Ambororo-LRA alliance in Western Equatoria

By Charles B. Kisanga

February 10, 2009 — In recent weeks the ferocity with which the LRA went on the rampage in Congo Democratic Republic (DR) and South Sudan after Uganda and Cong DR launched operations to dislodge them from Garamba forest could not be imagined by any one.

The LRA terrorist group seemed to have the capacity to continue fighting, looting and killing civilians all over the three countries; from Congo DR, to South Sudan and to Central African Republic (CAR). Across the region up to 900 people may have died since December 14th 2008 to date
This leaves one to wonder how the LRA could survive for so long in the bush when the entire world is against them and the local people against them in all the countries. Some information reaching the chairman of SPLM Patriotic organisation and of the World-wide Zande Community in London seem to point to some help reaching LRA from the Ambororo. The Ambororo are armed nomadic people from the Northern Sudan and they have been a constant menace also in Western Equatoria since the CPA implementation started in 2005.

In 2006 and 2007 respectively groups of armed Ambororo sometimes in military uniform (suggesting they may be from Janjawid militia from Darfur) and moving without cattle and families had entered WES from Dueim Zubeir through Raja in Western Bahr el Ghazal. The Ambororo had Horses and Camels and seemed to be carrying heavy loads and later on they were seen by villagers as heading towards Garamba National park in The DR Congo where LRA were based. Initial speculation was that they were going there for hunting especially poaching for elephant’s tasks but that seemed to be a pretext. The same Ambororo were seen later to come out of Garamba forest and returning without any elephant tasks or the heavy loads which they had before to suggest spoils such as elephant tasks from poaching.

Now at the peak of LRA atrocities in Western Equatoria and about eighteen days ago a similar group of armed Arab nomads in military uniforms on Horses and Camels clashed with the SPLA forces in Source Yubu Payam, Tambura County. A few days after that the same group of Ambororo have been spotted in Nadiangere Payam, Yambio County moving with heavy loads toward Ibba River, Maruko Payam, in Ibba County. Authorities in Western Equatoria now suspected them to be logistic suppliers given the mission to reinforce the LRA with ammunition and guns. But by whom or which people are behind this? The logistic supply might even include aircraft missiles to fend off the helicopter gunships and jet fighters being used in the joint operations against the LRA by the allied forces. It is not far from the fact that some Northern groups may try to use LRA to undermine election and referendum process in South Sudan in order to forestall the transformation toward independent and hence continue with the status quo and as such any Northern party behind it could easily send Ambororo with a mission to keep LRA going in South Sudan’s WES and Congo DR until insecurity makes any democratic process impossible and thus the whole CPA could then fail.

To prove that the LRA and the Ambororo seem to be friendly forces, it can be seen that since the LRA were relocated to Western Equatoria in 2005, they have never clashed with the roaming Ambororo. The LRA at the moment are drinking water with the Ambororo at same river points in the areas along the DR Congo border of Basukungbi, Dorima and the source of Bingi and Mbomu streams. Despite the fact that the LRA have no food, they do not seem to loot the Ambororo but instead they are looting civilians in WES, DR Congo and CAR

Since 2005, the successive governments of WES have made several attempts to get rid of the Ambororo from WES but some individuals in the GoSS kept referring to them as innocent armed cattle herdsmen and instead go on to accuse the sons of WES of collaborating with the LRA and being responsible for the ongoing insecurity in WES. How can the victims be blamed for the suffering and moreover it was GoSS idea to locate LRA in WES Ri-Kwanga as they claimed they can bring a successfully peace negotiation between Uganda and LRA? Three years later the people of WES have paid heavy price for GoSS mistakes with hundreds of WES citizens dead and thousands made homeless. Over 30, 000 Congo civilians have also been driven to seek refugee in WES. There is no help or apology coming yet from GoSS to WES people. This brings us to the question: Do also some from GoSS or SPLM leadership have vested interest in LRA? Was LRA part of the options used by the SPLM unionists for keeping the lid on those seeking independent for the South Sudan in 2011 or what? Also it seems even the corrupt GoSS leaders who benefit from corruption may like the status quo where they now eat money rather then going for free and fair referendum for South Sudan and possible removal from power.

If the LRA had been used as a tool for political leverage by certain forces in Northern Sudan or South Sudan then it can only mean the road to independence or no independence could be a rough one indeed and South Sudanese have to brace themselves for rougher times still ahead. Also then even if the LRA are rooted out now out we could still see more LRA in forms of Ambororo or other external forces who might be there to make sure there are no peaceful elections or referendum. Hence the stakes could not be so higher for WES citizens and people have to be very careful now.

Eng. Kisanga is former SPLM NLC member and chairman of Western Equatoria Azande Community World-Wide Organisation. Mr Kisanga also heads the new SPLM Patriotic body to effect positive change in South Sudan in 2009 .He can be reached on [email protected].