South Sudan Vice President Unfortunate Remarks or are they Intentional?

 As one of these young liberators who resides in the United States, I am appalled by Dr. Machar’s mischaracterization of us.  However, I should be clear, I am not under an illusion to deny or suggest that no Lost Boys of South (Former Sudan) are sitting in American’s prisons. At the same time, I am shocked with Dr. Machar characterization in which he seems to suggest that those sitting in American's prisons were Lost Boys alone. To me, this mischaracterization is misleading and/or ill-informed for a person of his statue. First, according to the best IOM estimates and other reputable statistics that many experts are familiar with, the number of original Lost Boys who came to the United States stands at around 3,000 to 3,500 and even Dr. Machar himself cannot dispute this statistics. This figure in itself discredited statistics that the Vice President of South Sudan cited unless he is not talking of the Lost Boys population alone. Second, even if every Lost Boy was sitting in American’s prison, it is unwise that South Sudan Vice President took a pessimist approach of highlighting negative side of the Lost Boys of South Sudan (Formerly known as Lost Boys of Sudan) and ignored great things that these brave young men and women have done in the United States toward the liberation struggle of our beloved Country of South Sudan.

According to what I hear every time I call my friends around the United States, I hear of Lost Boys graduating from colleges, universities and other academic institutions around the United States. I hear of Lost Boys being promoted at work places, I hear of Lost Boys’ weddings, I hear of Lost Boys building schools, hospitals, water wells and businesses back in South Sudan not to mention intellectual contributions that we are offering to the people of South Sudan.

So why the Vice President of South Sudan did ignored these well documented facts about Lost Boys’ successes and contribution? Perhaps, it is a philosophical revisit to an old tactic of a psychological warfare that he is familiar with. It could be another attempt to inflict doubts, and hopelessness in the minds of families who their hopes were destroyed in the past and who their future now exclusively depends on the Lost Boys who reside in the United States. Thus, by presenting Lost Boys in the United States this way, Dr. Machar psychologically served another disheartening message to these hundreds of families who are still trying to put their lives together after many years of war that destroyed their lives and livelihoods.

 Another explanation could be that Dr. Machar doesn't personally have anything good to say about the Lost Boys for reasons he personally knows. Whatever the reasons are, the manner in which Dr. Machar talked about the Lost Boys is unfortunate and doesn't reflect the position bestowed on him. I hope our leaders turn away from pessimistic views of the Lost Boys given the manner in which they treated us in the past during the liberation struggle. It is time for SPLM/A leadership to realize that we are no longer the kids we used to be back then in Fignudo, Dimo and Itang and neither are we the clueless children who they used as political and military bargaining chips with the international community. Time has changed and so are we. We are now independent thinkers and we deserve to be treated with respect and dignity as everyone else who has fought to bring about South Sudan’s independence. Unfortunately, it seems  Juba is not willing to recognize that fact and neither should we accept to remain silent either.