Peace anniversary and massacre of some Shilluk by some Dinka

By James Okuk

January 13, 2008 — At the end of every year, the good people or nations wish each other a new blessed year after having survived or lived through the past year. This is more in the case of the Sudan because it corresponds with the annual anniversary of the Independence of the country from the British Colonialists and also the anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that has ended the decades of bloody war between the North and the South. I send my best wishes to the people of Southern Sudan through Upper Nile State in whose capital (Malakal) where the Independence and the CPA Anniversary was celebrated officially for the Year 2009. I put this in the form of an article titled “The 4thCPA Anniversary in Malakal: Time for Naivasha Partners to Honor their Promises,” wishing the best to Naivasha’s Partners and the people of Upper Nile State in that occasion, especially by encouraging each tribe to “present the best that could be shown to entertain the guests and participants” without political bickering. However, my wish did not find its proper place as some bad elements of Dinka from Baliët, Dongjol and Luac decided to preach and incite conflict on the respectful Collo (Shilluk) people in Malakal, Anakdiär and Abanim instead of peace.

Of course, the conflict between the mentioned sub-tribes of Greater Dinka is not a new thing neither is peace a new news for them. These people of Upper Nile State have lived along side each other in both thick and thin. Sometimes they differed and killed each other in hatred but sometimes they agreed and embraced each other in love. Their histories of conflicts and peace is well known, except that politics of greed is what is making the matter worst especially when some bad Dinka elements are trying their very best to dominate government authority (Ministers, MPs, Commissioners, Judges, Police and Army) in Malakal while they know that they are a minority to Collo; the majority tribe in the State.

It has been well monitored prior to the celebration of the 4th CPA anniversary how some chaotic Dinka elements in Upper Nile and particularly in Malakal have been meeting and releasing statements that are aimed to incite conflict between Dinka and Collo. However, the Collo people have been calm because they knew that it is not all the Dinka who are looking for troubles in Upper Nile State; there were good ones who disapproved the evil move by some of their people and always report to their Collo friends any secret intention from the bad elements. Also the Collo people revered the value of Peace in Southern Sudan and shied away from any shameful thing that could create insecurity. This calmness and respect has been misinterpreted by the bad elements of Dinka as Cowardice, based on a false strength that the above-mentioned group of Dinka (under the name of Dinka Padang) have acquired from their possession of heavy weapons from the SPLA, which they used in order to terrorize the Collo people and cause havoc in the State. But I can say that these few bad Dinka people do not grasp the gravity of the bad situation they are trying to create because if Collo people ran out of patience, the result could be very bad to be remembered in future. It is well known that Collo people do not act or react quickly but when they do, they regret not to play the role of the devils in the world. The above-mentioned group of Dinka should remember the past if they have long memories because if Collo retaliate, Malakal is going to be far from Dinka.

What surprises me is the manner the incident is reported by the Dinka Journalists. They write that it was an inter-tribal fighting between the Shilluk and the Dinka when, in fact, it were some members of Dinka who tried to push the biggest Collo Group (yay) behind the marching into the stadium, went to burn a Collo Village in the South of Malakal called Anakdiär at 2:00 am on 10th January 2009 and Killed 7 people on the spot using heavy weapons obtained from the SPLA in a way that remains to be investigated thoroughly soon if the Dinka dominated government in Upper Nile State does not block the probe. The bandits are said to have been using motor boats and killed 3 more people in Odwar and wounded 2 on their way back from the murder. On the same day, other Dinka bandits using a white care (Thatcher from Malakal) burnt down another Collo village in the North of Malakal called Abanim where they killed 3 people, two of whom were girls. I have the photos of some of the killed people and it is really painful to swallow the scene.

The good thing is that the Collo MPs at all levels of Government (National, GoSS and Upper Nile State) have calmed down their people not to retaliate at the moment until the law and justice has failed to take its course, perhaps especially with the silence of President of the GoSS, given the fact that the incident occurred when he was present in Malakal. This silence may generate suspicions because as I wrote in the article that explained the root causes of disquiet between the Collo and Dinka over the nativity and ownership of Malakal town that “When a member or some members of your ethnic group do something outrageous and you refrain from condemning their move (especially when you are their leader) then it is assumed that you are in agreement to what they have done.” (See “Problems of Land, Tribes, Politics and Arms in South Sudan in http://www.southsudannation.com/problems%20of%20land%20tribes%20jokuk4.htm).

