Member of the National Parliament representing Fangak County in Jonglei State Hon. James Kok Ruei has strongly cautioned South Sudanese citizens against associating the national government with any single ethnic group, particularly the Dinka.
Speaking during a public address to a predominantly Nuer congregation in Juba, Hon. Kok emphasized that South Sudan belongs to all its people, made up of 64 tribes, and that no single group should be credited with or blamed for the actions of the government.
“It is wrong and unacceptable to refer to the government of South Sudan as the ‘Dinka government’,” he said. “The Dinka are just one of the 64 tribes of South Sudan. The government belongs to the entire country, not to a particular ethnic group. If you say such things, you are not only misleading others but also doubting your own identity as a South Sudanese.”
Hon. Kok expressed concern over the increasing tendency among citizens to label the government based on ethnic lines, particularly in reference to the Dinka community.
“There is no such thing as a Dinka government,” he stated firmly. “If you call it that, you are disrespecting the sacrifices made by people from all tribes, including the Nuer, who fought side by side for our independence. This kind of thinking is divisive and dangerous.”
The lawmaker, who is a member of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), warned that such rhetoric could fuel further tensions in an already fragile country still recovering from years of civil conflict.
He also addressed the ongoing conflict between the government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO), led by First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny. Kok compared the consequences of such internal conflict to the suffering experienced during the war with the Khartoum-based government before independence.
“The current fighting between the government and the SPLM-IO should not be seen through tribal lenses,” he said. “If you happen to be in an area where clashes occur, the suffering is the same—just like when the Arabs bombed Southern Sudan. War doesn’t discriminate by tribe.”
Hon. Kok concluded his remarks by urging citizens to rise above tribalism and embrace unity, national identity, and peaceful coexistence.
