South Sudanese who support D.Trump and the GoP

I guess i was very surprised to learn that there are Junubin who think Trump is actually i credible candidate, or that the republican party remains one we can/should even support.
I believe we all need to take a long hard look at what exactly we are showing support for- especially those of us who respect the rights of women, the freedom of the press, democratic institutions, social welfare and rule of law. So, the short answer is no, you should not be supportive of Mr Trump - and in this day and age, you should be taking a long hard look at your support of the republican party as well. Many of us associate the GoP with the CPA, and this is understandable. But the party has changed significantly, since 2005. This current version would not have allowed in refugees into the country, most likely would not have engaged in the negotiations for the CPA, and will certainly not be acting to your interest in future. This is especially for those of us who do have the right to vote, in the presidential elections in America.


The long answer is this post i wrote in response to a discussion on this with a friend; So, here are my reasons not to show support the GoP


i never actually thought i would have to explain why i find donald indefensible and repulsive- i thought it was pretty self evident (unless you part of the alt-right white supremacy movement). but apparently, i have to justify why i don't think anyone i know should be supporting him. i typed out this entire thing in response to someone else- but i am going to post this here; because this is the last time i am talking about it and the last time i am posting about trump. there are far more crucial things id rather have on my fb page. (and yes, this is also the reason i have been posting all these articles about the donald, hoping that perhaps this will change the minds of the stragglers among us.)


"“We take positions guided by interests and what matters in our lives”


yes, we do, and we should.


I choose to surround myself with friends who take positions that are defensible, even when I disagree with them. i think debate is healthy, disagreements make us better. But this man is indefensible.


Back when he started out by calling Mexicans rapists…I’ve been to Mexico twice, I’ve traveled in Mexico (the yucatan province- probably my favourite place) by myself - this is a huge insult. I’ve been around Mexican ‘illegals’ here in America- it is insulting to call people who are paying taxes, working at jobs to make a better reality for their families, who are contributing significantly to the economy of this country, who have children in schools and colleges- to call them rapists? I was very clear on where I draw the line on this. And no, saying, ‘and some of them are good people', does not minimize it. To say, most of them are good people, would be far more accurate. Remember that they are being called rapists because they are immigrants, the seek a better life for their family.. and think about the fact that majority of us have been immigrants all our lives. Words have consequences.


I will not support anyone who thinks that refugees do not deserve a safe haven –and especially knowing how difficult America makes it for refugees to come here- because there is a two year vetting process- this is someone who would have turned away the Lost Boys of Sudan, who will turn away, primarily women and children. My family came to america as refugees, in the 90s, my grandfather sought refuge in kenya in the late 50s. I have great empathy for people fleeing conflict. It is not acceptable to stoke the winds of islamophobia- you can deal with the threat of terrorism without targeting religious beliefs. i am an atheist, but i strongly are against any attempts to promote this. The result of this is that anyone who wears a hijab, for example, is deemed a threat, and insulted. I have friends who wear hijab, and my principles find this indefensible.


As someone who supports women’s reproductive health rights, I find it indefensible to defund the biggest provider of reproductive health services to poor women. Republicans have been doing this all across the states they govern. As someone who has defended the right of a woman to make a decision, even vis a vis abortion and contraception, I fully support Roe v Wade, and I want to see the end of the Hyde amendment, which restricts poor women’s access to safe abortion. I am aware of the consequences of restricting abortion - the results are detrimental. Restricting abortion goes right along with restricting contraceptive access, while all the research shows that increasing access to abortion results in an increase in contraceptive rate and a decrease in abortions. I support evidence-based decision making, not the ‘morality police’ which does nothing except seek to regulate women's uteri. I also find it indefensible to support a party that has spent the past decades making it increasingly difficult for women to access their reproductive health rights. I remember very well when the U.S refused to fund UNFPA, which resulted in lack of money for contraceptives for the developing world, and also the lack of funding for organizations that do not preach abstinence only under Bush- it is very possible that returning the GoP into the presidency will be a return to this (this is what they have been doing for the past 8 years). it was Obama who got rid of all this- one of the first things he did on taking office.


