Profile: Who is South Sudan’s Riek Machar? By Pascal Fletcher | Reuters Monday, 23 December 2013 On a trip to New York last year, South Sudan’s then Vice-President Riek Machar dismissed fears of a military coup in his newborn country, saying such a move would be “unwise.” “We don’t want to start a new state with a rebellion,” Machar said. A year later, this former bush rebel turned politician is being accused by his former boss President Salva Kiir of attempting just such a power grab in the world’s newest state, which split from Sudan two years ago. This week’s fighting in South Sudan, which started in the presidential guard and then spread to other army units and civilians, has quickly followed ethnic fault lines - Kiir is from the dominant Dinka tribe, while Machar is a Nuer. He was sacked as vice-president by Kiir in July in a cabinet purge aimed at political rivals, reviving the often violent factionalism that has plagued southern Sudanese politics, even during the long North-South civil war. These political and ethnic splits threaten the future of this fragile oil-producer straddling the great Sudd marshes of the Nile, still new to the ways of democracy and struggling to forge a unified identity out of a patchwork of over 60 often feuding tribes after Africa’s longest civil war. Arguably South Sudan’s best-known living politician, British-educated Machar has been an eternal pretender for power in the south in a checkered political career that began two decades ago and even saw him allied for a time with his new nation’s old enemy, Muslim-ruled Sudan. “All politicians are ambitious, and I think he is genuine in his conviction that he can do a better job than Salva Kiir,” said Douglas Johnson, a South Sudan expert who knows Machar and has written about the Nuer and their culture. Ten days before the outbreak of the fighting, which has sent diplomatic envoys scrambling to prevent South Sudan from collapsing into chaos, Machar and others purged by Kiir from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) government in July accused the president of “dictatorial tendencies.” “The SPLM Chairman has completely immobilized the party, abandoned collective leadership and jettisoned all democratic pretensions to decision making,” they said in a statement, adding Kiir was leading party and nation towards “the abyss.” Although Machar has denied leading a coup bid, he has made no bones about wanting to see Kiir removed as president. “He must go, because he can no longer maintain the unity of the people, especially when he kills people like flies and tries to touch off conflicts on an ethnic basis,” Machar, in hiding after fleeing Juba, told French broadcaster RFI on Thursday. In an interview with Al Jazeera, he said government troops on Monday had killed his bodyguards and some of his relatives in a pre-dawn assault on his Juba residence. Kiir and his ministers insist there was an attempted military coup by Machar, but not everyone believes this. “I don’t think this was a planned uprising,” Johnson told Reuters. “It’s as likely that Salva Kiir is using the excuse of putting down a coup to suppress political dissent,” he added. ‘Ethnic dimension in play’ Officials say Machar has now been joined by various Nuer allies, including at least one notorious militia leader, former Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) General Peter Gadet, whose troops have taken over the ethnic flashpoint town of Bor in Jonglei state, where Nuer fighters massacred Dinkas in 1991. “The ethnic dimension is in play and it will be very difficult to roll that back,” said one Western diplomat who has long covered South Sudan and knows Machar. United Nations and African envoys are trying to start up a peace process that will halt the faction fighting, which has already killed at least 500 people, displaced several thousands and spread to vital oil fields. Kiir has said he is ready to sit down to negotiate a settlement with his opponents. “What is behind it is a power struggle between various groups and personal ambitious by main politicians that we all know,” said the diplomat, who asked not to be named. ‘There are no good guys in this.’ Despite Machar’s characterization of Kiir as an autocrat promoting an ethnically-biased “Dinkocracy” in South Sudan’s government and military, there are many who doubt whether he himself offers a credible alternative as a national leader. On the contrary, Machar is widely seen as a divisive figure within the SPLA/SPLM rebel group that now rules South Sudan. Blamed for the 1991 Bor massacre, he is viewed by many former comrades as a traitor for the 1997 Khartoum peace accord he signed with the Sudanese government, which then rewarded him with the positions of vice-president of Sudan and chairman of the coordinating council that technically ruled the south. He rejoined the rebel SPLA in 2002, and then after the 2005 peace accord that ended the civil war and established southern autonomy, he became vice-president of the South, maintaining this role after formal independence in 2011, until his sacking. “He has a very volatile history. I don’t think most people in South Sudan could see him as a national leader,” said Jok Madut Jok, chairman of South Sudan’s Sudd Institute think tank and a former government official. “He is very ambitious to take the top office in the land, and nothing else matters,” he told Reuters. Johnson said that since the death in a helicopter crash soon after the 2005 peace accord of charismatic SPLA leader John Garang, the movement had struggled to find leaders of national stature to steer the emerging country to stability. Prophet’s stick Machar, 61, was educated at Scotland’s Strathclyde University and also has a PhD in strategic planning and industry from Bradford University. He had a reputation in the diplomatic and aid community as one of the more open and approachable members of independent South Sudan’s government. This contrasts with Kiir, a blunter former guerrilla commander who spent much of his life in the bush and as president likes to wear wide-brimmed cowboy hats. In 1991, Machar married a British aid worker, Emma McCune, and their life together in the war-torn south Sudanese bush became the subject of newspaper articles and even a book. McCune died aged 28 in a car crash in Nairobi in 1993. In an apparent attempt to bolster his stature as a leader of the Nuer, South Sudan’s second largest tribe after the Dinka, Machar has kept in his possession a ceremonial stick once carried by a famous Nuer prophet, Ngundeng Bong. The “dang” stick, made from the root of a tamarind tree and decorated with copper wire, was looted by British colonial troops early in the last century before being bought and returned to South Sudan in 2009 by British academic Johnson. “Somehow Riek has managed to hold onto it,” said Johnson, although he said this right was contested by some Nuers. “Intrinsically, it should be something that belongs in a national museum,” said the Sudd Institute’s Jok. “He kept it for political reasons, and for his own superstitious reasons.” Jok said he did not know whether Machar had managed to take the stick with him when he fled his looted compound in Juba. “He is a man on the run,” he said. ---- http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/profiles/2013/12/23/Profile-Who-is-South-Sudan-s-Riek-Machar-.html ---- interesting profile.

