By Santino Riak Maker Mading
Pagan Amum’s systematic manipulation of the peace negotiations represents a profound threat to South Sudan’s path to reconciliation. By strategically positioning his concubine, Clara Martin at the hotel reception so as to verbally abuse people in the disliking of Pa’gan like Dr. Sunday de John and other opposition leaders and using that as an attack on her to dupe mediators, Pa’gan has transformed a neutral venue into an instrument of political exclusion, deliberately preventing legitimate stakeholders from participating in an important national discourse.
The attacks on Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro carried by the press conference of Lual Dau and Pa’gan and their propaganda instruments epitomize the calculated strategy to undermine the peace process. These targeted efforts against a key government representative are not merely political exercises but are a deliberate attempt to destabilize the government delegation and obstruct meaningful dialogue.
By questioning Lomuro’s credentials and attempting to marginalize his contribution through their press statement and propaganda, Pa’gan and his associates reveal a cynical approach that rejects the intellectual contributions to South Sudan’s struggle and national development.
The tactics employed extend beyond standard political confrontation. His claims that Lomuro shrewdness will interfere with their tactics and that they can easily manipulate Gen. Kuol Manyang Juuk with ease is misplaced. Government delegation should now be vigilant because Pa’gan is out to divide them between those they recognized and those they do not. Divide and rule tactics.
He is also weaponizing personal relationships by using his concubine Clara Martin to control access to the peace venue. This act directly challenges the fundamental principles of democratic engagement and inclusive dialogue.
The Glee hotel, intended as a neutral space for reconciliation, has been transformed into a battleground of selective participation, where access is determined by political manipulation rather than genuine national interest.
Attacking government delegations, opposition groups, or citizens of South Sudan at a peace venue represents a calculated and fundamentally anti-peace strategy. Such actions are not mere political disagreements but deliberate attempts to fracture the potential for national healing and reconciliation. By creating artificial barriers to participation, these tactics directly undermine the very essence of a peace process.
The recognition Pa’gan receives from Kenyan mediators remains deeply problematic. Despite his complete inability to secure even a local leadership position (he cannot win a village chair seat in his own locality) he is paradoxically presented as a potential presidential contender. This disconnect reveals a dangerous misunderstanding of South Sudan’s political reality and threatens the integrity of the mediation process.
President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s commitment to peace stands in plain disparity to these divisive tactics. While continuously facing attempts to destabilize his leadership, the president has consistently demonstrated a willingness to engage in constructive dialogue. The obstacles are not a reflection of his leadership but of calculated strategies designed to prevent genuine national reconciliation and Pa’gan now using concubine to attack people is central to this.
The mediators from Kenya need to reassess their approach, being controlled by Pa’gan will actually fail them. Supporting individuals who obviously seek to obstruct rather than facilitate peace is not mediation, it is dangerous complicity. A truly effective peace process requires impartiality, transparency, and a genuine commitment to including all legitimate voices.
The attacks on Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro and the systematic exclusion of stakeholders represent a direct challenge to the TUMAINI peace process. These actions are not incidental but calculated attempts to derail meaningful dialogue and perpetuate division within South Sudan.
For South Sudan to progress, these divisive tactics must be unequivocally rejected. The peace process must be reclaimed as a genuine platform for national dialogue, where access is determined by a commitment to reconciliation, not by personal political agendas.
The time has come to expose this calculated deception, challenge the manipulative tactics, and restore the integrity of the peace process.
The views expressed in ‘opinion’ articles published by ThejubaMirror News are solely those of the writer. The veracity of any claims made is the responsibility of the author, not ThejubaMirror News.
Santino Riak Maker is a former Editor in Chief of Independent Daily Newspaper based in Juba
