19th August 2025
On 18th August 2025, Eng.
Joseph Gama stated, “I'm for the resettlement of Palestinians in South Sudan.
It must be organised with opportunities for them to integrate into the
communities. Those of you who have been refugees and got opportunities to
resettle in Australia, America, Canada, etc., will agree with me. Our
perceptions from the liberation struggle against the Arabs shouldn't cloud our
hearts for humanity.”
I wish to respond to Eng.
Gama based on three of his strengths: his intellect, his government authority
as an official, and his role as a community leader. This response is not an attack but rather rooted in mutual love for patriotism and a correct understanding of what a public figure like him should embody.
1. As an intellectual, Gama can
analyse situations in the Middle East and reach tangible conclusions. However,
he has diminished his intellectual stature. He did not distinguish between the
need to relocate Gazans by Israel, which acts independently under expansionist
policies, and a resettlement case handled by UNHCR. Gama did not specify whether
the Palestinians' situation is one of refugees or forced resettlement. I remind
Gama that no country objects to hosting refugees if it is a call from UNHCR,
the official refugee agency. In 2021, Uganda accepted Afghan refugees through
an agreement between the Ugandan government (the people) and the UNHCR. That
was not a forced resettlement. Is Afghanistan a Christian nation?
2. As a community leader,
Gama advocates for the integration of Palestinians into local communities. But
what does integration mean? And who is to integrate with whom? AI defines
integration as the process of combining or incorporating individuals or groups
into a larger community. In this context, Gama proposes a permanent settlement
of Palestinians in South Sudan. Is this feasible? Gama’s experience with the
forced relocation of a community that integrated peacefully and accepted the
host system, culture, and values might guide us. But which community is willing
to integrate Palestinians into their system, culture, and values? Has Gama
persuaded his community to support this challenging development?
3. Gama also compared South
Sudanese in diaspora to the current situation, saying, “Those of you who have
been refugees and got opportunities to resettle in Australia, America, Canada,
etc., will agree with me.” Gama did not specify who took these refugees to
their current locations, but implied that Palestinians should be equated with
South Sudanese in Australia, Canada, etc. This is a faulty comparison. A person
is considered a refugee only after leaving their country for safety.
Palestinians are not refugees but internally displaced persons with the right
to choose where to live. They are protected by their government, unlike in
Israel, which forcibly expels them.
4. Gama warned opponents of his opinion against Islamophobia and called for humanity: “Our perceptions from the liberation struggle against the Arabs shouldn't cloud our hearts for humanity.” While it is true that South Sudanese fought against an Islamist regime, Gama should also understand the principles that define a refugee, an asylum seeker, and forced resettlement. There are already Muslim refugees in South Sudan, including Darfurian refugees. Why then should South Sudan deny Palestinians because of Islamism? South Sudanese by nature are number one in humanitarianism.
It is evident that while I
respect Eng. Gama’s opinion, we must exercise caution with decisions that could
impact us for generations. Biblically, Israel erred when God commanded them to
destroy all Canaan inhabitants to prevent them from straying; failure to do so
has led to the consequences they face today (as detailed in the Book of
Judges). South Sudan is not ready to be part of these problems
As an intellectual, a
government official, and a community leader, Gama is fully capable of
advocating for this difficult judgement, since nothing is impossible in South
Sudan. I kindly encourage my brother to reconsider his proposal, lest we remain
too late, as the people of EES. We believe in your ability to achieve the
unthinkable and the impossible, but this decision will be a betrayal of the people you serve.
While no one opposes saving refugee lives, I firmly oppose the forced resettlement of Palestinians in South Sudan by Israel, regardless of the terms. Let the UNHCR decide with the refugees where to settle them. The communities in South Sudan have enough problems to solve without adding more.
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