wyre;992098 wrote: :D caajib, you think i have a somaliland passport which you can't go the next xaafad with it?? my sponsor you needn't get all political, ma garatay? there's absolutely no reason to involve the SL Republic. we know you're a axmaar look like ee bal is ilali. dad wax garad ah Boqortooyada Sacuudi Carabiya wey ku yaryihiin eh. your best option at tahribbing their indiscretions would be via Syria - Turkey - Greece and eventually to somewhere in Yuruta Dheexe. wa iga talo, abti.

wyre;992069 wrote: You really want to know what Christmas means to Somali's go to Mombasa Somali-Kenyans are a weird people. i was made aware of their inability to exhibit goodness by my Kenyan friend. he's not particularly impressed by them and this is not surprising. but since you're privy to their ways, ma ruuntisa? Kenyans, by their very nature are vile creatures. their immorality knows no bounds. their attempts to emulate the social ills of the West has been noted. Somali-Kenyans, are no different. just like those little flies, attracted by the gleaming allure of the light, the same way a fox fantasizes about a chicken in semi-arid conditions, waqtigoodii wuu dhaamaday ee yaa u sheega.......

she's definitely from the Ja'alin tribe. the same tribe as Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir, who is wanted by the ICC for crimes against humanity. funnily enough the entire Darfur genocide scandal was a myth according to my Sudanese friend. he's also from the Ja'alin tribe. lakinse, my other Sudanese friend, who was from the Darfur region didn't seem to agree. of course, they'd never confront each other over political issues and i didn't rely such information between them. ma ogsoontahay that the Sudanese are a little backward in their ways? i know them very well from time spent in their circles. their small-mindedness and extreme levels of conformity shocks the mind, walle. lakinse, they are very hospitable people and incredibly generous. but they are confused and divided. you could almost say there's a passive-aggressiveness about their persons, especially in confronting each other. their Cold War methods are to be applauded. because i spent considerable time in Sudanese political circles from 2007-2009, i've come to know their strange nature. i even participated in a live BBC Arabia studio discussions on their affairs, once. i was in the audience looking very Sudanese. i just sat there, looking very non-peculiar. no questions were raised over my sudanesenimo, you know.

this is madness. i've been working since 8am this morning.

