Sudanese activists discuss rights abuses during north-south civil war
By Isaac Vuni
June 26, 2007 (JUBA) — The chairperson of Human Rights and Humanitarians Affairs Committee in the Interim Legislative Assembly of southern Sudan, MP Margaret Peter Abudi advised Sudanese human rights activist to be careful when approaching issue of human rights abuses that has been committed by both Sudan government and SPLM/A during the last 21 years of war.
Margaret said may lives were lost in southern Sudan at the time when southerners were struggling for justice and freedom that resulted to disappearance of many southern men especially in 1992 and that the hardest hit and tortured were women and children.
She gave a moving testimony on how Sudanese soldiers in Terekeka raped women including under age girls of eleven years whose private parts were opened with razorblades before they are sexually molested. Adding that perpetrators of such criminal acts including killing are still rooming free to the present because democracy is still not rooted among Sudanese.
MP Daniel Jok said Khartoum government has brought a big shame to all peace loving northern Sudanese by not keeping a single prisoner of war capture from SPLM/A during 21 years of national struggle for justice and freedom of southern Sudanese and the marginalized areas.
This is a deliberate abused of universal human rights by President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan. What a shame! On the contrary SPLM/A was able to handover more that 10,000 prisoners of war it captured in present of international communities and it has further elevated SPLA reputation as opposed to Khartoum constant referred on SPLA as outlaw, Jok remarked.
He went on saying that even after the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), Khartoum government continues abusing human rights of groups of communities or individuals Sudanese under its territories especially in Darfur.
Jok lauded the spirit of get-together initiatives of Sudanese national and advice human rights activists to forge strong link by sharing information on issues pertaining to human rights abuses.
Faisal al-Bagir, freelance journalist and convener of get-together meeting, said government of Sudan should be held responsible for rehabilitating and compensating tortured victims including those who disappeared from military detention in southern Sudan.
The one day meeting held at Juba Raha Hotel ended with a call on Sudan government to rectify a Convention against Torture it has signed in March 1986.
Journalist Mrs. Appolonia Mathia said the widows of southern Sudanese are appealing to human rights activists and member of forth estate to assist them in locating whereabouts of their husbands and sons picked from their respective working places-offices in 1992 by military intelligent who could not disclosed what h has happened to their loved one.
Meanwhile Sudanese Human rights activists pledged their full support to disseminating the CPA documents signed between the Sudan ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) because the accord has more rooms for promoting and protecting human rights in the whole Sudan, observed activists.
They further appealed to government of southern Sudan not to follow or emulate what the previous government of national salvation was doing in the Sudan.
This is the first of its kind join national meeting involving Human Rights and Environmental Development group from northern Sudan with Southern Sudan Civil Society, Law makers and Journalists to marking International Day of Support to Victims of Torture.
Journalist Bullen Kenyi was absent about poor representation of media houses despite his consorted effort of distributing invitations to all media house in Juba. Only Juba Post and representatives of Union of journalists attended the meeting, he underlined.
The meeting was organized by Khartoum Centre for Human Rights and Environmental Development in collaboration with Union of Journalists of southern Sudan in the capital of southern Sudan autonomous government.
It’s to be recalled that the general assembly of United Nations has declared June 26th to be observed annually as International Day of Support to Victims of Torture.
(ST)
Mabior wende Makuek
Sudanese activists discuss rights abuses during north-south civil war
Isaac,
Your article deserves a hand thumb and congratulations praise. The Initiatives of this gathering are true sons and daughters of this nation. There are uncountable atrocities caused and done to our innocences people of the Sudan and especially the Southern elites in Juba, Wau and Malakal which were too severe! I strong support the investigations and findings of these abuses and the culprits be brought to book!
It’s true that Khartoum based regime military has had thirt to kill: there was nothing to do with human nature to be spared! In their minds was to kill the weak and innocences. I am a victim of such nature during 1991 in Wau when I was caught, accused with my mother as supporters of SPLA as yonng as 11years old. For the first in my entire life, did I see someone being slaughtered like an animal!
