‘‘Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems, is the day you have to stop leading them,’’ Colin Powell
On May 20, 2024, President Salva Kiir issued a decree firing Governor Dr Joseph Nguen Monytuil Wijang, who ruled the leading oil producing Unity State, with an iron fist. President Kiir did not disclose the reason for the widely celebrated decree.
Apparently, Wijang’s long awaited exit was necessitated by his disregard for social justice and human rights, as was articulated in the article published by the Sudan Tribune the titled: Kiir sacks Unity State Governor over human rights violations. Dr Wijang’s tenure was marred by insecurity, injustice, iniquity, inequality, and impoverishment, to mention but a few.
The decree, which sent Wijang packing, can only be likened to two others for former Chief Justice Chan Reec Madut and former National Director of National Security Services Gen Akol Kor Kuc, owing to the euphoria that they elicited. The extraordinary welcoming of the three decrees emerged from the fact that the three former leaders became both naughty and notorious.
Prior to their dismissals, the public presented numerous petitions seeking their removal. The trio’s long stay in office created an assertion that they were the enemies of the people. For instance, on April 28, 2022, Unity State diaspora communities in America, Canada, Egypt and Kenya petitioned President Kiir seeking the immediate removal of the former governor.
In 2013, when Wijang took over from his political nemesis and predecessor, Gen Taban Deng Gai, whose popularity was declining, he was described as A Man of the People, as the Chinua Achebe book. Eventually, his sacking was warmly welcomed in South Sudan as well as in the diaspora.
I served under him as the Unity State community leader for about six years. He was a soft-spoken, but also a rude and ruthless leader, who rewarded personal praises. In 2021, he funded my community projects generously. In mid 2023, I publicly praised him for the rare job he did to the displaced and vulnerable Unity State residents, who risked crossing to South Sudan after the eruption of the April 5, 2023 conflict pitting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan Army Forces (SAF). However, I had disagreed with him for rejecting my appeal to visit Panyijiar County, for the first time during the devastating floods. I went as far as printing campaign T-shirts and flyers asking him to visit his people in Panyijiar, but unfortunately, he refused to heed.
Perhaps, his refusal was pegged on the unjustified fear of reprisal for the past attacks and atrocities committed in the former Panyijiar district in January 2001. To add salt to injury, Wijang rejected going to Panyijiar in a very provocative and discriminative manner. In those days, he could be seen visiting his home county of Mayom twice a week.
In our view, he was showing a negative political sign that he did not care, apparently because Panyijiar is not a place which could offer him votes in the event he offered himself as a candidate in the forthcoming General Election.
I think that with the avalanche of accusations against him nationally and internationally, Wijang will not present himself as a candidate in the future elections; and hence those who were waiting to deny him votes will wait until or unless Jesus comes.
I realized it would be a remiss to start discussing the governance and political affairs of Unity State without laying bases under which the incumbent Governor Justice Riek Bim Top, came into office. The President did a marvelous job by sacking the former governor, who had exceeded the time required in a democracy. In a democracy, a decade is enough for someone to serve. However, the appointment of Governor Top, who had no track record in service leadership, was a mistake.
I remember before and after his appointment, talk went round that President Kiir intended to give the position to the family of the late Gen Paulino Matip Nhial. The former and the latter had a gentlemen agreement that stemmed from the Juba Accord ratified in 2006.
The governorship position was initially meant not just for Mayom County per se, but for the son of Matip. If I may ask: Where are the likes of Kong-Kong Matip? Since the appointment and eventual swearing-in of Governor Top, Unity State has witnessed only two exciting political changes. One was the historic visit of Governor Top to Panyijiar County for the first time since South Sudan gained independence in 2011.
On August 21, 2024, the UN-sponsored Radio Miraya published news of this visit, stating that: ‘‘The Governor of Unity State, Justice Riek Bim Top, is currently visiting Panyijiar, marking the first-ever visit by a Unity State Governor to the area since independence.’’
Panyijiar County is not an island. It is not just part of Unity state, and is either the first or the second largest and populous county by size. The decision by the first two governors to keep off Panyijiar was unjustified, because it was a deliberate effort to marginalize the local people. When Governor Top passed by a few weeks after taking power, the residents of Panyijiar got excited, for they felt respected and recognized.
I congratulated the governor although his visit fell short of my expectations. Had he consulted those of us who demanded the visit, we could have told him to promise the road connecting Panyijiar and Rumbek city. Secondly, we could have told him to promise the reopening of the Ganyiel health training center, which was shut down by the first Unity State Governor Gen Taban Deng Gai.
Two, the removal of the former governor was a great chance that people experienced with a sense of relieve. If I may reiterate, the removal of Wijang was received with jubilation across the state. For a long time, Wijang was viewed as the problem that created the divide and rule to prolong his stay in office as done by President Kiir today. Evidently, Unity State changed when Wijang left. The rampant and random intra communal violence has reduced significantly. The peaceful atmosphere justifies our previous demand for his removal.
On July 22, 2025, I stated that Governor Top was acting like his predecessor Wijang, but if given 11 years in the position, he would be worse.
On Page 303 of his book; SPLM/SPLA: The Nasir Declaration, Dr Lam Akol Ajawin writes: ‘‘We must join hands to jettison him out to save our people and our country from imminent defeat.’’
Governor Top has failed to solve the problems facing Unity State, including ignoring the flooding menace. In 2020, floods began with devastating force, which caused an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. This problem needs to be given priority. In my view, it should be tackled by constituting a taskforce to assess the damage before identifying the solutions.
Unfortunately, since the governor came into office, he has avoided the flooding issue. I know he does not want to talk about it to avoid spending the state resources.
At least the governor should try doing something to curb the effect of floods. They say failing to try is planning to fail. The former governor tried through dredging, but failed largely because he did not follow the right procedures.
Unity State, being the busiest and leading oil producer, should be ahead of the others in terms of development and employment. It is public knowledge that it gets good oil revenues. When combined with the local taxes, there should be more funds to run the programs. This can only work if the total state budget is disclosed and dispersed to the areas of priority. However, the governor and his finance team have refused to make the budget public as was done by the immediate former Jonglei Governor Majuob Biel Turuk.
The conflicts among the Unity State communities reduced with the removal of the former governor. However, the insecurity is intensifying between Unity, Lakes and Warrap states, thus causing aerial bombardments and declaration of a state of emergency, with Panyijiar and Mayom counties being the focal points.
The detention of the SPLM-IO leader Riek Machar has led to the confinement of Unity State Deputy Governor Tor Tungwar from SPLM-IO. The Governor is now exercising political monopoly, taking the unjust arrest of his colleagues as a blessing in disguise. He seems to be celebrating the persecution and illegal imprisonment of his colleagues in Juba.
Where was this man of military justice when Gen Stephen Buay was stripped of his ranks despite being found not guilty? I wonder why Governor Top is happy with violation of the human rights and the rule of law? They say; ‘‘he who laughs last, laughs the longest.’’
Like his predecessor, his political monopoly will not bring him success in his plan to disarm the Mayom County youths. The program is delicate and needs wide collaboration to create trust and confidence.
The writer, Dak Buoth Riek Gaak, is lawyer, criminologist, and former delegate to the High-Level Mediation for South Sudan, alias Tumaini Peace Initiative, where he represented the South Sudan People’s Movement (eligodakb@yahoo.com)
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.