:D caajib. how will you travel to Europe without a passport, abti? who will be sponsoring your travels to Europe?

Who Were Africa's Richest Dictators? by Mfonobong Nsehe The richest people in Africa could easily be former and current presidents and rulers of African countries. But don’t expect to find them on our FORBES rich list. During a recent trip to Nairobi I had a lunch meeting with an old friend and former college classmate who now works as an analyst in one of Kenya’s most reputable Investment banks. I had set up this meeting with him because I sought his expertise in analyzing the fortunes of some of the richest people in the country. Very soon, FORBES will be publishing its debut list of the 40 Richest Africans, and my editor had sent me over to the beautiful East African country to do some research on the wealthiest citizens there. My friend and I discussed at length, recounting the success stories of some of the country’s most recognizable and successful businessmen and ascribing figures to the value of their key holdings and assets. It was a fruitful and robust conversation, and I enjoyed every bit of it. But at some point, my friend diverted abruptly from our line of discussion and said something which really struck a chord in me. With a cheeky grin playing on his lips, he said: “Mfonobong, we’re just beating around the bush; you and I both know that in reality the richest people in Africa are our leaders – both the past and the present.” His observation might not be entirely accurate, but there is some truth to his statement, and it’s much more than just an iota. Forbes has only estimated the net worth of one of these former dicatators, but others have done some fruitful digging. Theoretically, Sani Abacha, Nigeria’s former military ruler, was a billionaire – and not in naira, but in dollars. Upon his death in 1998, the Nigerian government uncovered over $3 billion linked to the sadistic despot held in personal and proxy bank accounts in tax havens as diverse as Switzerland, Luxembourg, Jersey and Liechtenstein. Following a series of negotiations between the Nigerian government and the Abacha family, Abacha’s first son, Mohammed eventually returned $1.2 billion to the Nigerian government in 2002. Another theoretical billionaire was Mobutu Sese Seko, the former president of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Over his 30-year reign as ruler of the resource-rich Central African country, Sese Seko amassed a personal fortune estimated by various sources (including Transparency International) at somewhere between $1 billion and $5 billion. Experts believe virtually all of it was illicitly acquired from the nation’s coffers and stashed away in Swiss banks. While his reign lasted, Sese Seko earned an international notoriety as a poster boy for the excesses of typical African despots. He owned a string of exotic Mercedes cars and divided his time between plush palatial residences in Paris and Lausanne, Switzerland. He also developed a special taste for pink Champagne and flew in fresh cakes from Paris for his consumption. But one of the wealthiest, albeit lesser-talked about African leaders to emerge from Africa is Nigeria’s former military president, Ibrahim Babangida. The gap-toothed military general and self-acclaimed “Evil genius” is unofficially one of the richest men in Nigeria and in Africa. The 70 year-old former military ruler governed Nigeria from 1985 to 1993 and is widely believed to have laundered some $12 billion earned from an oil windfall during the 1992 Gulf War. To date, Babangida has not provided any reasonable account for the money –all of which disappeared mysteriously. Since incredibly wealthy and influential Nigerians are typically above the law, Babangida walks around as a