I will not respect someone who thinks blacks have nothing to lose, who thinks blacks are nothing but poor, uneducated people who live in crime ridden neighbourhoods- the vast majority of us do not. To talk about black people as a monolith, is to spread the stereotypes that already exist in this society. It is indefensible to support someone whose supporters routinely launch racist attacks and diatribes against black folk- I’ve seen the pictures of protesters being beaten by his supporters, I’ve been called names on twitter that are nothing short of racist, I’ve seen how they talk about the Obama’s (pictures of them as gorillas??) because donald coddles up to neo-Nazis and the ku klux klan, or the white-washed name they now go under- the alt-right. I don’t support racists.


I will not respect someone who thinks countries should have nuclear weapons- including North Korea, Saudi Arabia- I actually care about humanity- I don’t believe in nuclear proliferation and still wish Obama had been able to reduce the number of nuclear weapons America holds, as he had planned to do. I’ve watched this congress work hard to stop him from doing anything, as the republican party openly said when he took office, ‘we will oppose anything he proposes so that he will be a one-term president’. Why? Because he is a black man- which is why they have also been questioning his Americanism- with donald leading the birtherism movement, and refusing to apologize for denigrating the president for over 5 years.


I will not support anyone who thinks climate change is a hoax, and so we should get rid of the environmental protection agency, and do nothing about climate change mitigation. I may want to have children in future, and i would want to see them have a viable future. This is indefensible. To not have a climate mitigation strategy, at a time when all the signs show that we might be reaching the carbon tipping point? I believe the scientists, not the republican party of ignorance and lobbyists.


It is indefensible to support someone who cozies up to dictators and brutal regimes, including Kim Jong Un’s N. Korea. Someone who does not seem to care for the freedom of the press- has routinely threatened reporters and the media, has barred journalists from covering his events, and wants to open up libel laws- which will put restrictions on the press. No wonder he supports brutal regimes.


Someone who thinks it’s okay to casually talk about assassination of his opponent by ‘2nd amendment folk’. And yesterday, thinks its okay to jail someone at his command, should he have his way. But this is not surprising, he does not respect the judicial process, either. He called for the death penalty for 5 young boys who then spent 12 years in jail, before DNA evidence found that they were innocent- and yet this man is still saying they are guilty, as of last week, because in his mind, they are. He does not even have the decency to see how wrong it was for young boys to be wrongly imprisoned for 12 years? That’s inhumane.


It is indefensible to respect someone who will question a judge’s credentials because they have immigrant parents, not their actual qualifications. I am an immigrant, too- to support this will be to allow the same to be done to me. And all this because he is currently on trial for fraud? For claiming to run a university and defrauding thousands? apparently he does not think rules apply to him.


Someone who doesn’t support the electoral process, because if he does not win it will have been rigged so let’s have a ‘revolution’ gun owners, and who is part of a party that has been suppressing and denying the right to vote to black folk - including in north Carolina, which a judge called a ‘clinical and surgical attempt’ at making it harder for black people and poor people to vote.


I’ve spent the past 2 years in this country watching black men be stopped and shot by the police for no reason other than they are black (including children, btw, not just adult men), no respect for due process and everyone gets away scott free- and yet this man wants to continue the very policies that allow for such things to happen- stop and frisk- which was deemed unconstitutional. I have nephews in America, who are young men and who are at risk every time they leave the house, of being murdered in the streets, because implicit bias by the police results in their being viewed as a threat. Anyone who thinks there is nothing wrong with policing in minority and poor neighbourhoods, despite the department of justice saying there is- all they are doing is viewing young kids as thugs and that is indefensible.


