with murders this time around.
gods help them with their Riek Machar demigod and their evil foreign sponsors.
Chuol M Nyuot says
April 15, 2016 at 10:14 amYou could have been very close to the reality, if only you could just stay a way from hatred toward nuer while living behind this made over individuals as king of cults called kiir.we the southsudanese uses to love each other regardless of who you are, some minors issues motivated by ignorant was there. But not to this magnitude of only jaang ignorant.
Deng Deng says
April 15, 2016 at 10:57 amOh, I though that Garang initially wanted Sudan to be at peace, but that Riek Machar was the one pushing for a South Sudan. Amazing sometimes how history can change.
Regardless of what happened before 2011,now there is a South Sudan.
But what sort of country is that? Almost second last in the list of corruption among 180 nations in the world.
Is anything in the country actually better now than before 2011? The sad answer is NO,
The current government have taken the repressive system of the Sudan, and made it more terrifying. Draconian Security services and an almost complete lack of “Rule of Law”
The political process in South Sudan is not working with a man issuing decrees completely disregarding the constitution and any democratic processes. The system of patronage with tribal undertones stronger than ever before. Runway military commanders and ministers who refuse to accept what the president has signed. At best in defiance of the President, at worst with his secret approval.
Comes a man along, who says “I can do better” (doing worse almost impossible). Should we all wish him well, or should we besmear this person. Why not give this person the opportunity to demonstrate what can be done for the betterment of the country?
The current situation so horrible that almost any change would be for the better.
Oh, and on the topic of returning to South Sudan,
1. the runway security apparatus arrested the 16 IO media people, are they already killed?.
2. And have the agreed rules signed by Kiir and Riek been 100% implemented?
3..And has the Government who largely controls the situation put down weapons across the country?
4. And has JMEC and UNMIS free and unfettered access to all locations to validate?
and so on
Don’t talk about McBeth, talk instead on what needs to happen to rain in the runway madness permeating out of Juba.
wani lado says
April 15, 2016 at 5:01 pmArticle very biased against Dr Riek.
Is the writer suggesting that the current situation is worth preserving?
Seriously…. 100 usd costing 4000ssp and no light at the end of the tunnel.
South Sudan needs leadership. Currently there is precious little of this to be seen. No open media debate possible as the situation is so polarized.
Bury the hatxhet and try to do good for ALL the people from ALL the tribes instead of wasting time on ridicule. Solidconcrete suggestions for a better leadership which can take South Sudan forward. Please
BILL KUCH says
April 15, 2016 at 10:45 pmWell, those fake journalists should not be released again. Riek should go to hell with his dreams of ruling South Sudan.