free man today. At the moment, Babangida’s wealth is invested through several proxies in a string of businesses owned or managed by wealthy Nigerian businessmen. One of the more popular Nigerians who has consistently been fingered as a front man for Babangida’s financial interests is billionaire Mike Adenuga who debuted on the FORBES World’s Billionaires list in March. For a little more insight on Babangida’s wealth, read the article, “On the trail of Babangidas’ billions” available here. In Kenya, there is former president Daniel Arap Moi, who is unofficially one of the richest men in the country. During his 28-year rule, which lasted from 1978 to 2002, Moi famously channeled nearly a billion dollars from his country’s coffers to family-owned bank accounts and private estates across the world using a web of shell companies, secret trusts and front men, according to Kroll Associates, a corporate investigation and risk consultancy company. Kroll produced a detailed report of Moi’s illicitly acquired fortune, which is available here. According to the report, Moi’s assets, some of which are held in his children’s name, include substantial cash reserves to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, a 10,000-hectare farm in Australia and controlling stakes in oil companies, banks and shipping companies, among other concerns. But don’t expect the aged former president to be prosecuted any time soon; he has since settled into retirement and has now taken upon the rather fashionable role of elder statesman. He frequently advises the Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki on matters of state. More recently, when Egypt’s former President Hosni Mubarak resigned following the 2011 Egyptian revolution, various news sources pried into the fortune of the man who ruled the country for 30 years. A few news sources ridiculously pegged Mubarak’s fortune at $70 billion, a figure that Forbes editors believe was extremely exaggerated and largely unproven. Concrete figures are still pretty hard to come by, but being very familiar with the avaricious tendencies of the vast majority of African dictators as it were, it is almost certain that Mubarak diverted an enormous amount of his country’s funds into his personal piggy bank. And don’t be surprised if it’s the region of 9 to 10 figures. By now you’re probably familiar with Equatorial Guinea’s President, Teodorin Obiang, who has ruled the poverty-stricken, albeit oil-rich country for 32 years. Obiang is the only African dictator whose wealth has been estimated by FORBES. But Obiang is stupendously wealthy by any standards. In 2006, FORBES estimated his fortune at $600 million, and even though his government frowned on the list and was quick to accuse FORBES of counting state property as his personal assets, it has been well established that Obiang has a virtual grip on the country’s bank accounts and treats it as his personal piggy bank. Obiang’s eldest son has gained an international infamy for his outlandish lifestyle and expensive toys, which include a $10 million car collection, a $30 million Malibu mansion, a $38.5 million Gulfstream jet and $2 million of Michael Jackson memorabilia. But while it is arguable that the richest people in Africa might be past or present African leaders like Babangida, Mubarak Moi and Obiang (who are all very likely worth well over $500million); don’t expect to find them in our FORBES list of the 40 Richest Africans which will be going live next week. The reason is quite simple. To quote Edwin Durgy, a member of the FORBES wealth team in his recent post titled, Did Moammar Gadhafi Die The Richest Man In The World? ----- http://www.forbes.com/sites/mfonobongnsehe/2011/11/08/who-were-africas-richest-dictators/ ---- fascinating read, maha?