And lastly, anyone who thinks casually talking about sexually assaulting women (just ‘grab them by the pussy’- his words, not mine), someone who is okay with his own daughter being called a ‘piece of ass’ by another man, who thinks it’s okay to call women pigs, and she has ‘blood coming out of her wherever’, because Megan Kelly, whom I don’t even like, dared to question his record with women, any man who waves this away as ‘locker room talk’, I don’t believe this is someone who, as a woman, has my own interests and humanity at heart, either. I expect men to check anyone who talks like this, to be insulted on behalf of women, when they hear talk like this. not to say, oh, but I still support this man. This is not locker room talk, Anderson Cooper was right to call it a description of sexual assault.


now, maybe you can say, but he has policies…. No he does not. No policy on climate change because it is a hoax. Immigration- deport them all, let’s have a deportation force, including children who were born here and are Americans according to the constitution, ban all muslims ‘complete and total shut down’, extreme vetting-whatever that means, lets institute a religious test- this is unconstitutional. These are not policies, this is encouraging xenophobia.


His economic policies will add 5 trillion dollars to the debt and provide tax relief to the wealthy and to corporations (I am not a millionaire, so I don’t count). This is what every credible economist is saying. And, he has not paid taxes- I have paid taxes since I first got here in 2000, including the 5 years I was working in south sudan. He on the other hand? Has lost billions and considers this good business practice because it resulted in him not paying taxes and bilking the system- he often talks about creating jobs- he wont tell us how, manufacturing is not coming back to the u.s., protectionist policies do nothing to increase trade, that’s not how economics works. When I look at economic policies of the past presidencies- I see that under republicans, the wealthy got wealthier, we got into a recession that we are still working up from, millions lost their jobs since 2007/8 (I was in NYC when Lehman collapsed)… etc. No serious economist believes that further reducing taxes (which is how we pay for social welfare policies including education, which i am strongly supportive of) = boosting the economy.


His education policy is charter schools, not public schools- the majority of poor people do not have access to charter schools- you don’t fix education by reducing money for the public school system. My own family has been a victim of the poor and unequal education system in America- this is the number one reason poverty is now inter-generational, in my opinion. I want to see this fixed, not worsened.


He plans to defund planned parenthood- this is his reproductive health policy- to reduce access for poor women. He will repeal the affordable care act-ACA- I get my health insurance because of Obamacare- it needs to be fixed, not repealed, the republicans have had 8 years to come up with an alternative- the most ‘comprehensive’ was paul ryan’s- I read it, it didn’t say anything except, we can do it better, but what exactly? We know the issues with ACA, we know the solutions. We’ve also seen congress do everything to ensure that health insurance for millions becomes a failure-instead of working to actually expand coverage. This is just inhumane. Don’t people have a right to health-care? Shouldn’t governments spend money on ensuring their populace have healthcare?


His foreign policy is build a wall. That’s about it.


Oh, and ‘I will defeat ISIS bigly or big league, but how is a secret, I cant tell you.’ And then the other day he says he will instruct generals to come up with a plan, suggesting that he actually has no plan. And not only that, apparently everyone else is stupid and doesn’t know what they are doing- only he can fix it. This is just chilling.


He has changed his mind every single time any of his policies have been brought up, including last night, because apparently he has no grasp of actual policy issues- he seems to think dragging people in the mud along with him is talking about policy issues (just last week he was urging us to watch a sex tape- really??) And I could go on, but almost every conservative newspaper that has refused to endorse this man explains why, much better than I could have.


So, yes, I have looked at Donald Trump’s ‘policies’. I have listened to what he has to say, I have been repelled by his policies and personally by his behaviour on this campaign trail, and now that his sordid past is emerging, by his behaviour as a 59 year old manchild. He is indefensible, we should all draw the line.


I have already had this discussion with two people - south sudanese seem to have a blind allegiance to the republican party- I get it, but this is not the same party that supported our efforts for sovereignty- it’s been 8 years of tea party politics. And this has been detrimental, especially to the poor and to women. We need to do better.

once again... we are running

its been a mere 5 years of independence. my favourite time in juba has always been around July 9th; the independence day celebrations. the week leading up to it, when everything, people, cars, animals - is draped in flags. We are all planning what to wear, where to go party, whom to go see, buying food and drinks, new clothes for the children. everyone eagerly awaiting the day at the mausoleum, where we party and celebrate and appreciate the fact that we have a country, finally. after years of being refugees.

