South Sudan parliament passes army budget in third reading

By Isaac Vuni

December 17, 2008 (JUBA) – The Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly late Wednesday afternoon passed a bill on the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) by the specialized Committees of Security and Public Order and legal affairs for a third reading.

The SPLA gets forty percent of the southern region’s budget annually which translate to 400 million Sudanese pounds (US$187 million). The former guerrilla army is tasked with transforming itself into the conventional army of Southern Sudan, the semi-autonomous region that was granted its status in the 2005 peace agreement that ended Africa’s longest-running civil war.

Contributing to the heated debate on SPLA, Hon. James Reat Gony of Maiwut County, Upper Nile said the position of Deputy Commander in Chief of SPLA was a political creation designed to diffuse tension between SPLM and SSUDF factions —which were primarily Nuer insurgencies that either opposed SPLA or did not cooperate fully. The position helped smooth the way for realizing the 2005 peace agreement, which required all armed groups in Sudan to join either northern forces or the SPLA.

Gony thus advised those aspiring to the position as that it is redundant and the office holder should be careful not to interfere with the Commander in Chief’s duty.

Meanwhile Colonel Abany Nathaniel Anai, the official representative of SPLA in South Sudan legislative assembly, said those soldiers threatening people in Juba, the capital of southern Sudan, are not the real SPLA, which ought to liberate oppressed and marginalized southern Sudanese from the Khartoum government. She appeals to citizens of southern Sudan to be vigilant and report such people to authorities to arrest them.

Hon. Mabior Lek Deng of USAP party suggested that uneducated members of SPLA should be allowed pursue education with their full salary, rather than allowing them to occupy senior positions without an academic background. He further declared that SPLA has the right to purchase all types of weapons for defending citizens of southern Sudan without fear or consultation of Khartoum government. He was likely alluding to a recent arms shipment of Soviet-era tanks and other equipment allegedly destined for Southern Sudan but seized by pirates off of Somalia’s coast.

Hon. Atrujong observed that Juba has so many problems related to traffic accidents caused by unprofessional SPLA drivers, whom he accused of commonly being involved in hit-and-run accidents of innocents people while at the same time threatening to shoot police officers when apprehended. The MP appealed to SPLA to recruit experienced drivers by merit.

Hon. Angelina Nyamakum complained that soldiers in Owinykibul have not been paid nor integrated for eight months since they assembled and have become problematic to the common people, especially because of raping women. The minister moreover reported that certain soldiers have promoted themselves to very high ranks which do not even exist in the SPLA hierarchy.

Hon. Jimmy Wango Miji wondered why the original name of Ruton, where SPLA is headquartered, has been changed to Bilfam. But he was advised that Bilfam is an historic name where SPLA/M movement started organizing and recalls an operation that will remain in the history of southern Sudan for many years.

The deliberation was witnessed by US Senate staffer Shannon Smith who was accompanied by Michael Kukien of the armed services committee. He later held a meeting with select MPs.

The morning session was headed by Speaker James Wani Igga who left the afternoon session to his deputy Hon. Dr. Lawrence Lual Lual who continued to preside until the bill was passed to specialized committee for third and final reading. There were 91 MPs present.

One other issue being carefully observed is the anticipated appointment to fill the sensitive post of the SPLA affairs minister, who recently died in a plane crash. Sudan Tribune reported Tuesday that the position could likely be filled by Kuol Manyang Juuk, the current governor of Jonglei, according to the governor.

(ST)