Haatu;991994 wrote: Fierce tensions in NFD. On the brink of all-out cag.dheer war. War between Cawls and Markabulls. Not looking good. Cawls crying bloody murder. Markabulls stockpiling men and arms from as far as Markabul Hawd (AKA Doollo). Fierce qaaraan on all sides. Waaq worshippers likely to intervene for own benefits and grievances against cawls. Allow sahal. why y'all fighting?

OdaySomali;991942 wrote: Multiple minds are stronger than one. lakinse, isn't it better to rely on yourself?

Mad_Mullah;991987 wrote: They're not going to the west but Saudi Arabia and UAE, recently KSA kicked out 150.000 illegal Ethiopians. Weird thing is Ethiopia is a rich country in resources and is very green. The corrupt government has to fall. ma ogsoontahay the Ethiopian government has handled the matter really well?

hi R you can't deny it, even if you're anti-west like me.....lakinse, ma ogsoontahay Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year.

hi y'all. seeing is believing ma ogsoontahay?

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir donned military attire while addressing the country [Reuters] When South Sudan seceded from the north to become an independent nation in 2011, the former deputy culture minister aptly described his new country as an injured creature unable to walk. "Our country, as it stands today, is a four-legged animal but the legs are broken," Jok Madut Jok said in a documentary aired by Al Jazeera. "The first leg for any government is a disciplined military. We have problems with the way our military functions today. That's a broken leg. We have civil society, right now it is very weak. The third leg is delivery of services. It is hard to deliver security …The fourth leg is political unity. We had political unity in the days leading up to the referendum [which led to independence]. Since the referendum, we have been having difficulties uniting our ranks. So right now the animal is standing on four crooked legs. If we do not fix these legs, the future is going to be very, very difficult." That grim assessment was accentuated by the revelation this week that President Salva Kiir had foiled a coup orchestrated by a disgruntled faction in the army, which backs former vice president Riek Machar. Machar was sacked in July when the president dismissed his entire cabinet. Fighting has continued to rage in the eastern parts of the country. More than 500 people have been killed since violence erupted on December 15, according to officials. Thousands of people have been sheltering in United Nations buildings in Juba after fleeing their homes. Many observers had predicted that Kiir was always going to have a hard time running the country after falling out with Machar. Both men are former rebel fighters and senior figures in the governing Sudan People's Liberation Movement, which led South Sudan to independence after a civil war with Sudan that lasted 22 years. Earlier this month, Machar denounced "dictatorial" behaviour by Kiir, revealing the bitter divisions within the SPLM. According to a statement the president released a day after the attempted coup, the coup plotters swung into action after an SPLM meeting in Juba. An unidentified person fired in the air and escaped, the statement said. That incident was followed later by an attack on the army headquarters near Juba University. ''The SPLM is fully committed to the peaceful and democratic transfer of power and will never allow political power to be transferred through violence''.- Salva Kiir, President of South Sudan SPLM fragmentation Kiir says the government is in "full control of the security situation", but the fact authorities moved swiftly to impose a dusk-to-dawn curfew means the coup plotters have caused real panic. Significantly, the president - who often wears suits complete with his trademark wide-brimmed, black cowboy hat - addressed the nation in full military uniform, underlining the gravity of the problem he is dealing with. "Your government led by the SPLM has articulated the ideals of democracy in the party as well as in the government, and I will never deviate from them at any cost. The SPLM is fully committed to the peaceful and democratic transfer of power, and will never allow political power to be transferred through violence," said Kiir. But the president's political opponents would beg to differ. South Sudan's constitution, enacted by the ruling SPLM, gives the president wide-ranging powers, including sacking elected governors for the country's 10 states. The president also has powers to choose his own members of parliament. Healing divisions in the SPLM is not going to be easy. The Dinka, the largest and most powerful ethnic group of which Kiir belongs, have been accused by the Nuer, Machar’s tribe, of monopolising everything from politics to the army. Last February, the president ordered more than 100 army generals to retire in a bid to reorganise the military, but the move did not impress many. "Kiir is being opposed by a group led by his former vice president who think he has diverted from the party vision," said a South Sudan journalist, who declined to be named fearing reprisals. The new crisis adds to a host of problems that South Sudan, the world’s newest country, is facing and has done little or nothing to solve them. Widespread corruption Corruption is widespread and reaches into ministerial levels. Last August, an investigation unearthed 11,000 fake names on the police payroll, with another 16,000 considered suspect, putting half the force in doubt. Allegations of corruption have raised questions on whether Kiir's administration can ensure accountability when it comes to public spending. Despite high hopes that secession was going to provide a chance for lasting peace, South Sudan continues to reel from violence. The country is awash with automatic weapons, many in the hands of civilians and security forces accused of poor discipline. Last October, rebels killed at least 41 people and wounded scores in a gun attack in a remote part of the country's restive Jonglei state. The rebels are loyal to militia leader David Yau Yau, a former colonel in South Sudan's military. Yau first rebelled against Juba after he failed to win a parliamentary seat in the last elections, accusing the ruling party of rigging the vote. South Sudan has also yet to mend relations with Sudan, which it accuses of backing Yau. Yet it needs Sudan’s oil pipelines to transport its crude oil, the only thing that brings big money to its coffers. The two nations have also bickered about rebel activity in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states, with Sudan accusing its southern neighbour of backing the rebels there. The Abyei question But the real fight lies with Abyei, an oil rich enclave that straddles the border between South Sudan and Sudan and is claimed by both countries. A referendum to decide which country its inhabitants belong to was shelved amid disagreements. In October the Dinka, with close ties to South Sudan, voted in an unofficial referendum but the Arab Misseriya, who are close to Sudan and use Abyei to graze their cattle, did not take part. Both countries did not endorse the referendum, and the Abyei question remains unresolved. For many South Sudanese who voted overwhelmingly in favour of independence, a bigger question is how their country, which fares poorly on the UN Human Development Index, can move on. And many would agree with former minister Jok Madut Jok that until the country’s wobbly legs are fixed, the future will be bleak. ----- http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/12/analysis-struggle-power-south-sudan-20131217845861691.html ----- interesting.

