The need for accountability in Bahr El Ghazal clashes
The group behind recent killings in Northern Bahr El Ghazal State must not go unpunished
By Ngor Arol Garang
January 19, 2008 — Although the National Congress Party/National Islamic Front is accustomed to denying any pin pointing accusation, I am sure they will have no legal ground to refer to for the case of the recent clashes in the state of Northern Bahr El Ghazal.
It is freaky enough to read and hear from NCP sponsored media saying that it was Arabs tribesmen that fought the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) than to correctly put it that it is the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) which fought the SPLA as the resumption of the civil war between the North and South. NCP/NIF is cunningly talking like this through their sponsored media so that public does not hold SAF accountable for atrocities committed in the recent killings.
However, I would like to ask that who does not know the recent fighting was between SAF and the SPLA?
If in doubt, then tell me why you think these are just allegations without proof?
I am not of a group that goes around beating bush and using equivocal terminologies to divert public attention from what they actually wanted to convey, but an individual from a family that is used to short cuts than long ways still one will come back to the same intended destination.
In short, I would like to tell my fellow Sudanese in and outside this country that the recent fight was not an accident but a planed war meant to test the strength of the SPLA by the Sudan Armed forces (SAF) through popular Defend forces and Misseryia tribesmen armed by the NCP/NIF government. The recent military show down in Khartoum during what the Arabs call as the independent day of Sudan from British, was a direction message to the SPLA that Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) are well equipped and ready for any eventualities as said by president Bashir when he called on the groups he referred to as the legitimate sons of the land to open more camps for training while addressing this ruthless group at Wed Madeni late last year.
The involvement of the below mentioned NCP and successive Khartoum regimes senior members is the self explanatory of the said plan to resume war with South and North and is also a response to the call on all the said group by president Bashir to renew holy war between the North and South.
Lt. Gen (Rtd) Mahadi Babu Nimir former SAF chief of staff and former Sudanese Minister of Defense is the tribal head and supervisor of the attack,
Gen. (Rtd) Fadhal Burma Nasir former member of the revolutionary council during Gen. Dhwar El Dhab Regime,
Dr. Issa Abshir, former Deputy Governor of Southern Kordofan State,
Amir Muslam Mustaffa is in Charge of mobilization of the Arab tribes at the border and has been a ring leader of the previous attacks at the borders this year and now still executes the same directives in blocking the I DPs and other people coming to Southern Sudan,
Dir Dere Mohammed Ahmed, is a leading National Congress Party member, he is the one in charge of financing the operations and moral support to the Missiriya militias,
Maj. Gen. Jenet Hassan Al Amer is in charge of the operations. Gen. Jenet was an attaché in the Sudanese Embassy in Egypt but has been intentionally brought by the Minister of Energy Awadh Al Jazz to annex oil fields in the south to the North.
The above figures were identified and mentioned in the December 31 Aweil communities in Juba press release and again in January 3 press statement of Federation of Aweil community in Canada.
These individuals believed to have been the generators of the recent killings of over 500 innocent civilians mainly from the poor returnees returning from North where they had fled to during the two decades war of liberation struggle between the North and South must not go unpunished if NCP needs the peaceful stay and fair power sharing in support for unity of the Sudanese people, a unity base on free will of her people without the use of all evil acts such as repression, subjugation and constant domination of all the tribes by one tribe without legal reasons for domination.
This act of resorting to using proxy forces by successive regimes in Khartoum is of course something that can not surprise Sudanese and southerners in particular. Citizens of Northern Bahr El Ghazal State are now puzzled about the recent motivated killings, castration and abduction of innocent women and children which is the absolute violation of human rights.
Why, because this is an absurd to see t such a turmoil happening amidst the repatriation process of our internally displace persons back to their home of residents.
The Arabs tribes in Southern Kordofan are sedentary farmers with livelihood based on the land and a few domesticated animals just like people of Northern Bahr El Ghazal State. Therefore, is no point to why this group should not be friendly to the people with whom they share border.
