14/03/2026
Chiefdoms Turned Kingdoms: “The Recycling of Authoritarianism in Post-Liberation South Sudan"
—Mathou G Majangdit, member of the ENLIGHTENMENT II.
Breath in, breath out and ask the following questions; Who is ruling south Sudan currently? How do they rule it? When did it begin and how? Is such ruling Good? Is it compatible with popular accepted political norm of democracy? And what could we do about it ?
Generally, the current government in South Sudan is essentially a government of generals and chiefs. Power flows through chiefs, who head clans , and they are the ones who effectively decide who rises to become the next politician or military officer. Most serving generals—and those who served before them—trace connections back to chiefs, whether through direct blood ties or marriage allyship.
This isn't a recent creation and I will provide living evidence for this in the following article where I will be answering some of the unanswered questions; it traces straight back to the SPLA days during the liberation struggle.Back then, Dr. Garang, as chairman of SPLM/SPLA, relied on chiefs to enforce involuntary military service— conscription. Chiefs rounded up the sons of their clans—mostly ordinary farmers' children—for the bush war. Garang, subliminally, promised these chiefs that their own sons would receive protective ranks and privileges in the SPLA, and it worked perfectly. In Dinka areas , particularly , no son of a sultan or chief, who had ever returned from the war , of course after CPA, without a title or rank. Merit in those days often meant being the son of a sultan, a persuasive spearmaster, or tied to a well-known Anyanya veteran.
In the midst, the bones of countless sons of typical farmers—who truly carried the heaviest load and made the real sacrifices—still lie scattered across forgotten battlefields, never honored, never appreciated and never paid back. Today we see the same recycling of the old patterns. What would be somewhat democratic chiefdoms are growing horns of complete kingdoms. The sons of chiefs, armed with military ranks and experience gained under Garang's system, have returned home to consolidate and strengthen their chiefdoms into more authoritarian setups.In this cycle, a chief recommends his son or close relative for a political or military post in the capital. In exchange, he keeps and grows his village authority, turning it into a solid civil support base for that general or politician in Juba. Understanding this game, many sons and daughters of typical farmers now seek to marry into chiefly families or their close relatives just to gain some access, protection, and a foothold in the system.
This is the bitter ongoingness: a small number of connected elites recycle privilege while the whole population's sacrifices remain buried and forgotten. The situation still causes a lot of questions whose answers annoy the afformentioned elite, but it is what it's, the sons and daughters of typical farmers would continue to answer unapologetically , Because it's not Good and it's not completely compatible with democracy and rules of lawst which majority of South Sudanese subscribe to. Such a vicious cycle of tyranny should stop.
