I was folding a shirt when Mama Rebecca Garang’s voice came on BBC radio. She spoke well, trying to stop the tension that was already out of control in many parts of the country. She asked the people to be calm and law abiding and to not jeopardize the peace they’d fought so hard to achieve. People did listen to her words of encouragement and it paid off in some areas. But over 60 people had been killed by that time and many more were to follow within the week.
All week long, the radio station was playing only martial music. I have never seen so many people grieve so deeply all my life. You’d not see so many people gathered and suddenly there’s no reason to laugh or even smile. No one dared a joke only tears flowed. What would be so funny at a time like this? I imagined how much the war had formed the emotions and ideas in the minds of those that lived through it.
The next day, the church leaders in Yei called the people together for prayers and many turned up at the Freedom Square. I was there. Though it turned out to be too religious for my liking the act was a noble one by the church leaders. I was glad to see that the Church in Yei commanded the respect of the soldiers and the general public. Truly, we achieve more as a team with well defined goals. We were at that meeting when news came that the body of the late leader will be taken to a few key towns so that his people can pay last respects.
When the body arrived Yei around 10.45am on the 3rd of August; a cry like I’ve never heard before filled the air with true human sorrow and love for our lost leader. A few people fainted and where carried off to the general hospital which was a stone throw away. Men and women wept freely, even some soldiers couldn’t hold back. I wept too, not because I knew the man, but the pain expressed by so many people around me brought tears to my eyes. They loved this man and the dreams of a new reality that he wanted to bring to the people.
Unknown to many of us that day, over 1,500 soldiers all fully armed, with armored tanks and all manner of combat gear and vehicles were on their way to Yei from Uganda to grace the occasion. Their mission was to give their President, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda maximum projection. He was a personal friend to the late leader and due to the circumstances surrounding the death of his friend, he needed to come to Yei to clear the air. In the heart of some people, he was a suspect. He’d not fly into Sudan for obvious reasons. He opted to travel with his wife by road into Yei. It was a sight.
The setting was grand for speech making and we heard a few. I personally admired the wife of the late Dr. Garang. I heard she was a very senior officer in the SPLA (Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Army). So I was looking at a woman who commanded troops alongside her husband for years in the bush. Her composure was awesome and motivating all at the same time. “SPLA Oye! SPLA Oye!!”. She greeted her comrades and moved the crowd with passionate oratory.
On that day, I concluded that the civil war was far more than a South vs North, Christian vs Muslim or African vs Arab war. I’m strongly persuaded that it was and still to this day is a Light vs Darkness war. God’s quest for global worship was at the crux of battle. His will and hunger for hot worship from all tribes can only be delayed the noise and rumors of war through out the countries. On this day, so many stopped and cried to hear the true words of peace. Today, you could tell that our leader’s death was not in vain.
During that week, a Sudanese commentator speaking via BBC radio on the tragedy in land said, “…if this happened in the olden days, several young men would go into the forest unarmed and wrestle wild animals to the death in honor of their hero.” I was shocked. I reflected on this statement for weeks. I still do.
Dr. John Garang De Mabior is a national hero in Sudan. His photo adorns many government offices, shops and homes until today that is. But he’s gone and yet the peoples of Sudan are still searching and longing for the Hero. The One whose vision for them is not temporal but eternal. Surrounded by thousands of Sudanese on that ground, I made a promise to God, to introduce this people to the real Hero. The One whom great heroes bow to and say, “You alone is worthy!!!”
What is the hope of Sudan today? Where will this nation be in 10 or 20 years time? What kind of church will we have here then? What kind of leaders will lead then?
What can I (we) do today to make a difference in Sudan tomorrow?