South Sudan’s first lady vows to join SPLA forces at frontlines
June 10, 2012 (JUBA) — South Sudan’s first lady on Friday said she is
ready to mobilize women to join the country’s national army (SPLA)
forces at the front lines, if the long north-south border is not
demarcated by end of this month.
“If the border is not demarcated this month, we the women of South
Sudan will all put on military uniforms; and go the front lines to
fight,” Mary Ayen Mayardit said.
The first lady made these remarks while handed over food items to
members of the Sudan People Liberation Army (SPLA) as part of efforts
by the country’s citizens to individually or collectively give moral
and financial support to the national army.
She said women of South Sudan currently have two battalions; the
girls’ battalion and Shatta or red hot pepper, adding that they can be
these two divisions can join the front line when called upon at any
time.
“We the women of South Sudan are to go to the frontline, am ready to
the front line to fight because we cannot leave our borders to
others, this is border issue cannot be left at all,” she said.
Ayen, who was accompanied by staffs from her office, also lauded the
SPLA forces for their commitment to continuously defend the nation
from external aggressors, saying the entire South Sudan population
remains in full support of them.
“Once again, I want to thank our SPLA troops wherever they are, for
those of you who will be going to the frontlines, let them come to me,
I will go with you,” the first lady remarked.
My message to those who are currently in frontlines, let them
continue to defend this nation, we will join them,” she added.
The first lady, who was casually clad in a pink dress handed over the
food items to Gen. Pieng Deng Kuol, the SPLA deputy chief of general
staff for administration in the presence of other senior army
officials in Juba, the South Sudan capital.
Reacting on the recent oil shut down, the first lady equated the
matter to a situation whereby an outsider intentionally comes and
takes a meal specifically prepared for people in a particular home.
“If you prepare meal for your people, others cannot come and take it
by force; the oil in South Sudan is ours. It doesn’t belong to Jalaba
(Mundukuru). Munduku have no right to take our oil, they have stolen
enough,” she said in reference to the North Sudanese.
Meanwhile, the first lady further said she was no
longer in good relations with her Sudanese counterpart, perhaps
considering the current trend of events between Sudan and South Sudan.
“I was a friend to the wife of President Bashir [Omar Hassan] of
Sudan, but now we are not friends anymore,” she said.
Last week, the Kenyan Commercial Bank (KCB) also donated SSP 200, 000
(about 40,000) to the SPLA, specifically meant to boost its
under-funded military hospital. The move, bank officials said, was in
line with the institutions corporate social responsibility to the
community under the KCB foundation initiative.
(ST)