If H.E. Salva Kiir does not dismiss the involved Dinka government authorities in Upper Nile State, the Collo people may totally accept what was written by Southsudannation.com editor in the editorial “Enough is enough, Mr. President Kiir: Time to focus on the fate of the Greater Nation of South Sudan.” The Collo people will immediately withdrew their trust in him and his Dinka dominated government in the South. The Collo cadres like H.E. Pagan Amum. H.E. Oyay Deng Ajak, H.E. Dr. Peter Adwok Nyaba, H.E. Yoanes Ajawin, H.E. Alfred Akwoc, H.E. Peter Parnyang and etc., may be asked to resign from Kiir’s administration and leave him alone to throw Southern Sudan to the dogs if he thinks he could do it without troubles. The only thing that makes Collo people to be patient and deliberate strategically up to now is that they believe in curse and shame of any bad thing that could be done to innocent people amongst the neighboring Dinka who might be far from where the troubles have been cooked and escalated.

On 12th January 2009, the Collo VIPs, MPs and Intellectuals from all parts of the Sudan wrote a strong memo to the Governor of Upper Nile Nile State, asking him to do twelve important things to calm the bitterness that has been instilled inside Collo people as a result of what happened in Malakal, Anakdiär and Abanim during and in the aftermath of 4th CPA Anniversary Occasion:

– to arrest the perpetrators;
– to form an investigating committee that includes Collo members;
– to protect the threatened villages from more attacks;
– to stick to the names of Upper Nile state Counties as decreed by Dr. John Garang in 2004;
– to demarcate the borders between the counties as they stood on 1/1/1956;
– to get hold of the Dinka elements who have instigated the heinous acts;
– to punish government officials from Dinka (including Ministers) who have misused government powers and apparatus for tribal backings;
– to account Upper Nile Radio Station for broadcasting instigating false information that contributed to eruption of violence move by Dinka;
– to account the police officer who defied governor orders to go to Anakdiär to rescue the situation immediately on the 9th January 2009,
– to retake the Upper Nile land on the eastern Bank of the Nile and Sobat Rivers that have been claimed and taken by Jonglei State;
– to take care of the IDPs who have been forced by Dinkas to leave their villages and take refuge in Malakal; and
– to compensate those who have been affected by the Dinka heinous incidents.

If I may add, the thirteenth demand should be a transparent disarmament of Dinka villagers and knowing the sources of the heavy weapons they used to murder Collo (like RPGs, Forty Six, Doctor Yub, Anti-tank Grenades, and etc.)

The critical question that every ordinary and grieved Collo person asks is what action would the Colo MPs and VIPs take if the governor and government of Upper Nile State fail to honor the mentioned demands? What is the plan “B” if Mr. Salva Kiir and Dr. Riek Machar decided to remain silent and dance on Collo graves?

Last year I wrote the following to my dear people of Southern Sudan and I will like to repeat it at this saddening moment. “Problems are never solved rightly through violence and the barrel of the gun. This will only fuel more fire and devastation…We MUST bury our guns so that we do not point them to each other any more…If tribal war breaks out now, the world will throw up its arms in defeat and shake its heads in disgust. We will be seen as a hopeless people. As tribes, we must respect one another. We are unique in our own ways. We must unite as African Southern Sudanese while maintaining our culture, our tribes and our land. We can do this by practicing justice and fairness among ourselves. If we all volunteer to honour one another by respecting our rights to our own land, we may have peace and love for each other. But as long as we have animosity toward one another, we will always remain weak and vulnerable to be good for nothing but evil use by enemies of freedom and destroyers of human dignity. We will always be subject to destruction by those who wish to smother us as a people. The war was fought by all. No one tribe was immune to the effects of the war. We all suffered together. Now, we must all rejoice together! Our education and literacy should de-stereotype our minds from negative tribal biases and superiority complexes.” (see http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article26289).

So far there have not been an inter-tribal fighting between the Collo and Dinka in Upper Nile and I do not wish for any to occur before we are done with the Jellaba burdens and tricks. However, if the some Dinkas are starting to treat other Southerners like what exactly Jellaba has been doing, then it could be affirmed that injustice and brutality is the same whether from a brother or an enemy. When the brother does acts that create enmities then he is not a good brother any more. What of if Collo go to Rumbek or Bor and say that these towns belong to them? What of if the Collo who work and live in Rumbek and Bor decided to dominate and be in the lead of occasions that takes place in these towns? What would be the feelings of the natives of these Places when they are put behind the non-natives and strangers?