Those memories are still conspicuous in my eyes and mind! I did cusre that day and still I am. It will take the rest of my life to erase those memories and when such stories come up, they refresh my mind of that day during the civil war!
So my dear sisters and brothers in Human Rights Group and the Union of Journalists, you have got a huge and challenging task to handle. My abundant prayers and support to you all. May the inhuman know that they were wrong in their deeds and it’s time that they should be brought to Justice!
Mabior wende Makuek, Juba, Southern Sudan!
David Ajak Deng Chiengkou
Sudanese activists discuss rights abuses during north-south civil war
Dear fellow friends, I am very happy to those who lifted up this issues. But are they considering the the same Government that commits the attrocities id ruling? If yes, Iwll be happy to tell what I know and reveal the nagatibe part of bringing this to the discusion.
I would agreed with the man who one day told me “Only God is the right man to judge the atrocities committed in Southern Sudan by the Northern regimes since independence in 1956”
I am happy to a gentlemen and a great leader who lift up the ideas of exploration to the human rights abuses committed by both authorities. I am able to state out the ruin caused by the Northern Government in South. People of Southern Sudan need to remember very clear that the worse scenarios committed by the Northerners are backdated to the Juba, Wau and Bor massacre of 1965-67.
If the people of Sudan were more powerful to make these trials happen then Sadiq Almadhi would be the first senior icon to face the trial because the above killing were sponsored and facilitated by the state. If the Bor massacre was only targeting the 23 chiefs across the 12 Payams few days after the head of state left Bor from on his way from the Islamic tour to East Africa.
These kinds of atrocities were committed till the NIF acquired the extreme status of sponsoring terrorism in early 90s to make a political cleansing in the South. NIF don’t release any prisoner of war after the CPA in 2005 as announced by the SPLM leadership on the ceremony. Many of the prisoners of war captured by the NIF were tortured and killed.
If at all the tribunal was to be created by the Government of National Unity or Government of Southern Sudan, the outcomes of the tribunal are going to be bias because both sides were the warring entities during time these atrocities were committed. The National Congress Party and the former members of the past regimes will turn the mirror to Southerners who were used to commit these atrocities.
As a prove to my claims, I left Nairobi on August 10th /2004 before the peace was sign to rural Bor through Loki. I then trekked with my Camera to Juba passing through the Northerners Military barracks in Game, Gemeza and Pan Loka were I was taken by small boat to Terekeka river bank. I realised that in all garrisons that I have passed in, the majority of soldiers were Southern militia who support their Arabs counterparts to commit these kinds of atrocities. In Terekeka the majority militants were the Mundari commandos and citizens of Mundari region and these happened in Juba.
Due to fear I had developed for my own security reasons, I arrived in Juba on 5/9/2004 to meet my brother who had been in Juba since 1970s. Unfortunately, Juba was not a safer place for me when the Arabs business man sexually abused a 13 years old boy in custom market causing a major fight between the Northerners men who were also armed. I made my first interview with a young lady who was the neighbour to where by brother live. She got two children in exchange of his brother who would have been killed if she fails to comply to be sexually abused. She made herself abused and annihilated in order to safe the life of the only brother who was again killed in the so called white house (used for slaughtering man in Juba located behind the major army barrack). These killing were known to the NIF. I took some photos and left Juba for rural Bor. I paid my ticket for the motorboat to take me up to Game where I will trek again to Panpandiar in Southern Bor town. I later told my relative that I will pass through Bor town before taking my flight from Baidit back to Loki. They were worried but I made it. The 14 years old brother’s daughter was targeted in Total (Malual agorbaar in the army garrison Southern Bor Town). Thanks God that both of us where not victims just because one man become more concern about us. As I go, the young girl told me, it is just of that man otherwise they would have jumps to us but you would have been killed.
In Bor , it was a different story, I realised that all Bor suburbs were badly named. Cuei Atem Beny a suburb within Bor was name (Käc kul Nhial). Which meaning the human rights abuses itself if many people could help in translating the Dinka word. Many of the other suburbs were badly named. Militia were around, but did they provide any guidance to the exploited women and children? “No” Why? These factions were the prime contact and executors of the Government killing policies in the areas control by the Government of Sudan (NCP). Southerners in many atrocities committed to them by the Arabs regimes in the Northern have the upper hand in supporting these atrocities.