Instead, this year, they cancelled the celebrations. and as if that was not enough, fighting started in Juba. Apparently, neither our president, nor his two vice-presidents has any idea who and why is fighting. what we hear are accusations launched back and forth.

people that were going to church on Sunday, found themselves fleeing for their lives when their roads were blocked by sounds of artillery. Children woke up today, Monday morning, to even more fighting. we are once again counting the dead. we are once again traumatized- and we have yet to heal from our many previous traumas.

we have been refugees since we got independence. we merely had a year or two of people returning back to South Sudan, from everywhere.. and now those same people, and many others, are having to repack their bags and return to refugee shelters that they had previously abandoned.

its really hard to describe this feeling of powerlessness. it seems there is nothing we can do. we have no say. we have no power. we have no control. we cannot vote. we cannot speak. prayers arent being answered. the international community seems to have no clue.

we merely sit around like targets waiting for the next time our 'leaders' have a disagreement, knowing they do not take it upon each other- no - we have to be included in their fight - they take it out on us. and on the children. we are the ones who have to suffer - even though we have been very clear that 30 years of fighting was more than enough.

it still continues....and this time we don't even have a clear idea of who the enemy is.  One thing is clear: it is not the people of South Sudan. it is the 'leaders' whose legitimacy expired in 2015, and are now nothing but an AU/IGAD imposition.

South Sudan.... what have we become?

i have a friend who had to flee Juba, South Sudan
after being arrested, beaten and tortured by my government.
In December - he was 'disappeared' into national security 'prison' - for almost a month, nobody knew where he was
he was released in January- and less than a week later, 'kidnapped', beaten and tortured, before being dumped in a cemetery.
who are these people?
who does this?
"we did not kill you (yet) but we will dump your body in a cemetery, just in case."
who thinks like this?
have we become *this inhumane?*

he is one of many.

too many of us now have stories of 'those who have to flee Juba.'

And yet, *this* is what we fought against.
The right to have freedom of speech, religion, movement... to have a country. to never live in exile again
to never be refugees.

the irony of this, is not lost on me.

i spoke with him yesterday and he was talking about possibly having to go back- to Juba
if there are no remaining options
and also.... i think he still believes that it is necessary for (some of us) to remain,
and try to change things
to help alleviate the suffering of the majority
or that perhaps he can go back and just be quiet and that by staying under the radar, they will let him be.
these are the options our young people now have. be docile, and quiet. or else...

i find it really hard to reconcile this reality to that of 2009 when i moved to live and work in (then) Sudan
(as many of us did. very idealistic, very optimistic. very hopeful. we are going to rebuild. we will show the rest of the world...)

in less than a decade, here we are... our friends have to flee the country -
there are those of us who have to seek political asylum.
it is now *we* who are facing accusations of human rights abuses. and they are justified.

*this is what we were fighting against, those many years in the bush*
*this* was the basis for my referendum vote- separation... because never again should we have to be marginalized.
the irony is not lost.

so now I feel like i am stuck in the U.S. - because i don't see how i could go and live and work there
even though i still think my work is necessary....
my reasons for getting even *more* education was solely for this...
I could go back and be more effective....Perhaps find a better way to build/manage a health system... improve lives
but....how do we function in a quickly collapsing government?
one that does not seem to care about its populace?
how can we talk about making things better, while we are also destroying the very things that makes us humane

This will be the first time I am missing the July 9th independence celebrations
this has always been one of my favourite times in Juba.
to celebrate who we are and where we have come from and be amazed that 'we are a country!'
Its been a long while since i felt that there is much to celebrate.
its been a long while since i had pride in us being a country.

the irony of this, is not lost on me.

On student violence in Sudan

Throughout history, universities have been the hotbed of revolutions and political activity.
This is no different in Sudan.
What is different in Sudan, is the level of violence conducted against students and by students.
Political rallies regularly end in groups of students whacking each other with re bar ,sticks,knives,rocks etc.
The government has no hesitation sending in riot police with live munition to 'control' the situation.
Which is to be expected really, that's what dictatorships do.
Student on student and student on staff violence has always been around but taken an escalation lately.
Both the government party and opposition parties {who are muzzled in the national media} use student unions as proxies.
I am not implying that these students are stooges who attack on command, but they do get handed down 'agendas'.
What is even more tragic that in a country where the government spend the vast majority of it's budget on 'defence' and education is becoming less and less significant , the very people to disrupt classes{by burning them down} are the people who should be defending them most.

