Bashir’s investment in Southern tribes’ disunity
By Peter Kuot Ngong
The struggle to improve the security situation in Southern Sudan and promoting unity among the Southern people since the ratification of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in January 2005 till today is an intricate business that has become very intense for both the States’ governments and Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) to handle. The elements that go between the tribes to ignite tribal wars, branded by the President of the Government of Southern Sudan Salva Kiir Mayardit as “enemies of peace” are undiscoverable. Cattle theft and raiding has gone berserk and can’t be controlled again as every herder possesses a gun.
Those “go-between” characters that have troubled many regions around Southern Sudan and also brought the Sudan People’s Liberation (SPLA) to knock heads with the Sudan Armed forces, the Sudanese army loyal to President Bashir are playing secret cold war which they are sent by their master to accomplish but later disappear undiscovered or unaffected while leaving the communities in a bloodshed. Those elements are El Bashir’s agents which he is using as tools to cause gaps among Southerners so that they cannot present any unanimous decision against his (Bashir) or Northerners interest most especially towards the 2011 Referendum. The most abominable thing in this bleak business is that Southerners are being used against Southerners. I will take you briefly through a series of bloody events that have happened in Southern Sudan recently caused by some controversial figures who I will also reveal to you. Then you will understand that El Bashir is investing in Southern disunity.
Lakes and Jonglei States are leading the disunity business full of elements that are accomplishing El Bashir’s dreams. They trouble the local people, knocking their heads and leaving them to kill themselves like movie actors. Not only Lakes State and Jonglei State that have been showing strikingly unbelievable security situations but there are other States that have also disheartened their citizens because of some military insurgencies and short term controversies caused by misunderstandings that end with in a short period even after having caused a big loss of life and property. These States include the Western Equatoria State that has become the hideout of Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) which is committing a lot of atrocities there, Central Equatoria State where the tribal clashes between the Mundari and Bari ignited recently causing loss of life and in Upper Nile State’s Capital Malakal where the Controversial Militia Leader Gen. Tang Ginya backed by the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) brought to crossfire the SPLA and the SAF up to a second time.
Treating each of those adversities that befell the people of Southern Sudan at their different localities, considering their methods of happening, destruction and what they have cost Southern Sudan, it has to be understood this way. After the ratification of the peace deal between the Government of Sudan and the former rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) called the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) ending 21 years of the second civil war of Sudan, The Uganda’s LRA under the leadership of the atrocious Joseph Kony that was fighting to remove President Museveni’s NRM (National Resistant Movement) government lost its prime support from the Khartoum government immediately. These mutineers were backed by the National Islamic Front (NIF) of Hassan Al-Turabi supporting Bashir’s NCP in an agreement to help them crush the SPLA and later be helped to overcome President Museveni’s NRM government. The LRA accepted to implement the agreement by ambushing and destroying SPLA’s armoured vehicles and attacking SPLA’s military garrisons but ending with futile missions since the SPLA was a well specialized and strong rebel group. The LRA also continued to attack and disorganize the Southern Sudan civilians behind the SPLA lines in the displaced camps and also in Northern Uganda where they have been committing a lot of atrocities and keeping the people there in misery for centuries. After CPA was endorsed in January 2005 calling for the SAF to retreat from the South and move to border between the North and the South leaving the whole of the Southern Sudan territory to be occupied only by the SPLA, the string between the LRA and SAF was now cut off. Following the announcement by the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) that the LRA should move away from the Southern Sudan soil, the horrified LRA moved to the Congolese jungles and established a base at the Garamba National park. However after the allied forces of the Uganda People Defence Forces (UPDF), SPLA and the Congolese Army attacked LRA forces after the International Criminal Court (ICC) indicted leader Kony failed to endorse the peace agreement negotiated in the Southern Sudan Capital of Juba. The troubled LRA soldiers moved into Southern Sudan’s State of Western Equatoria to establish new hideouts where they extended their malicious hands and killed the civilians there causing unrest which is still up to date though the President of the Government of Southern Sudan Dr. Salva Kiir Mayardit gave a strong promise that he will wipe away the LRA from Western Equatoria.
The tribal clashes between the Mundari and Bari of Central Equatoria that happened for a short time and also recorded to have happened for the first time also caused unrest lost of property and life. The two tribes were brought to lock horns by cattle theft, raiding and counter raiding. This tragedy was termed to have been ignited by some politicians somewhere who are “enemies of peace” that is prevailing in the country with an aim of creating disunity among the people of Southern Sudan so that they can always present deferring decisions towards national issues. I myself quoted the Governor of Central Equatoria State Clement Wani Konga while speaking during the celebration of the 26th anniversary of the SPLM/A at Dr. John Garang Mausoleum in Juba lamenting severely why his long time peaceful people have come to lock horns this time. He believed that the Bari and the Mundari clashes were formulated by some politicians who are interested in disuniting these two tribes. “There has never been any problem between Bari and Mundari. Why this time they are fighting each other for simple issues? This is not a simple to understand. Something is going on somewhere (referring to the “enemies of peace” who want to disunite the people of Southern Sudan). It has to be found out clearly.” That is how the lamenting voice of Clement Wani cried out.
In malakal, a man denied the post of becoming the Commissioner of Old Fangak County in Jonglei State turned out to be the enemy, killer and traitor of his own people. General Tang Ginya, after being denied his desire took to the enemy side and troubled his own people. Gen. Tang formed his militia backed by the SAF to spearhead and accomplish their dream of creating gaps between the people of Southern Sudan. The controversial Tang who disorganized Malakal two times brought the SPLA and the SAF to a hot fire that claimed the life of more than 150 people including civilians and is being covered by the SAF not releasing him to the Government of Southern Sudan where he can face justice for his controversies that have claimed the lives of civilians in the Upper Nile State. This is a hardship that dislocated the peaceful development s in the State and kept the citizens in a miserable life blocking them from enjoying the fruits of CPA which the people of Southern Sudan labored for.
