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                               Their Sides of the Story

Mike Mellia, a well-known photographer, has decided to team up with various artists and have them share their views/sides of Sudan. Down below are just some of the examples. 

"Mike Mellia has joined supermodel Nykhor Paul and other figures to turn the world's attention to the crisis in South Sudan. With the help of powerful, searing photographs, Mellia has produced a portrait of the anguish that haunts the lives of those South Sudanese who have managed to escape, and through them, of the lives of those they left behind... born of a desire to tell the story of South Sudan by moving beyond the limitations of the media through the raw and emotive power of art." – ARTINFO

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Nykhor Paul: Supermodel (Louis Vuitton, Calvin Klein, DVF), activist, and refugee. Fled South Sudan to an Ethiopian refugee camp, immigrated to America at age 9, entered Nebraska foster care & adopted by an American family. Nykhor's South Sudanese family was unable to escape due to its large size. Her dream of unity among all tribes in South Sudan is one that will end the circle of violence and exile. Nykhor has a strong passion for uniting South Sudanese women and people of all backgrounds to build a better South Sudan through her initiative "We Are Nilotic."

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Ger Duany: Actor (The Good Lie- 2014, with Reese Witherspoon by Ron Howard & Molly Smith, I Heart Huckabee's- 2004 with Jude Law, Mark Wahlberg, & Dustin Hoffman), humanitarian, former child soldier, and "lost boy" refugee. Founder and executive director of the Pibor Foundation Non-Profit organization. Ger returned to South Sudan in 2011, on a search to reunite with his family, vote for the first time, & rebuild his nation. Ger says, "I used an AK-47 before I learned to read or write."

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Manyang Reath: Founder of Humanity Helping Sudan, sending aid and assistance with help from corporate brands like Whole Foods and Allegro Coffee. A refugee at age 3, he lived in refugee camps along the border between Ethiopia and South Sudan for 13 years before immigrating to America. Manyang believes we can overcome the problems in South Sudan by bringing awareness to the issues.

My opinion towards these people is that it’s amazing how much love and endearment they have for their country. Many of them had to go through similar situations to get to where they are now. But, going through what they had to go through actually made them a lot stronger. It just goes to show that no matter where life takes you…never forget where you came from. The amount of love that these men and women feel towards their country, although what is happening, is great. It is great in the way that it shows that they will embrace their country for the best, and even for the worst. It’s beautiful.

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Machar and Museveni discuss future of peace in South Sudan

Riek Machar, former Vice-President and leader of the main armed opposition faction, SPLM-IO, met President Yoweri Museveni and discussed future of peace in South Sudan and the region.

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Apparently, the “closed door” meeting discussed the role Uganda should play in supporting full implementation of the peace deal signed in August 2015 between Machar and President Salva Kiir.

“Yes, the two leaders met on Monday evening,” James Gatdet Dak, press secretary of the opposition leader, Machar, said when reached by telephone.

It was said that the meeting took place in Masindi, a town that is 200km north-west of Kampala in Bunyoro region.

It was added that Uganda is one of the guarantors of the peace agreement brokered by the East African regional bloc, IGAD. Also, at the same time a party to the war as it backed President Kiir by deploying troops to South Sudan against the opposition faction led by Machar, it was important that it played a positive role in the implementation of the accord.

Urgently, Uganda deployed thousands of troops backed by air power to help President Kiir fight off opposition forces for the past two years, arguing it was stopping a genocide in the young neighboring country.

However, the peace agreement has called on the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) to withdraw from the South Sudanese soil.

The opposition leader, Dak said, he also wanted the Ugandan president to help in persuading President Kiir to revoke his decision of creating 28 states unilaterally. This issue has became an obstacle in the implementation of the peace agreement signed on the basis of the existing 10 states.

Both leaders discussed the necessity to lift the state of emergency in South Sudan as well as importance of promoting relations between Sudan and Uganda in achieving regional peace and security.

“In summary, the two leaders discussed South Sudan and regional peace. The meeting was cordial,” he said, without giving any details of the outcome of the discussions.

“It opened a new chapter between the two leaderships,” he added.

Dak said his boss, Machar, is expected to hold a press conference in Kampala on Tuesday at around 10am local time.

My opinion towards this is that both leaders feel unconditionally love for their country. They are taking their differences and putting thwm aside so that they can finally have some peace. Dak is reaching out to the Ugandan president to help in persuading President Kiir to revoke his decision of creating 28 states unilaterally. It is great that they want to help their countries. In my opinion, it shows a lot of dignity, integrity, and compassion. I am glad that they held this meeting. It was a well-needed meeting for the Sudanese people. I hope that justice is served.