# thirdworldliving

Although, to be fair to other third world cities, we *are* scrapping the bottom of the third world barrel

Aka, perhaps this shit only happens in *this* city

# at the airport, immigration officials outdo each other to be as rude to you as can be

# dogs roaming the streets like they own this shit

#mosquitos!

#finally! Good coverage of international news on t.v

(*on that note, fkc south Carolina and those in-bred kkk’s (including those imported from n.carolina). its time to bring back the BPP.)

# you add cellphone ‘credit/minutes’ to your mobile phone in order to buy internet ‘daily bundles’

-          This shit is slower than dial-up

-          You bought a weekly bundle once, which was used up in a day, and never again

-          ‘it swallowed my credit’ becomes a sentence that makes sense

# your main phone network line works sporadically, hence you have more than one phone number

*downloads fbmessenger, whatsapp, viber just to make sure you have options*

# children less than three years old running around barefoot, half-naked playing unsupervised (it’s a beautiful thing, these kids are fearless)

# child labour (depressing)

# the lack of concern about child labour (frustrating)

# kids walking to and from school in their brand new uniforms (uniforms are ugly, watching the kids enthusiasm brings a smile to my face)

#women breastfeeding whenever and wherever (this should be life)

#all adult women are seemingly always in three stages of reproduction; either pregnant, or breastfeeding, or getting ready to be pregnant.

#the fact that households leave covered pots of water with cups outside their gates for passersby to have a cup of water on their onward journey (little mercies)

# soldiers walking around with aka47s slung around their shoulders is a ubiquitous sight

-          The fact that they are not as many as a few years ago is a sign of progress

-          You can tell the ones who have been kitted out with new guns since your last visit

-          You are impressed that the curfew is not being enforced and the checkpoints are fewer

# you can be arrested arbitrarily, including for ‘talking back/ badly’  #truestory

#your friends advice you to have on speed dial, the numbers of a powerful person/someone with connections, a lawyer and a doctor, just in case, for next time, if you ever do get arrested. *pause*

# you’ve ridden around in a truck full of soldiers, all the while thinking wtf is this life

# half the country is at war but we party and bullshit in the capital city

# an argument about politics is always about two minutes ahead in any conversation

#everybody’s got answers but nobody is asking the right questions

#”we liberated this country” is considered a valid way of ending said political discussions, especially when it’s contrary to the status quo/ way of thinking

# we all know national security is listening. We also know they drive the cars without number plates

#knowing the dollar exchange rate at the black market, but not the official rate

#this exchange rate tripled in the six months since you’ve been here, yet we continue to soldier on

# majority live in poverty but huge SUVs are the main mode of transport for a chosen few

#the moment you realize you and your grandkids will be paying off the debts that were taken to buy said SUVs and accommodate people in expensive hotels

#motorcycles/boda bodas are the main means of public transportation for the rest of us

#nobody you know takes public transportation and wtf is wrong with you? Hire a car

# drinking spiced tea under a tree while the tea lady and her clients regale you with funny stories

#tea options include hibiscus or fenugreek tea

#becoming one of those people who spend hours drinking numerous cups of tea under a tree while talking about ‘building the nation’

#you can spend hours ‘people-watching’

#ethiopian coffee, now *this* is life

#the local coffee, spiced with a lot of ginger- now *this* is heavenly

#food from the local restaurant tastes way better than anything you make when you are home

#not knowing how to speak the main language or mother-tongue is shameful and a pity. in fact, since most people speak at least four languages, nobody gets it.

# complaining about any and everything about this country even though you realize you will never stop coming back, regardless.

July 9th... and almost getting arrested

Feels like every time I come to Juba, someone or other threatens to arrest/detain me. I am not sure if this is something to do with me specifically, or if it reflects the fact that at one point or another, someone is either always being arrested/detained for no apparent reason.

