INTERVIEW: South’s former guerrillas move into radio and TV programming
By Manyang Mayom
September 18, 2009 (RUMBEK) – The former guerrilla movement of Southern Sudan, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), is moving into television and radio programming, aiming to raise awareness and promote the activities of South Sudan’s independent army.
South Sudan’s former guerrillas launched their first newspaper called “Liberator” in Juba this year, designed to be a monthly periodical. Some Southern journalists supported the effort.
“We are now planning to have SPLA Radio and Television. Our SPLA programmes are daily being broadcasted by South Sudan Television and South Sudan Radio every Thursday here in Juba,” said Major General Kuol Diem Kuol in an interview at SPLA General Headquarters in Bilpam near Juba city. The interview took place on September 15 at his office, at the base which is 8 miles away from Juba city.
SPLA became the official military of the semi-autonomous region upon the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005 between the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the government dominated by the National Congress Party (NCP). Maj-Gen. Kuol serves as the Director of Political and Moral Orientation. He became official spokesman for SPLA in 2005, replacing Dr. Samson Kwaji who is currently the Government of Southern Sudan’s Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources.
Kuol views a number of Khartoum-based newspapers with hostility, saying that “Media in Northern Sudan are launching war against SPLA in the South. Media in Khartoum lack ethics and code of conduct against Southern Sudan leadership.”
He said that such newspapers as Al-Intibaha are distorting Southern Sudan’s image before international organization to show the world that South Sudan will not be able to manage its affairs alone. He cited Sudanese Media Centre, Akhbar Al-Youm, and Akhir Lahza as writing against South Sudan and accused their journalists of falling under the influence of Northern military intelligence. “Northern media have no ethics of journalism – even they insulted our president,” he said.
Kuol affirmed that SPLA is planning to have radio and television very soon. But he said that a shortage of resources posed a serious challenge at the moment that they are hopeful can be overcome.
SPLA & HUMAN RIGHTS
The SPLA spokesman denied that the recent atrocities committed in Southern Sudan were the work of SPLA soldiers. While acknowledging that atrocities are committed in Southern Sudan, he laid blame on the new breakaway faction known as SPLM-Democratic Change, and on the former Northern enemy “who in fact are playing a great role in paralyzing Southern Sudan leadership.”
“South Sudan army is controlled by law. We have in our hand the Sudan People’s Liberation Army Act 2009. This Act is important and it is being preached in every SPLA barrack in Southern Sudan territories. There is the Constitution of South Sudan, plus Rule and Regulation for 2009 of SPLA, as well as SPLA White Paper,” said Diem. “If any SPLA solider committed crimes; definitely he will face the consequences for the crimes based on law.”
“SPLA is now very respectful army in Southern Sudan; they actually respect human rights law and they will continue doing so. During our war with Northern Sudan the Khartoum-based regime government, SPLA had released all it prisoners of war and they were handed over to Sudan Army Forces (SAF) but SAF did not released any personnel of SPLA whom they had captured during the period.”
Kuol said that our late Dr. John Garang de Mabior usually told us the SPLA cannot be seen as killers; “let us keep peace and protect peace,” he said. He taught us how to respect human rights law, recalled Kuol, citing an incident in 1997 when SPLA released 400 prisoners of war and handed them over to the government of Sudan led by Field Marshall Al-Bashir.
The military spokesman further remarked that SPLA’s relations with local authorities are good.
‘WORKING HARD TO DAMAGE THIS PEACE’
Kuol affirmed that “there are more agreements being dishonoured in Sudan,” alleging that the NCP with its Sudan Armed Forces are trying to burn the CPA through bribery and fuelling inter-tribal conflict in Southern Sudan. “They are working very hard to damage this peace. Sudan is lucky to have [First Vice President] Kiir who is patient – if not for Kiir we would have gone back to war.”
“SPLA, we defend our people in any condition of attack whether within Sudan or outside Sudan,” he said.
RUMBEK PDU PRISON
There is a prison in the Rumbek area where an unknown number of people are detained. Maj.-Gen. Kuol said that the PDU prison is the responsibility of Lakes state authority rather than SPLA in Rumbek, in terms of trials.
“Yes there is a prison in PDU and this PDU prison creation came from Lakes state authority and those arrested in that prison are well-known by state authority.”
He noted that it is outside of SPLA’s purview to undertake trials, saying “we are not imposing ourselves on the people of Lakes state.”
Kuol noted that SPLA soldiers undertaking disarmament in Lakes state were doing so at the request of the Governor Lt-Gen. Daniel Awet Akot, who directs his requests of disarmament through the channel of Government of South Sudan leadership to Salva Kiir Mayardit.
“The GOSS leadership informs us to order SPLA soldiers to carry out disarmament in Lakes state and this is a point we are on today with Lakes state,” he said.
He affirmed that the Lakes state governor praises his Maj-Gen. Bol Akot Bol. He went on that those detained in Rumbek PDU must be tried under state authority and if there are reports of tortures committed by SPLA soldiers in PDU prison of Lakes state, then the law must act definitely.
According to the spokesman, SPLA in Lakes state have instructions from SPLA headquarters to check trucks at the roadblock points with the aim of checking who is carrying a gun. “SPLA is just a tool – we are not imposing ourselves,” he said.
“SPLA has a law which governs us,” he said, remarking for example a recent incident in which seven soldiers were arrested for being involved in looting civilian property in Juba town during the a disarmament exercise. Those arrested included individuals of the rank Lt-Colonel and Colonel; “we have arrested seven of them and surely the law will deal with them without compromise,” said Kuol.
(ST)