The Misseyria are African nomadic that had lived in relative harmony for thousands years without such massive killings with people of Northern Bahr el Ghazal state though there are border conflicts. To me, this is an engineered killing and is what I correctly call as the PDF respond in execution of president basher’s call on them to open more camps for trainings and conduct mobilization to be ready for any fight such as this. It is of course true execution because the government itself provided the arms to this ruthless group to commit such atrocities.
Iam told by a citizen who had survived the recent killings that groups are armed with sophisticated weapons amounted on horses. They raid villages, kill or castrate men, abduct women and innocent children, and freaky enough, they set houses on fire. They are also paid by the government besides what they loot.
The Sudanese government thinks backing these groups to terrorize the citizens of the said state is an alternative to dishonor CPA implementation after having failed to convince SPLM from the table. Such horrible counter- insurgency strategy is indication of the beginning of dishonoring peace agreement signed with the successive regimes in the North.
I repeat that these groups have always been used by successive Khartoum regime to destroy villages bordering north. They enter villages at nights to kill and loot properties of innocent returnees civilians in areas far away from SPLA out posts. Many Southern Sudanese like me are still wondering why Khartoum likes pitching tribe against the other tribe.
Missiryia had been taught a lot of lessons by citizens of Northern BGS during the war of their attempt to invade parts of Northern Bahr El Ghazal State. Hence, they resorted to seeking peaceful relationship with Northern Bahr El Ghazal state citizens since 1993 when they finally gave in for peace and stability between the neighbors. When they resorted to seeking peaceful settlements for peaceful co-existence at the border in 90s till the day CPA was signed, their cattle, sheep and goats were allowed to roam freely without them carrying arms.
They accepted after having realized and convinced that Citizens of Northern BGS will not and will never give an inch to Baggara to claim victory of defeat and invasion of areas bordering Southern Kordofan so that they move freely with their cattle, sheep and goats on the land that belongs to owners ( Mading Aweil People).
Having given this short accounts, I belief Baggara had no intention to attack Aweil community but felt cheated by NCP to regrettably attack civil population at the border.
This NCP fooling to let Baggara fight with citizens of Northern El Ghazal State is what the Arabs called kill a slave by using another slave. Meaning that Baggara did not decide on their own to fight citizens of Northern Bahr El Ghazal state but have been falsely advised by NCP to fight Aweil Community. Our history with Baggara says they are not Arabs though they are Islamized to the extent that they feel Arabs. You go to Khartoum and see who of the prominent leader is from Baggara. There is nobody, they are just used like the Spade which a farmer consider important tool during farming seasons and become less important when the farming seasons are over. They are used as proxy forces to create havoc in favor of Khartoum government so that their opportunists politicians like the Sadig El Mahdi survive by committing a lot of atrocities to secure and maintain their positions in the government.
The SPLM call on NCP to disarm these groups has been directly responded to by warnings and attacks on civilians by these group said to be part of SAF as said by NCP Deputy chairman for political affairs and assistant to president Nafie Ali Nafie sometime last year while responding to SPLM call for disarmament of these groups which do not fall under any article in the CPA.
Nafie said Popular Defense force is part and parcel of the Sudanese armed forces and disarming this group means disarmament of our national army (SAF), he said. Therefore, didn’t this statement answer doubts the public may have in minds about SAF involvement in the recent massive killings and displacement of our people at the border?
With these short highlights, I would wish to thanks and appreciate the initiatives being taken by Mading Aweil Sons and daughters abroad. Their concern is soaring and this is being indicated by the contribution they are maikng to help victims of the conflict right now back home.
This is a wonderful task besides putting pressure on both the Government of Southern Sudan and the Khartoum Government of national unity to end the violent and bring war criminals mentioned above to book as well as making International community aware of the recent massacre in Northern Bahr El Ghazal State.
The author is based in Juba. He can be reached at [email protected]