That was a petite outlook to the past security disorders that that happened in Southern Sudan that prompted me to rethink that all these happening are ‘El Bashir’s investment in Southern tribes disunity‘, a war against secession which the people of Southern Sudan are desperately waiting for. This article scrutinizes the root causes of those adversities.
Now back to the two foremost States of Jonglei and Lakes where insecurity has become a chronic disease. The two States which are being run by two administratively trusted governors who formerly served in the High Military Command of the SPLA during the civil war are having it worse. The two ‘no nonsense’ men Lt. Gen Daniel Awet Akot of Lakes State and Lt. Gen Kuol Manyang Juuk of Jonglei State who were among those that spearheaded the war against Khartoum were placed there to discipline their respective notorious people but to my surprise things got worse in their hands most especially in Jonglei where more than 1000 people died since the beginning of the year 2009 due to tribal conflicts. However, these two guys cried out the truth of what and how they have been let down in their administration. “The use of constitutional law” which was just introduced immediately after the singing of the CPA substituting the then strict Jungle law that was used during the war to keep both the civilians and army in high discipline has blocked them (the two governors) from using their own ways to appease people.
Treating Lakes State in its own way, recently when I visited Rumbek the Capital of Lakes State where I came face-to-face with the Governor Daniel Awet Akot and some State Ministers, I had a time to work around and find out about the unruliness developed in the people which the Governor is trying hard to fight out. In a bit of talkback, a lot of conflicts between different Dinka clans inhabiting that State have always been ignited that have caused death of more than 200 people.. All these are understood to be caused by cattle theft, raiding and counter raiding and in broadly understanding by illegal possession of arms. The herders there are also very untouchable and almost everybody is arrogant.
The situation in this State has never been calm though it is being inhabited by almost one tribe (Dinka). This is why you must beware of El Bashir. His business in very aggressive and as such will one time set you to kill your own brother. I tell you! Lakes State has been engaged in inter-clan conflicts early this year 2009 with its notorious herdsmen trying to hamper the peace process and development in the area through tribal clashes. Lakes State has been put to an undefined future whether the use of constitutional law will really appease the herders and stabilize the State. Recently during the Governors Forum in Juba, The Lakes State Governor Daniel Awet Akot told Miraya FM that killing rate has reduced to as low as 8 people per month during his reign unlike in the past when about 100 people die because of inter-clan clashes. That bemoaning voice from the highest figure of the State is really painful t hear.
When Governor Awet was addressing the ceremony to inaugurate the Southern Sudan Institute of Education in Rumbek, he extremely lamented that his people have a problem. “I don’t know what is wrong with my people. They have a problem. I don’t understand is it a tradition that is making them to behave that way or what. These people must change. I will struggle with them until they become well disciplined people.” Governor Awet told said at the ceremony to inaugurate Southern Sudan Institute of Education. H.E. Awet also revealed how the constitutional law will not work the things out in his State. “This law will take us nowhere. Now there are culprits here and if they are not punished how will they become disciplined. Law will take us nowhere.” He stressed adding that “I better go back to the army where I will use orders than to be here where I am not allowed to punish the culprits.” Daniel Awet said inciting the constriction imposed on his performance of administration in the State. Governor Awet promised that he will fight hard to remove that bug within his people. But will he really defeat Bashir’s agents that go between the communities just to spark off war.
Back to Jonglei State which is spearheading with the worst insecurity situation, it has to be analyzed gravely why the tribes of Jonglei have to be in such a separating culture, killing themselves over and over. The State is the headquarters and the prominent target of the ‘peace enemies’ who are investing thoughtfully in creating disunity among Southern tribes ahead of the 2011 referendum so that they cannot make a unanimous decision. In Jonglei it is Murle against Dinka Bor, Murle with Nuer, Nuer with Dinka Bor (to a laser extent for this case). Just in the beginning of the year 2009 more than 1000 people have died and over 20 children abducted while thousands of cattle are raided. All these are seen as a disruption to the peace process that is prevailing in the country and a hindrance to the development in the State.
It was not to my surprise when Mr. Bashir told an Egyptian Newspaper that the tribal conflicts going in the South (referring to the conflict between the Nuer and Murle) is giving him confidence that not the Southerners will vote against unite but a small portion whicn will not allow secession to be granted. Why does he think that the conflicts going on in the South are campaigns for unity? This is why this article says that El Bashir is investing a lot to sparate Southerners and blocks their vision of self determination.
Jonglei Governor Kuol Manyang Juuk who was placed there trusted to be the one to manage the administration of the disreputable people got things getting worse in his hands. People go around blaming him, bragging that he has failed not understanding that he has been limited by the constitutional law. He is toothless; he has been constricted and can do nothing to those causing the unrest in the State. The procedural constitutional law where everything goes through the Assembly is not yet recommendable for these societies and that is why the Governors are failing in their administration to calm the situations.
After taking your minds to rethink twice why all those are happening, you have to watch out. The war against secession is not only at the interest of Bashir but for the people of Northern Sudan, neighbouring Egypt and entirely the Arab world. However Egypt’s war against secession is very smart. They are sponsoring essential developmental activities in Southern Sudan like the establishment of diesel generated electricity in all the Southern States in which Jonglei’s electricity has already taken shape nearing completion.
But the dirty war against secession which is accomplished by killing of people. Making people to hate themselves, their government and their region has to be looked at clearly. They use you against your brother and that is why you must watch out for Mr. Bashir’s agents can trouble you any time.
The writer is a journalist based in Southern Sudan and can be reached at [email protected]