I tried to go to the Independence Day celebrations with a camera. I passed one checkpoint on the way there and no one mentioned that cameras are not allowed. This was until I got to the mausoleum, where apparently having a professional-looking camera, without being either a journalist or possessing a press pass is highly suspicious. 

As soon as I get into the mausoleum, the next thing I know I am being interrogated by a number of people. 

 “Why do you have a camera, are you a journalist? No? Do you have a press pass? No? Then you have to leave. No, you are not allowed to have a camera here. And where are you coming from? Are you from Nairobi or are you from U.S? And when did you get here? You came here yesterday? No, no, no, no, this is very suspect.  where are your papers? You don’t have your passport? Where do you work? You do not work? then what are you doing here? Yes, this is very suspicious, sit over there.”

And every few minutes a new person would come and ask a variation of these same questions.

Until finally a soldier forcefully marches me out of the mausoleum. 

I do think he mainly wanted to confiscate the camera, because instead of letting me leave once we get outside, he once again starts with the interrogation, now to also include; “Ita junubin? From where? Northern Bahr El Gazal? Where? Oh im also from Aweil. And why you don’t speak mother tongue.”

At this point I am not really sure what the purpose of these personal questions are, it’s not like we are about to have a reunion during this street interrogation, and its about a 40-minute walk back to where im staying, i need to get moving if i am going to walk back. 

I finally ask, exasperated; “Why can’t I have a camera and take pictures, as a normal citizen, only journalists are allowed to have professional cameras here in South Sudan? And fine if that is the case, then you need to let me go so I can go return this camera, I’ve already left the mausoleum."

Which causes him to accuse me of talking badly/ being disrespectful, and this of course, in addition to the camera, warrants my being arrested. At this point there is really not much I can say or do, especially after I asked what I was being arrested for, and the response was, ‘you shall see.’

And it’s less than 24 hours of my being in this country.

He calls for a military police truck, which after about five minutes, pulls over, with 4 armed soldiers in the back. 

I am 5 feet 6 inches, and weigh about fifty five kilos (120 pounds) and apparently I am a threat. 

I really just can’t believe all this, at this point. All I wanted was to celebrate Independence Day and actually planned my entire trip around this. This was not how i imagined my day would be like. Not only that, i am not sure what exactly happens after this.

His superior comes over and asks what the problem is and we both explain our sides of the scenario.  At this point I am thinking of what I always say; the day I end up in jail in this country is the day I am never coming back. 

But he surprises the both of us by saying, “khalas, this is what we are going to do. Where are you staying? Tombura road? Okay we will take you to where you are staying to return the camera and then we will bring you back”. 

The soldier does not like this and tries to speak but he is told, 'khalas, this is a very small matter, I will solve the issue.'

So I get into the MP truck, and we go to drop off the camera. 

Enroute back to the mausoleum, we come upon a hit-and-run accident; two boda bodas (motorcycles) and two guys lying on the road- and the other guys point at a car driving off in haste saying that’s the car that hit us. So off we give chase to the other car. (clearly this is more drama than I bargained for)

The driver is a woman and she has a child in the car; she is bleeding but the child is alright and is handed over to a neighbour to take home. She probably did not stop because in this country, accidents can get violent. The soldiers believe one of the guys involved in the accident might be dead, and so we take her to Juba traffic police station in downtown. I really do feel sorry for her, because i am sure this was not how she imagined her day would be like, either.

One thing I have to say though is I that was grateful to be in that vehicle, regardless. Because I have no doubt if left to the other soldier, I would have probably spent the day in a jail, for no reason. And the experience of driving around with the MP was not at all bad:  all the other cars give way, all the solders on the roads let us through, even when one of those official escorts are driving past, and these soldiers were a lot more polite. This was definitely a view from a different side. 

I am finally dropped off at mausoleum. (I will write about this experience later)

Juba, I have to say. Shit like this only ever happens to me here. One of these days this country is going to push me too far - and when that happens I know I will probably never come back. I guess until then, its like a ticking bomb