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The Magic Stick of South Sudan: A Relic Igniting Modern Conflicts
Ngundeng Bong’s sacred tamarind-root stick is central to ethnic and political conflict, with some militants citing prophecy to support opposition leader Riek Machar’s presidency claim.
- South Sudan President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar are locked in a political power struggle centered on a sacred 110-centimeter stick called the dang, once wielded by prophet Ngundeng in 1878.
- Supporters believe Machar is the messianic leader prophesied by Ngundeng; rebels, including the White Army, fight to install the 73-year-old opposition leader as president despite his current house arrest.
- Specialist Johnson returned the relic from Bournemouth and said 'It wouldn't be surprising that Kiir would be worried,' noting the stick is reportedly in Machar's possession.
- Ethnic violence between Dinka and Nuer groups has killed an estimated 400,000 since conflict exploded in 2013. 'South Sudanese mythology abounds with cruelty,' researcher Mawal Marko said.
- While the stick's literal power remains debated, its symbolic role exacerbates tensions. 'We know it can have power,' Alex Miskin of the Rift Valley Institute said.
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16 Articles
16 Articles
The Magic Stick of South Sudan: A Relic Igniting Modern Conflicts
Ngundeng Bong's dang, a legendary sacred stick, fuels current political tensions in South Sudan between President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar. The stick is a symbol of prophecy believed to predict Machar's rise to power, intensifying ethnic and political conflicts in the nation.
·India
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Associated Press News+13 Reposted by 13 other sources
In South Sudan, a prophet's sacred stick helps fuel a violent struggle for political power
In a tribal battle fought over a century ago, according to oral history, a prophet in South Sudan raised his stick and summoned a thunderbolt that killed a crowd of fighters from a rival tribe.
·United States
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Total News Sources16
Leaning Left6Leaning Right2Center6Last UpdatedBias Distribution43% Left, 43% Center
Bias Distribution
- 43% of the sources lean Left, 43% of the sources are Center
43% Center
L 43%
C 43%
14%
Factuality
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