Ms Nyachiek Lam Paan, the wife of late Gen Tut Dhiyier - Courtesy

Walking the streets of Juba, from Jebel Suk to the military headquarters at Bilpham looking for assistance, Nyachiek Lam Paan carries a burden shared by thousands of women across South Sudan. Her late husband, Tut Dhiyier, served as the overall commander of Operation Jungle Storm (OJS) in 1992, leading the historic military attempt to capture Juba. Commander Tut was killed in action during the fierce fighting at the battle of Rokon.

Speaking in the Nuer language on Saturday in Juba during the funeral of her late husband’s brother, Major General Nicholas Dhoyier, Nyachiek stated that she spends her nights praying not for the prosperity of the nation, but for its destruction—a curse born out of deep abandonment and unresolved grief.

The Unresolved Funerals of the Bush

Addressing mourners and officials directly, the widow delivered a public message intended for President Salva Kiir, channeled through Minister of Defense and Veteran Affairs Gen. Chol Thon, who is also a senior liberation veteran. Her primary demand is for spiritual closure.

“We didn’t hold the funerals of our husbands who were killed during the liberation struggle,” she stated. “We appeal to the President to hold a funeral prayer for those who died in the bushes, those who drowned in the rivers, and those who died of hunger.”

According to her testimony, the persistent political and economic crises affecting South Sudan since independence are not divine choices, but the direct result of curses uttered by grieving widows left to wander the capital without support.

“The ongoing crisis in the country is not from God, it’s from us,” she said. “We cursed the country for forgetting we the widows wondering on the streets of Juba.”

A Ritual for National Forgiveness

To lift the perceived curse and bring lasting peace to the country, Nyachiek outlined a specific path toward national reconciliation. She called for a national prayer dedicated exclusively to the souls lost during the liberation war, accompanied by traditional sacrifices at landmarks of the struggle.

The requested steps for the government include organizing a national prayer specifically for the fallen soldiers, providing cattle to be sacrificed at Bilpham, the birthplace of the military movement, offering sacrifices for the Tiger and Jamus battalions to represent all military units, and offering sacrifices at New Site and New Kush, the historical bases that hosted the late SPLA leader Dr. John Garang de Mabior for many years.

“From there, we the widows will forgive this country,” she said. “I will start with myself. I pray day and night for the collapse of this country so that all of us suffer equally together, because I sometimes have to walk on foot from Jebel Suk to Bilpham looking for assistance. Do you think I would wish for prosperity for this country in such a situation?”

The Fight for a Home

Her bitterness is worsened by an ongoing legal battle over her home in Juba. She alleged that the house she purchased using funds personally granted to her by President Salva Kiir is currently occupied by the Joint Operations forces in Khor William in Juba. Despite this, she states that government entities have spent more than twelve years trying to seize the property.

“This case has been going on for the last 12 years and six months. Nobody wants to come to my rescue,” she told Chol Thon, noting that senior military leaders are fully aware of her situation.

“Why am I suffering when you are there? My husband, Tut Dhiyier, was killed by the Jalaba after he killed his enemies too for the liberation of this country. Why should we suffer when our husbands died for this land?”

Nyachiek concluded her remarks with a plea to the remaining veterans of the liberation war to preserve the history of the struggle for the children of the deceased, warning that true peace will remain elusive until the souls left in the bushes are officially laid to rest by the nation.

In response to her appeal, the Minister of Defense and Veteran Affairs, Gen Chol Thon assured the family that he will take concern raised to the leadership.

“For the family, I will take this message the same way I used to take your messages; do not be suspicious. I don’t want to say that I can answer this, but I am taking this message forward. I am committed to the responsibility we have for the families of fallen heroes, my colleagues. Even during the burial and military honors, the President asked me to go ahead with the entire process,” he added.