Many of the anti-movement played the bigger part to play the duties just because of the political reasons in most cases. If both houses of Parliaments in the whole Sudan were to pass a legislation to try those involved, who will the indorsed bill? Will the same Government that posted these atrocities still be ruling the country? If the constitution allow the President to be impeached, will his military concept and power be stopped by what? As per my own understanding, the same Parliamentarian who did not passed any legislation since the 1989 coup are still in the house. The fundamentalism concepts and political cleansing is the motto of the North.
Hence; deepening the investigation of these issues and to trace the route cause in order to bring those responsible to justice is the major breach to CPA and announcement of major war to cause more lives. After the 1997 peace agreement between Dr Riek faction and Dr Lam Akol and the Government of Sudan, Coordination Councils of Southern Sudan was formed with Dr Riek Machar President and Later by Dr Riek Gai who didn’t meets their statutory obligations to stop stated sponsored abuses in the South as the war was continuing in the South.
After the people be hold accountable for the atrocities committed in Juba by Government or the SPLM which was fighting the Government? Were they given executive powers during the unsuccessful federalism of 1997 which was not accomplished after both sides fail to reach the referendum? If Southern Sudan alone was having many factions which were used by the state as the threat to bring down the movement, are the leaders of these factions suspects of such crimes or not? If they are suspects, then making this tribunal is a suicide mission to abrogate CPA and other declaration made earlier. “When confronting a herdsman with your ready fist, be prepare to carry the pain of the tactical stick he holds”
This brings me to the conclusion of calling the activist to be careful about who to be investigated about the human rights abuses in the Southern Sudan. Many Southerners who had been parts of the Government in the North in one way or the other had played the major part to abuse the innocent’s lives just because of the political interest. Remember; “You can’t tried a lionesses after the death of the male lion” bringing Omer El Bashir to justice or any other Southerner who had played the role in human rights abuses is not a simple thing as many may take it. Just because he will used the tribal claims to bring the innocent people back to war rather then what he had committed.
The best things to do is the advocacy for the currents Governments to pass the legislation that may prevent any further killing and to protect the citizens as per the constitutional status of the all citizens being entitled to safety and national protection. Many of those who had played the roles in such abuses are Government officials and have the immunity in their respective offices under the same Government responsible many years ago. If the tenure of President is not impeachable till the end of his term, or the vote of no-confident by the Parliament then the claims may be baseless.
Parliamentarian need to know that, raising these issues now is not a solution to the implementation of CPA but the negative impact that will escalate sectarianism within the society of Southern Sudan who are testing the fruit of peace. If one person becomes suspect of such atrocities, He will use the same modality of warlords to cover his deeds. If these suspects are known to us then they will be tried but give them time and record what you know. “If Suddam was tried, then who will not be traced” Please allow people of Southern Sudan first to learn the concept of Nationalism in these six years then rise this issues in 2012 when the definitions of the right of self-determenination will be known to many of us.
It is a very good idea that our human rights activist are rising their concerns over the abuses but please can they see the negative part because any one involved with any authority across Sudan can be presumed suspect of such crime till the time legal consideration are independently established. These are the complexities about who to be tried in Sudan. Please make the laws know to people before you think of trial. Teach the citizens to change the tribal believes.
I am very worried about the issues being raised to make some political success out of it. Give people of Southern Sudan time to practice what they wish to accomplished. If the human rights activist are politically manipulated no matter how the status given to them by the state, this going to be a destruction of the resources better make the law to change time then the periods of lawlessness. Parliamentarian and the human rights activist to call on people of Southern Sudan and tell them what status the country is in after the interim-constitution was signed into law on the 5/12/2007 in Juba and other acts passed by the Parliaments on the privileges, rights and roles of the citizens.
Shalom peace
(May God bless Southern Sudan)
Author is Sudanese youth living in Australia-Melbourne and can be reached with [email protected]