SPLA destruction of villages must stop

By Steve Paterno

June 22, 2008 –In a discussion with someone, I was told, “SPLM/A is hopelessly disorganized and at times looks like it has lost its way.” Looking around, one cannot help it but agree. On June 3rd, 2008, the Sudan People Liberation Army (SPLA) intervened in tensions alleged to have been related to cattle rustling in neighboring Iloli and Ogurunj villages in Hiyala Payam, Torit County of Eastern Equatoria State. As a result, battles ensued; villages were burnt; lives were lost; properties were confiscated and destroyed; and the people of these villages were displaced. The incidents already created one of the worse humanitarian catastrophes in Sudan and marked one of the too many human rights violations, all of which are ignored and unreported.

This is how things went down. On May 22, 2008, Salva Kiir, President of South Sudan issued a decree, ordering a forceful disarmament of all the civilian populations of South Sudan with effective date of June 1, 2008. Such a decree is issued against the advice of experts and international communities who view it as shortsighted and could lead into more violence and bloodshed.

Anyway, by June 3rd, on hearing rumors of tensions between the neighboring villages of Iloli and Ogurunj—tensions related to alleged cattle rustling, the state authorities of Eastern Equatoria who included Governor Aloysius Emor Ojetuk, Commissioner of Torit County, Masimino Allam, and Marcello Otwari Dominic, an advisor on security affairs were all eager to make moves into those villages. They immediately ordered the SPLA soldiers to move in. The soldiers were divided into two. The first column of the SPLA soldiers moved in Iloli village and entered the village peacefully. There, they began to arrest, intimidate, and harass the population. The second column proceeded into Ogurunj village and cordoned off the village. At early hours of morning, at three to be exact, the soldiers indiscriminately opened barrage of fire supplemented with rounds of artillery. The Monyiemiji (the active youthful generation) responded in kind, by firing back. The battle lasted for hours. At dawn, on realizing that they were engaging the SPLA soldiers, the Monyiemiji melted away as they withdrew into cover at the bushes.

The SPLA hatched plan turned out disastrous. Eight of the soldiers were killed and nine wounded in the course of the battle, (even though one of the wounded is just reported to have passed away, adding the total of the dead to nine). Outraged by their terrible lost, the soldiers went berserk and into rampage and plundering spree. They set the entire village of Ogurunj ablaze. The people were displaced. They went on to killing the civilians of the village. Even the bystanders such as the couples from a neighboring village of Itohom on the Imotong mountain range fell victims to the soldiers’ outburst. Properties, cattle, goats and sheep of the village folks were all confiscated.

On hearing the lost of their comrades in Ogurunj village, the soldiers in Iloli village, executed on spot three of the village’s Monyiemiji they have just arrested. In rage, Iloli village was also set ablaze and the same routine like the one in Ogurunj village ensued. The population was displaced, more plundering, and more arrest were made.

The chaotic situation spread beyond the confines of these two villages into the other neighboring villages as well. Two soldiers who went astray in the heat of the battle in Ogurunj village found a young man and an elderly woman working at the farm in Hiyala village, and executed them on the spot. As a result, the Monyiemiji of Hiyala village almost joined into the furor of the fight, but fortunately, they have to be restrained by the elders. Otherwise, all would have broken loose.

Thus far, the situation is reported to have been calmed down a little bit. The outrageous soldiers are said to have been withdrawn from the two villages with only a platoon left at the station in Hiyala Center, pending further investigations. Limited relief activities to the displaced are slowly picking up with some food and non-food provisions being distributed. Most of the cattle that the soldiers confiscated are returned to their rightful owners, though some of the cattle are already consumed. The goats and sheep that the soldiers stole could not be tracked. There is also an effort to recover some of the properties that the soldiers looted, though there is no guarantee that they could all be recovered.

All these are neither enough to avoid the occurrences of such unfortunate incidents nor would justice be served in these manners. These incidents are as much as they are humanitarian catastrophes as well as they are human rights violations. Therefore, there must be a huge humanitarian mobilization for the affected areas. The undisciplined SPLA soldiers must be withdrawn from the area and the police must be deployed there instead. The village folks who are illegally detained must be released immediately. The torturing of the detainees must stop. The government and humanitarian organizations must help rebuilding the burnt villages and resettling the population back into their original villages. Those who lost lives, properties, cattle, goats, sheep, etc. must all be compensated in full by the government. A thorough and independent investigation must be conducted and all those found to have been responsible in one way or the other must be held to account.

These incidents have clearly exposed the government poor decision making, faulty policies, inept and undisciplined soldiers. These also revealed the government that cannot govern. Take for example the issue of cattle rustling and disarmament, both cannot be dealt with in ways that lead into more violence and bloodshed. Cattle rustling, prevalent it may be in some areas, it is a criminal action that individuals responsible for such action must be held accountable, not the villages the individuals come from. Punishing the entire villages for crimes alleged to have been committed by few individuals is a crime in and of itself. That is why it is very important that those officials responsible in these incidents must be prosecuted criminally.

Speaking of forceful disarmaments of civilians, then it is clear on who needs to be disarmed first, the civilians who dare to defend their turfs or the soldiers who go on rampage shooting, plundering, and terrorizing villages.

One important fact that is seemed to have been forgotten by those in decision making business is that the sons and daughters of the two villages burnt down are among the best fighting force within SPLA, most of whom are currently deployed in the frontlines, along the much disputed South-North borders. Another fact is that civilians from this area are the only civilians within South Sudan whom during the course of the war, were fully participating in combat operations alongside SPLA soldiers in advancing the cause of freedom. The women from the area were also generous enough in feeding the SPLA soldiers during the course of the war. It was in this very area that some of the worse battles between SPLA forces and Khartoum armed forces were fought and concentrated. And it was in this area that SPLA, during its trying times, was able to strategize and survive.

Therefore, it is only unfortunate that the sacrifices, patriotism, nationhood, and generosity of such a people can be betrayed, particularly in times of peace. Villages in this area, during the course of the war suffered tremendously as they were burnt down several times. They cannot be afforded to be burnt down again in times of peace by the very forces that suppose to protect them. If villages can go into flames, so is the entire nation.

Steve Paterno is the author of The Rev. Fr. Saturnino Lohure, A Romain Catholic Priest Turned Rebel. He can be reached at [email protected]