Tillamook;991932 wrote: ^ I was recently informed my grandson knocked up a neighbor's daughter, so I will let you put two and two together and guess my age? you're between 40-45 like most of the folks who populate this section.

Tillamook;991929 wrote: I don't get it. Help me out here, AB. What makes a boy of your age want to push his tongue out at his elders in such an unsavory manner? You're better than that. I've never known you to throw wanton gibes at your betters. What gives? cafwan adeero. how old are you?

Allyourbase;991921 wrote: Surely you mean ' faraxal '. :D malaha he speaks with a lisp. ssssssssssssssssssaasssssssssssssss miyaa, Tillamookoow?

Tillamook;991920 wrote: Waryaa, saakay ma biyo falaxal ah baad ku quraacatay? Hey AB, less time sniffing your elbows and more time taking your anti-ADHD meds and you might do better. ;) actually, i had beer (liver).

did anyone see Faroole's vicious outburst re mashruuc-ising folks and their attempts to derail Puntland's progress? someone was telling me President Faroole literally lost it......he accused them of all sorts of things, including but not limited to the following: 1. they haven't a clue of governance. 2. their aggrandising plans being out of context with the reality. can someone confirm, please.

Xinny, ma ruunba you're a laangaab, abti?

Tillamook;991906 wrote: Masha Allah, they are beautiful kids... clearly a lie. why the lie? it's better to refrain from commenting altogether than to make unnecessary snide little comments.

Allyourbase;991811 wrote: I do Why do you ask? Can one not save and give to charity? we know you created this thread in the hope of soliciting controversial comments from some ''sleep-cell'' akhi poster, ma garatay? re: charity......sharing is caring, maha?

YoniZ;991897 wrote: That of course, involve risks and it will need your personal attention. oh yeah? here's an idea, abti....... DANGEROUS adventure-based voyeur tourist packages to ''Somalia'' as shown on CNN - organise 'dangerous' tours around Mogadishu, Jubooyinka hoose and maybe Galkayo. set up meetings with AMISOM, KDF and other street militia type thugs (all actors). also ensure the thrill seekers meet key officials (actors). you'll also need a ''gadhweyn akhi'' sort of 'minder' (actor), critical of the all WESTern values, from the ministry of 'national guidance' to keep tabs on the tourists and to observe their probing ''jaajus'' activities at all times - induces a perverse sense of being monitored and controlled in them.... add some simulated 'clan attacks' involving rival militias (all actors) on a UN food convoy....throw in some TERRORISM with some controlled IED explosions and a fake failed attempt at a suicide bombing..... oh and finally...some PIRACY related kidnapping stunt (4 days MAX but pirates have be gargaarka deg-dega qualified, just in case, dee...). the tour packages don't have to be real but by conforming to stereotypes, it'll work................ = MONEY if that's too much for you.............................then you can always become a 'wakiil' or sole importing agent for the various cannobodhe, household detergent products and car engine oil shirkaddo making ridicolus profits....under the guise of their products exclusivity and also make a killing = MONEY....

i can confirm this is indeed correct.

facts of the day....... 1. she-camels give birth in 13 months. 2. Albert Einstein was born in 11 months.

gabaati, y'all. all 50,000SLSH ($8.5). LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL