The 1991 historic move is a blessing to Southern Sudan
By Gatkuoth Lam
July 3, 2008 — Members of the Dinka Bor community around the world have turned the 28th August a day on which they propagate every year claiming that thousands of their community members were massacred in Bor town in 1991 by the then forces of the SPLM/A-Nasir faction led by Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon.
Dr. Machar defected with Commander Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin and Commander Gordon Koang Chol with their forces in a historic move for better change from the old SPLM/A led by the late, Dr. John Garang de Mabior, which Garang then re-named ‘SPLM/A-Torit faction’ after the split. The move was declared on 28th August 1991 in Nasir town in Upper Nile region.
The reasons for the split were clearly articulated by the then SPLM/A-Nasir faction leadership and were understood and still being understood by the concerned people of Southern Sudan in particular and the international community at large. Before the split, the SPLM/A had no clear objective for which the people of Southern Sudan fought and lost two million souls. There were no proper structures put in place for clear responsibilities, which would also guarantee collective decision making in strategizing for the Movement’s programs and executing its war against the Khartoum government. There were also gross violations of human rights by late Garang’s leadership. Dr. Garang was using the Movement as his own property. I will shed some light on these issues in the next paragraphs below.
Since the inception of the SPLM/A in 1983 until 1991, if you asked any SPLA officer what he was fighting for, he would not provide a clear answer simply because he did not know what he was fighting for – or simply say he was not enlightened on the cause of war. I remember when I was in Itang in 1986 and asked a friend of mine who was also a SPLA officer what he was fighting for, he just replied “I don’t know but John Garang knows”. And he continued to say “to me I think we are fighting to liberate South Sudan territory from the Arabs who dominate us.” Even those who thought to be SPLM politicians were not sure about the objective for which the war was launched. And to inquire that from Garang himself for possible correction was deadly.. Tens of thousands of SPLA soldiers lost their lives in battles while not clear about the cause they died for and the destiny they wanted to reach and achieve. This was the pre-1991 situation in the Movement.
There were no proper structures established in the Movement although there were sufficient educated SPLM cadres who could run every necessary structure if established at the time for better strategies on policies and successful execution of the war. Dr. Garang instead established only what he called ‘Political Military High Command’ in 1980s in which he installed semi-literate personalities on most senior positions in that single structure. Dr. Machar was a member of that structure, but intentionally put in the bottom of the list by Garang. The Political Military High Command was mandated by Garang himself to look into matters related to both political and military. The group’s most powerful personalities lacked any political experience and could not even see what was wrong with the objective of the Movement, let alone the importance of establishing a separate structure for SPLM. The way they executed the war was not also professional and this might explain why they could not capture a single major city among the three capital cities of the three regions in the South for twenty one years until the CPA found a way out in early 2005. Worst of all, members of the Political Military High Command could not meet to decide what to do next as a collective body. Many of them did not even know their faces, they just heard of each other’s existence somewhere. Those who were fighting in the battle fields like Dr. Riek Machar in the early years of SPLM/A were depending on orders from Dr. John Garang without their views being put into consideration on how to effectively wage the war.
Late Garang also conspired against his colleagues he perceived to be a threat to his leadership because of they were highly educated. He used to expose PhD holders to battle fields instead of utilizing them to formulate policies for the SPLM as a political wing.
He ordered Dr. Peter Adwok Nyaba to attack the government forces with child-soldiers in Jokou town. Dr. Nyaba lost one of his legs in the operation and came back with few survivors of his child-soldiers.
Garang also ordered Dr. Riek Machar Teny, another PhD holder in Strategic Planning in Industry to attack Malut in Upper Nile, which Dr. Machar captured in mid 1980s. After capturing Malut, Garang ordered Machar again to move up to Mayom in Unity state to capture it where the present President of the Republic, Omer Hassen el Beshir was the commanding officer in Mayom before he became the President in 1989. Dr. Machar’s forces got into very fierce battles with Beshir’s forces. His forces wounded Beshir in his leg, but failed to capture the town because they could not get reinforcement.
Late Garang also ordered Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin, another PhD holder in Petroleum Engineering to move to eastern Upper Nile to command SPLA forces in the area in 1980s.
Gross human rights violations were committed by late Garang’s forces against a number of ethnic groups in Southern Sudan, which included massacres. One of the worst massacres committed by Garang was the war he launched against the Gaajaak sub-clan of Jikany Nuer in 1985. The war was launched against the whole sub-clan simply because of an argument over fish between a villager of the sub-clan and a SPLA soldier. The villager went fishing with some of his colleagues, caught a fish and was ready to take it home. Some SPLA soldiers came to the river, and as it was common behavior among the forces at that time, wanted to take the fish by force from the villager. The villager resisted and was then shot dead by one of the SPLA soldiers. Villagers from a nearby village heard the gun shot, rushed to the scene and found their colleague dead. They immediately retaliated by killing a number of SPLA soldiers on the spot. The remnants of those soldiers ran for their lives back to Bilpam, which was the then SPLA General Headquarters on the Ethiopian border. They reported the incident at the Headquarters. The SPLM/A leadership was furious and decided that the whole sub-clan be disciplined by wiping them out of their villages. This was how the war against the Gaajaak sub-clan of the Jikany-Nuer started in 1985, resulting in untold massacres of human beings and their cattle.
Many people who used to hear late Garang’s ambitious comments on the territory occupied by the Gaajaak sub-clan before the war knew that the fish incident was used as a pretext for war against the Gaajaak. Dr. Garang used to tell his Bor intellectuals that the territory occupied by Gaajaak was in fact a Dinka Bor land. He used to explain that the Dinka Bor community was displaced from the land during the Nuer expansion from Bentiu in Western Upper Nile hundreds of years ago. Perhaps by wiping out the Gaajaak from the territory, he would have encouraged the Dinka Bor community to resettle in the land so that they border Ethiopia and resolve their current status of being landlocked in the Bor’s tiny territory in Jonglei. He was not happy also with the way the Nuer inhabit a huge territory without being isolated by other tribes – their land which extends from Western Upper Nile bordering the Nuba Mountains in Southern Kordofan in the north across the River Nile in Upper Nile region up to the Ethiopian border in the East.
Dr. Garang dispatched both late Kerubino Kwanyin Bol and late William Nyuon Bany to personally command that war against the Gaajaak sub-clan. For those of you with short-lived memories, late Commander Kerubino Kwanyin Bol was the Deputy Chairman of the SPLM and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the SPLA forces. He was number two to Dr. John Garang. Late Commander William Nyuon Bany was the Chief of Staff of the SPLA forces; the post previously occupied by Comrade Salva Kiir Mayardit and currently occupied by Comrade Lt.. General Oyai Deng Ajak. You can imagine how Garang was determined to entirely wipe out the Gaajaak by letting loose those powerful military commanders to massacre the unarmed Gaajaak sub-clan. Both Kerubino and William went to the battle fields to personally command the fighting. The war resulted into untold losses where thousands of people were killed, several villages completely wiped out and burnt to ashes. However, the SPLA won some of the battles but lost the war against the community! Dr. Garang failed to get the territory back to Dinka Bor community. In that war against a sub-clan, the SPLM/A lost a highly educated son of Southern Sudan, Dr. Francis Ngor, a PhD holder after late Garang ordered him to command a force against the community and his forces were annihilated. He was captured and killed by the villagers on spot.
The two parties finally decided to stop the fighting and came back to the peace table and forgave themselves for the sin. That crime against humanity committed by Dr. Garang against the Gaajaak community might have been forgiven but not forgotten. Of course the Gaajaak community may not file criminal cases in The Hague against those three most powerful leaders of the SPLM/A at the time because they are no longer with us on this earth. I personally ask God to forgive late Garang and his colleagues.
Similar atrocities were also committed against other ethnic groups in the South such as the Toposa, Murle, etc. by Dr. Garang’s forces in the 1990s. All are documented!
The claim by the Dinka Bor community intellectuals that the 1991 SPLM/A split resulted in the massacre of Bor by the then Nasir faction leadership was and still a propaganda campaign against personalities like Dr. Riek Machar. Of course, there was a fight over Bor town which actually resulted in the lost of, maybe, thousands of lives. This cannot be disputed! But who can the Bor personally hold responsible? The fight over the control of Bor town to my best knowledge was not ordered by the leader of the then SPLM/A-Nasir faction, Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon. These were some of Dr. Machar’s military officers who felt very angry after hearing the news that Garang’s forces were killing in cold blood Nuer officers who were on Garang’s side in Equatoria region. Dr. Garang’s forces, particularly from the Dinka ethnic group decided to kill in cold blood every Nuer officer on their side in Torit town simply because a Nuer leader has challenged Garang’s leadership in Nasir town.
These angry Nuer military officers from the SPLM/A Nasir faction mobilized some of the Nuer armed civilians who are neighbours to Dinka Bor and attacked Bor town. They had fierce battle with Garang’s forces stationed in the town. After several hours of fighting they overran the town, which resulted in lost of hundreds or thousands of lives and massive displacement of Dinka Bor population up to Equatoria region. I personally feel sad about the incident. But the Dinka Bor community members should not use it as a propaganda campaign against Dr. Riek Machar for reasons best known to them. This is a pointed finger at the wrong person. They should learn the truth about the incident, what provoked it and who organized the attacks.
The same was true with the attack on Malakal town in 1993 by the armed Nuer civilians organized by the late Wurnyang Garkek. Late Wurnyang claimed to have been possessed by God’s spirits and that the spirits directed him to help liberate the South. He successfully organized a force that was popularly known as the ‘White Army’ from the Nuer civil population and ordered them to capture the capital of Upper Nile region, Malakal. They attacked the town and captured about seventy-five percent (75%) of the town. The Sudan government forces held certain positions in the outskirts of the town. Because Wurnyang’s armed civilians were not trained soldiers and had no supplies of ammunitions, when they realized that they were running out of ammunitions, they started shouting in the town calling on their individual colleagues to supply them with some bullets if they had plenty. The government soldiers came to realize that these were just armed civilians and that they had run out of ammunitions. The government forces gave them a final full thrust and chased them out of the town. The town again fell under the full control of the government’s forces. The government forces first thought it was Dr. Riek Machar’s forces attacking the town, but this turned out to be somebody else organizing and ordering the attack on Malakal town.
To me, as a person who has been in the SPLM/A since its inception in 1983, I see the 28th August 1991, split as one of the most blessings the people of Southern Sudan have received from their creator. Of course, the split resulted into setbacks when it came to military activities against the Khartoum government, but has revolutionized the SPLM system and set a clear objective for the satisfaction and achievement of the aspirations of the people of Southern Sudan.
The 28th August 1991 Nasir Declaration, which was code-named ‘The Creeping Revolution’ under the then leadership of Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon, called for Self-determination for the people of Southern Sudan to determine their political destiny. This is to be determined in a referendum on vote for separation or unity and to be supervised internationally in Southern Sudan. This patriotic call by the people of Southern Sudan was resisted by late Dr. Garang until the year 2002. Garang was instead calling for a United New Socialist Sudan in the 1980s (a vision he copied from Ethiopian President Mengistu Haile Mariam’s New Socialist Ethiopia). After Mengistu was overthrown, he then changed the vision in 1990s to a United Secular Sudan (or New Sudan as he called it). The viability of this big dream or vision was in question as many people saw and still see it as just a beautiful dream but unrealistic in its achievement and was meant to confuse the cause of the people of Southern Sudan given the complexity of the problems in the Sudan and their deep rooted origins. Subsequent American administrations in Washington DC dream of a ‘New World Order’ which they now find unrealistic to achieve for the whole world. Every body can dream beautifully, but making the dream come true is the question. We need to be realistic in our visions!
The 28th August 1991 Declaration also called for democratization of the Movement by putting its structures in place, particularly the arm of the SPLM which was treated subordinate and incorporated into the arm of the SPLA by Garang’s leadership. This explains why in the old days of the Movement, Dr. Garang put the SPLA first by calling the Movement the ‘SPLA/SPLM’ instead of the ‘SPLM/SPLA’. This was corrected after the 1991 historic move for better change. The Movement was also lacking its legal institutions. Garang was every thing! After being challenged reasonably by the Nasir faction leadership on these issues, he reacted by organizing and calling for the First SPLM National Convention in Chukudum in 1995. Before the Convention, and in the months leading to the time the Convention was called for, Garang felt much pressure on his leadership from within his faction and began to understand the need to establish structures for the Movement. There were voices who called for change on how the Movement was being run by one man.
For fear that many more intellectuals and military Commanders would continue to defect to Dr. Riek Machar’s faction, Dr. Garang found himself toothless and could not resort to his old ways of either murdering his political and military opponents from within in cold blood or silencing them in prisons without trial. His leadership survival at that time after the split significantly depended on how Dr. Machar would handle his coup against him. If Dr. Machar were to choose to overthrow Garang militarily as the last resort by attacking his positions in Equatoria region, Garang’s leadership would have come to pass in those years. Machar instead chose to engage Garang in dialogue to resolve the issues that caused the split and would only fight in self-defense if Garang attacked his positions. This helped Garang to re-organize his forces that were in the state of panic. Luckily and by chance, Garang used Machar’s peace talks with the Khartoum government to accuse him of collaborating with Khartoum. This also helped him to regain support from those in the region and Western world who wanted the war to continue in Southern Sudan. Dr. Machar’s position not to escalate fighting by removing Garang using military might in Equatoria region, where he shifted his bases and fighting force, resulted in sharp disagreements with his colleagues which also resulted in further splits within the Nasir faction. Can you see this dilemma which was not completely taken note of by Garang’s faction?
The 28th August 1991 popular Declaration prompted its leadership to strategize on how the liberation struggle could be achieved. The leadership chose the path of peace as the way forward. They engaged themselves in a series of peace talks with the present government in Khartoum in Abuja One and Abuja Two and subsequently signed the Khartoum Peace Agreement in 1997. Dr. Riek Machar incorporated other factions which also defected from late Dr. Garang’s faction and became their overall leader. These factions included the Bahr El-Ghazal Group (BGG), led by late Kerubino Kwanyin Bol, the Bor Group (BG), led by late Arok Thon Arok, the Equatoria Defense Forces (EDF), led by Dr. Theophillus Ochang Lotti, and some other groups. Dr. Machar signed the famous Khartoum Peace Agreement (KPA) on behalf of all the factions that joined his Movement, the South Sudan Independence Movement (SSIM) with its military wing, the South Sudan Defense Forces (SSDF). For the first time in the history of the Sudan, the Khartoum government conceded the right of self-determination for the people of Southern Sudan in the Agreement. This was also enshrined in the National Constitution of the Sudan in 1998, which clearly articulated that this right would be exercised in an internationally supervised referendum after four years from 1997. The referendum was to be exercised in Southern Sudan in the year 2001 about seven years ago.
Dr. Garang at the time vowed that he would not sign any agreement with the Khartoum government under President Omer Hassen El – Beshir. He used to say that the Khartoum government was too deformed to be reformed and that he wanted it removed by military force. He called the Khartoum Peace Agreement a sell out despite the inclusion of the clause ‘self-determination’ in it plus many more achievements including Southern Sudan retaining a separate army. The significant thing I personally feel was missing in the Khartoum Peace Agreement was the involvement of the international community, which distanced itself from the Khartoum Peace Agreement on a number of interests that I don’t want to write about here. The Khartoum Peace Agreement, like any other agreements signed in Sudan, was violated by the Khartoum government in the year 2000. Dr. Machar, after championing self-determination in the Agreement, decided to resort to other strategies back in the bush to bring late Dr. John Garang to the developing peace process and indirectly revive the Khartoum Peace Agreement in a comprehensive form based on self-determination!
On 6th January 2002, the two factions of Dr. Machar and Dr. Garang merged in Nairobi. This time with bold declaration that the two groups agreed to resolve the issues that led to the split within the SPLM/A on 28th August 1991.. The right of self-determination for the people of Southern Sudan as called for in the Nasir Declaration was officially accepted and became the official objective of the Movement to determine the future political status of the people of Southern Sudan. Democratization of the Movement and respect for human rights were re-affirmed because Garang had already adopted these principles after the 1991 split and before the merger in 2002. But the Merger Agreement recognized that more work needed to be done on these principles. The Nairobi Merger Agreement also called for a Second SPLM National Convention to be held within three months to elect the leadership of the ‘new’ SPLM. Dr. Garang delayed the convening of the Convention indefinitely for fear of being defeated in the election by Dr. Machar or any other candidate. The Merger Agreement also called for serious revival and resumption of peace talks with the Khartoum government.
As a result of the Merger Agreement between the two leaders with renewed spirit and quest for peace, just after six months from the merger, the first protocol of the CPA on self-determination for the people of Southern Sudan was signed in Machakos, Kenya in July 2002. Commander Salva Kiir Mayardit, the then Deputy Chairman for Military Affairs signed the Protocol on behalf of the SPLM/A. The road to peace became irreversible!
On 9th January 2005, the SPLM/A and the National Congress Party-led government signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). Dr. Garang signed on behalf of the Movement while the then First Vice President of the Sudan, Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, signed on behalf of the Sudan government. If you read the CPA in comparison with the Khartoum Peace Agreement, you would be convinced that the CPA is not more than a revised text of the Khartoum Peace Agreement with the exception of the international support and the United Nations Peace Keeping Forces in the South. However, the effectiveness or not of the international support and the UN Peacekeeping forces in Southern Sudan is another thing one may evaluate.
The clear message I want to send to those who might have been blinded by tribal sentiments and cheap propaganda against leaders who have greatly contributed or actually revolutionized our way forward as the people of Southern Sudan is that they should get realistic and honour these great leaders like Dr. Machar with utmost respect.. 28th August 1991 Declaration should not be used for negative propaganda, but instead be remembered as a blessed birth day on which a clear path for the liberation and freedom of the people of Southern Sudan was set. The road to our freedom is still long and painful! We need to get united as one people with one objective that will lead us to our desired destiny. Propagating on the so-called Dinka Bor massacres with fabricated negative stories attributed to innocent and great leaders like Dr. Riek Machar will not help the cause the Dinka Bor want to achieve in Southern Sudan or in a united Sudan.
The author is based in southern Sudan.
Panther
The 1991 historic move is a blessing to Southern Sudan
Gatkuoth,
I can not believe you actually used the terms “unity” and “one people” in this hateful and misleading article!!
Jayo
The 1991 historic move is a blessing to Southern Sudan
Hahaha,foolish Gatkuoth calls it historic when one surrender to the enemy to fight his people.Riak himself accepted the fact that only NIF was benefited by his treasonry move.Why on earth did he become a friend of the enemy of South Sudanese people?-cowardice.As Dr Garang said,Riak will remain in the history of South Sudan as someone who betray his people by joining hand with the enemy to fight his brothers.Thank to writers like Dr Nyot Kok,Dr Lesh,Arop Madut who have clearly documented this shameful episode in their books for posterity.
This link will speak by itself.
Riak’s shame
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZIT_g4FCV0
Abuoi Jook
The 1991 historic move is a blessing to Southern Sudan
Poor Gatkuoth!
You shamlessly lied in this article about the production of CPA and false attribution to so-called Dr Riek.
let me remind you that the call for liberation of marginalised was voluntarily listened to by patriots regardless of being DOCTORS, ENGINEERS, LAWYERS, PSYCHOLOGIST etc. so whoever went to bush did so for freedom of marginalised.
on your shamless lie about the Riek forces attack on Bor natives, i wonder whether Bor Dinka keep cattle in Bor town or in their villages as per your alleged part of the history.
many of Bor people masacred in 1991 were not killed in town but after their cattles.
on 1991 defaction, the issue remains a betrial at a time where SPLA was about to achieve victory on the enemy which your unreasonable philosoper turned down.
nowhere in this planet had peace made in the hands of enemy like your master Riek did in Khartoum controlled by Omer.
So, CPA is totally different from khartoum agreement or whatever you call it.
what southern government did riek formed after agreement.
again there was no merger but riek joined SPLA instead that’s why SPLA remain as our umbrella.
John Garang alias Johnsalt
The 1991 historic move is a blessing to Southern Sudan
Sometimes, It is prudent to call a spade a spade and NOT a big spoon. I felt pressured and to compromised my self-control due to such a terse writings. It is what a true writer should consider null and void. In my view, Gatkuoth may want to use his beautiful language to mudsling the very fact of the intended atrocities committed by SSIM ‘read’ SPLA/m Nasir Faction.
A good writer, I think, is anyone who prepares and analyze his purported piecemeal for the good of any reader irrespective of where they are and where they come from. And therefore, mr. Gatkuoth has to know messing the originality of an account is a crude and rude of any writer. It epitomizes one as sub-standard and slow-witted in the field of his/her like. Please discover more in journalism/writing.
I simply beg you, “sir” to stop such half-baked facts………………
Jayo
The 1991 historic move is a blessing to Southern Sudan
To those who try to vindicate Riak for his betrayal by using cheap lies,who do you think will accept that lies in South Sudan.Whatever you say or write,the memories of the twenty-two years of SPLM-NIF war are still fresh in our mind.Everyone knows what happened,who is the hero and who is a foolish slave of Bashir,who cooperate with Khartoum to fight his fellow Southerners and who bravely fought JELLABA to free the marginalised Sudanese people.
Daniel Kalaka
The 1991 historic move is a blessing to Southern Sudan
Oh! Gatkouth Lam ,have you wake up from sleeping or what? your article doesn’t reflect anything for the achievement of CPA that you are trying to articulate.And when you trying compare the khartoum peace Agreement with CPA there is big defference between two .Don’t blindful the people with your meanless articles!!!. Yes you are trying to active history ,but with repeated wounded wound which people of southern sudan had give DR .Riek as what DR. Garang did to him when they met in Nairobi in 2002.What put me to say this ,I have just quote your words which says SPLM/A took arm without clear structure of the movement and did not define/enlight the people about their objective of movement which mean you even yourself are not aware why SPLM/A took arms in 1983 Movement.
Dmangau
The 1991 historic move is a blessing to Southern Sudan
Gatkuoth
I am very much sorry and am not wrong to call you foolish.the long article that you post to this website as no meaning at all.you can not called so split of 1991 blessed move. in which away for sure.
I am very happy because we may write whatever we think and post it to the net but still the different between Dr. Riak and Garang is clear. it is very sad to hear that the reason of the SPLM/A were not clear.if the objective were not clear why do Dr Riak came back after being shame by Arabic.
you mean that split of killing citizens were clear objectives,you should not says.you should not says understood by southerns but Blind Nuer, not all Nuer but fews who can not know different between good and bad.
you should you mad Gatkuoth , Garang started the moment with people and people who see very far stayed to the end of CPA. BUT bLIND and Greed ran to arabic and back without nice and clear objectives.
Pliz Gatkoth, you shouldn’t call blessed move.
samuel nyok kuat kur
The 1991 historic move is a blessing to Southern Sudan
The 1991 historic move is a blessing to Southern Sudan 4 July 2008 10:21, by samuel nyok kuat kur
Guys, i don’t see the reason we write on this website.
Now its seems to me Arab has right to say southern Sudan will not become a separated state, due for tribalism in every corner in the south, and i knew the reason for this tribalism, is because most of us don’t know the meaning of the state.
Some of us thought the state its ruled by laws of Dinka, or shelok, or Zandi, or Nueror jurchol,or primitive minded,as its seems on the internet now, what is always written here is not supposed to be written here, because this electronic board is not for the kind of these writings we always do. i am not so educated than everyone of you guys, but i have to warn you guys, so our country would dragged to the flames of primitive, we are doing none senseless things. when we are insulting each others on the internet,what do we thing guys ,it seemed we are not civilized writers,we should cover our deferences not to open it to the world, which will make other people to laugh at us. In additional, you we involve others in our nasty discussion. I don’t know who is Dr. John Garang God bless him among you guys or who is Dr. Riek Machar among you guys. I don’t think no one, and why the headache everyday? if you do not have anything to do guys don’t soil the Name of Dr. Garang, he bought you the south with his blood, or don’t abuse Dr. Machar name because he is not primitive like we seem on internet everyday.
You should stop abusing the names of our leaders ,and the name of our soil southern Sudan, i doubt you brought strange behaviours from your deferent places you all grow up, if it is from Ethiopia or Kynia or Uganda or Cuba, western countries. the very bad behaviors. and we don’t know what are we writings worth guy, it could destroy the south completely. if we don’t know we are not worth to be alive, even we feel we are politician for how we write , believe me guys we are not. We should stop attacking each others or don’t call ourselves southerners.
Ring Majak Kout
The 1991 historic move is a blessing to Southern Sudan
Dear southerners!!!
I am very puzzled by the behaviour of writers and information they are posting in this site. Most of us who do not know that much about struggled and it’s implication during the war, we are struggling to gain accurate and relevent information. Many people who are contributing in this site are blind-folded by dark sights and cover up for their tribal leader for the sake of leadership. Since there no other sources that could feed the Hungary mind of brothers and sisters of my generation age 24 and under, most us went on hunting in cyper sonic of technology to gain more knowledge about what is really going on back in southern Sudan(home). Unfortunately most of information we gathering are very deceptive and misleading. I would like to pint point to those with an old mind of tribalism to stop posting rubbish in this site, because most of us who are visiting this site are generation of tomorrow and we don’t care whether their leader come from a different ethnic background of many tribe of southern Sudan.
Again I will plea to any writer or reader to be more tolerant to our people in southern Sudan, overcome your obstacle, learn how to move on and don’t exposed your self to an enemy. Love you all Mum,Dad, Brothers and Sisters of beloved country southern Sudan.
Ring Majak Kout
Gatwech
The 1991 historic move is a blessing to Southern Sudan
Deng Akol,
So now you cry after facts about what took place is posted, but when your people were posting lies against Dr. Riek Machar you did not cry! What a poor judgement! Don’t cry, baby, don’t cry!
Kasinu
The 1991 historic move is a blessing to Southern Sudan
Poor Gatwech and Gatkuoth and Gatriek.
I want to refer you to Dr Garang objection letter to Joseph Lago during adis-ababa talk of 1972.
This a small except of the begining of what south sudanese are enjoying today.
Dr Garang ambition for self determination started when Riek was in his secondary or university education.
Dr Garang wrote: there are only two possible ways of resolving the sudanese crisis. the birth of two nation states out of the present(geograhpical)sudan, the political autonomy for both the south and the north (and or any other part that so demands) in a federated united new sudan. political autonomy in this usage means that the autonomous regions have adequate political power, in terms of armed force, to protect the regions against encroachment by the federation or by one regions in the federation, and furthermore, that a region retains the right to secede from from the federation if its interests are adequately serves by the federation. (It must be clear to southerners that the retention of the right to secede from such federation must guaranteed by the federal constitution and by the existence of physical southern armed forces).
Kuachthoor
The 1991 historic move is a blessing to Southern Sudan
I believe this article is full of the same stupid ideas, i couldn’t finish reading it because its first paragraph pissed me off. Since the start of the war until the signing of peace, Dr. Garang was the leader of the movement and no stupid mind can ever say that the movement had no clear vision and mission, that is outrageous and offensive. The folks of the Nassir faction you are talking about had been to Khartoum and failed to make their so-called reasons-for-fighting heard. When they came back, SPLM/A was still the same. This shows how greedy for power they were. Their mission was to take over the leadership for a greedy intention, just to eat. This article is simply based on tribal hatred with no honesty and humanity. It’s title is supidly framed. Blessings come from God and God knows what he can give, when and how. God blessings are unconditional. Some people do not have to die for Bor to be blessed. Am not gonna waste my time commenting on this unreasonable so-called article because the mind that decided to write it is the same mind that was responsible for the killing in 1991.
Ayuen Buol mum
The 1991 historic move is a blessing to Southern Sudan
Hello everybody….I can say take it simply because a reader can see and examined the character of how the writer put up his/her ideas. There is nothing in this article than being a bias and lack of creditibility to the history of southern Sudan. Just a kind of exaggeration, and excessive pride of his tribal men and that is all.
I don’t see those of Gatwatch and Gatkouth being stouches of the Nuer, they are betraying their community unknowingly and lack of grown up ethics.
Thon
elijah mwenye
The 1991 historic move is a blessing to Southern Sudan
Dear Lam or whatever they call you.
your article is a nerve racking to read. I don’t know what you were thinking. it is ridiculous, disguising article. I was almost fainted when i saw this article. I always thought people like you learned from the past. How could you called a disastrous massacre of 1991 a blessing if you had a human sense. I think you knew what you were doing by writing this sloppy article. You did not even think twice before you post something hateful to the public website . it is not me alone who is annoyed by this but you need to be careful when writing something like this. I can not believed my ears you call a killing, raping and murdering of innocent people a blessing, this sound sadistic and outrageous to people who came a cross it.By the way, do not activated the old wounds in people’s heart.I don’t care if you were praising your evil man, Riek for what he had done. You nuers people think that we forgot what you had done to us. we did not forgot it.I do believe not all Nuers are into this, anyone out there should condemn this man. I think he is a mad man. if not, he might be delusional.I don’t believe in the idea of people using Riek as a shield to cover all Nuers ass. there are some element among Nuers who are psychic like DR Chand who went to create forever lasting conflict among Dinkas and Nuers.Riek never had a vision to lead the Movement without Dr Garang. If he had that vision, he shouldn’t had fought the SPLA in the 1990s. He is totally failure man. if it wasn’t for Garang he wouldn’t be in that position he have now.
I accept the fact that he is educated man. but he is a lost man like a goat among sheep.
please, please, Lam, if you are learning how to write a better or want to became a writer. you need to take some kind of intensive writing classes just to boost your ability to write well. it doesn’t mean your article wasn’t readable but you know what I mean…..
DAN D….
victim majok ayuen
The 1991 historic move is a blessing to Southern Sudan
DEAR BROTHERS;
I believe that none of you mind about the tormenting situation you are trying to subject your peoples to when you in your hidings incite them to hate themselves. Your vague ideologies are just but scorching technics of replicating the root-virus of our people known as the tribal conflicts. before I advance to advise you further let me ask you a social question, Who among you would not want to be a leader of his people? and who among you would not want the support of a NUER or a DINKA if at all you
vie for a higher government positions? are you not politicians?
you may answer these to your best intrest but the fact about ground politics is that nobody want to be a labeled enemy of his own people! this is the golden rule of african politics.
My best advise to all of you who keep on challenging each other on this electronic board like the way my friend Nyok term it, is that stop escalating this tribal nonsense you are above it leave it to the visionless. Reminding ypourselves of those days is like washing your dirty-Underwear in the public, can you guess what conclusion the public will draw about you!
let us instead build our nation rather than destroying it with barbaric-out-dated so called tribalism WE ARE FOR UNITY despite the past. Brothers if something is not worth living for then it is not worth dying for.
tribalism is a social venom that hurts every one within reach let’s change before it will be too late to change anymore!
this is the voice of concern in search of social redemption
Gatwech
The 1991 historic move is a blessing to Southern Sudan
Deng Akol,
What lies are you trying to spread here on the web. When did you people fight Jalaba or Mundukuru as you wish to be? Your commanders were among the most coward in the liberation struggle. Ask who were the most effective forces that captured many SAF barracks and towns in Southern Sudan if your uncles did not pass the message to you. Your commanders were just sitting idly either in Itand refugee camp or at Bilpam GHQs, just waiting for promotions over SPLA radio by John Garang doing nothing! Some fled to Uganda and Kenya, etc.
Again, John Garang never in his life time confronted even a single Jalaba soldier in the real frontline! How dare can you even compare him with Dr. Riek Machar who captured towns under his direct military command in the frontline and even wounded President Omer el Beshir himself in the leg, when Omer was commanding SAF forces in Mayom, Unity state before he became President in 1989! Ask your uncles they will tell you that this is very true. Why don’t you accept facts instead of choosing to get addicted to telling lies and denying facts or resorting to the saying that your people were born to lie.
Again, empty threats, like a rat threatening a cat! For you to say that once we are done with Mundukuru you can deal with us makes one to vomit hearing it. What I know is that you will not dare even writing nonsence on this web if we are alone in the South. You would kneel down without and preconditions. This is the secret behind the vision of late Garang to keep Sudan united, fearing that his community would not face my community if left alone in the South without a higher Jalaba authority that would help him maintain his leadership. Don’t provoke a situation you would regret for the rest of your poor lives!!!
Deng Chol Malual
The 1991 historic move is a blessing to Southern Sudan
Gatkuoth Lam,
I wish you would have been a educated human being like me to see into Reik’s political path and what he has done to greater community of Nuer as a whole.
Well if you don’t know,then I may be force to give you insights on Riek’s attrocities to Nuer community as you can see below:
Attrocity 1: Riek collaboration with the Arabs from 28th August,1991 to 2002. Marked him a collaborator and vision-empty-minded person and that is the current history & story position of Nuer as a community.
Attrocity 2: Riek’s signing the petroleum mining with Jalaba showed that he was thirsty for wealth-grab(food) and therefore,depict that he is a man for food, likewise, he trained his people to be food-visioned community only.
Attrocity 3:Reik’s collaboration deleted Nuer community out of the heroic list of the communities who fought for this Southern Sudan freedom. To which,he is enjoying Salaries and other scams.
Attrocity 4:Riek’s daily loitering and random movement between parties cultivated the real ancestrial history that Nuer can only think myopically for to day and not or no tomorrow. To prove me right,the current CPA freedom is part of the Dinka & Garang tomorrow’s vision.Which I hope is very enjoyable and sweet to all as per now.
Attrocity 5: Riek’s defected in Lou-Nuerland and used Lou Nuer knowing that the war will have repercusions on Lou and that, his closest Nuer of Unity State will be at the safer side. To prove me right, see the worst situation the Lou Nuer currently in verses Nuer of Unity State where Riek came from.
NB: Riek’s attrocities toward Nuer community were not exhausted.I belief Nuer themselves can add much more to the few mentioned above.
Attrocty 6: Riek is likely to will cause other setback to you people if don’t take great care.
In my conclusion
As the Nationalist of Southern Sudan I would rather suggest that Riek is deterriorating the good history of Nuer people at large therefore, Nuer as a community should better come up with other person that can be able to manage Southern Sudan leadership if that is that vision.
NB: to Nuers,please reread my analysis and think positive on them, make adjustment without emotions as I did to this letter of Gatkouth Lam.
Thanks.
James Okuk Solomon
The 1991 historic move is a blessing to Southern Sudan
I went keenly through this article written by Gatkuoth Lam and found nothing but more truth in it. I admire and agree with the message conveyed that:
1) Late Dr. Garang became popular internationally because of the CPA which recognized the right of the people of Southern Sudan for Self-determination. His dictatorial management of the SPLASPLM from 1983 – 1991 did not give him credibility at all.
2)It is important to utilize the expertise of the intellectuals of South Sudan in the right place if the SPLM and the SPLA want to succeed in its mission.
3) There is no difference between the massacre of Bor sub-clan of Dinka in 1991 and the massacre of the Gaajaak sub-clan of Nuer in 1985. The lives of both of these communities are valuable to Southern Sudan. It was not good of Dr. Garang to have allowed the killing of Nuer, likewise it was not good of Dr. Riek to have allowed the blood spilling of the Dinka. May God forgive the sins of Dr. Garang because he has already gone from us and will not come back to apologize for this grave mistake. Dr. Riek is alive and still have the chance to examine his conscience and decide whether to apologize to the living victims of Bor Massacre. He might not have ordered the massacre directly but it happened under his leadership, particularly based on the fact that he did not account those who did that heinous act afterwards. Apology is not a shame because it creates a space for forgiveness as it is known that all human beings are liable to sins.
3) Let us say the truth about the bad things that happened during the time of struggle, but the aim should be forgiveness and not avenge or revenge which revive and add fuel to the fire of hatred. The truth hurts when it is bitter (like the case of killing), but the truth also heals when it is said with the intention of apology and forgiveness.
4) Despite the dark side of our history of struggle, we also need its bright side which can unite us strongly for the rest of the remaining period of our long and thorny journey to freedom from the cunning oppressive regimes in Khartoum.
5) We should admit that we are different tribes with different mentalities and stereotypes about each other, but we should also get convinced that we are the people of South Sudan in spite of our differences and difficulties. We need to accept each others as One People with One Purpose of achieving the independence of South Sudan rather than rejecting each other as enemies with many purposes that can destroy our common interest and make our Northern enemies happy.The South need the Dinka of Bor as well as the Nuer of Gaajaak. The South needs every tribe of Southern Sudan because each of them is valuable and each of them count for South Sudan.
6)Long live all the people of South Sudan as they learn to tell the truth and forgive each other for the sake of the common good of their awaited independent African State far from the indoctrination of the Arab World.
James Okuk Solomon
The 1991 historic move is a blessing to Southern Sudan
Hi Compatriots.
I look at things with a different lens. I am afraid that it would have been a disaster if SPLA/SPLM captured the Sudan by force: its arrogant members would have only shifted the injustice from the Jellaba to Junubin, SPLM would have become oppressive to the people of the Sudan, the desire for Independence of South Sudan would have been dashed, and another civil war would have been waged against the oppressive SPLM Regime of Dr. Garang like what was done to the successive oppressive Regimes in Khartoum during the war time.
Indeed it was a blessing that SPLM got the current power through peace that came as a result of 1991 split for change. Long lives all those who brought the right changes within the SPLA/SPLM administration. Honour to Dr. Garang in his grave for accepting these changes for the sake of South Sudan.
James
The 1991 historic move is a blessing to Southern Sudan
Hi guys:
I am sorry to answer this article late, but the fact remains that, Mr Garkouth was completely telling the truth about our ruthless late Garang.
God bless
Bol Bol Bol
The 1991 historic move is a blessing to Southern Sudan
Bravo Gatkuoth! this is very clear message and true picture of our Movement run by Dr. Garang. The 1991 history is a very blessed move to marginalized Southern Sudanese within SPLA/M. I think dinka Bor will not repeat this rout habit on the nation of this country. Its a really big shame on them even their very black skin of all Southern Sudanese never ashamed of their very bad acts. Late Dr. John Garang were hated the educated Southern Sudanese for the sake that he could blind fool the other that he is the only man and worrior in the South. And because his bold mine could not be read by other when doing good things. Thanks to God for saving this nation against this evil leader.
Gatwech
The 1991 historic move is a blessing to Southern Sudan
Long John,
What a shameless Long John! You can see from his very name that he is just a product of a lost world, he doesn’t reflect a true Southerner. I don’t know where did his parents find themselves when they named him like a stranger.
Let me tell you, Mr. Long (British?), John Garang was only liberating his filthy stomach using that lost vision of greedy and poor dictators.
Why did he joined Dr. Machar in his vision for self-determination, democratic transformation and respect for human rights, which you guys shamelessly seem to enjoy on this web without appreciation!
Do you ever think a coward Dinka that has historical cowardice would ever liberate the South. Look how Salva Kiir is always like a chicken when things become hot. When he foolishly allowed Pagan Amum to create a crisis with NCP, despite Dr. Machar’s wise advice to keep the gains of CPA on track, he chickened away and refused to go to Khartoum to face Beshir in the so-called Presidency. Instead, he sent Dr. Riek Machar who changed the whole situation and saved the CPA.
When Abyei was on fire, the chicken Salva Kiir feared to go, but the true liberator, Dr. Machar went to Khartoum and saved the people of Abyei!
It is not surprising to me, because I know a Dinka leader would never free the South at last in their greedy, selfish and cowardice leadership. Just wait for your few fucken days left for the last Dinka licker!
Jacob
The 1991 historic move is a blessing to Southern Sudan
Gatkuot Lam, Idoubt you whether you are Nuer.Because I have been following your writings but I came to conlusion that you are not A NUER.I was in Ayod on 3rd/07/2008.The Nuer in Ayod are peace loving community.May be you that of People who didn’t know their fathers and the origin.You called 1991 killing as ablessing yet photos are still kept for reference.
Ithink you are the same like Bashir killing his own people in Dafur-Sudan.
God is the witness,because useless sons like you were beaten by thunder in PANYANGOR IN 1991 AND THAT WAS THE END OF NUER WAR WITH DINKA.
God may answer you.
Jacob