Bentiu clashes purely SPLA affair: official spokesman
By Manyang Mayom
October 3, 2009 (JUBA) – The clashes yesterday in Bentiu between bodyguards of the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the SPLA and other SPLA soldiers were purely an SPLA affair, and no tribalism or local politics are connected with the issue, said the official spokesman of the SPLA.
The SPLA spokesman’s remarks underscore an effort to downplay local rivalries and ethnic tensions, which historically have deeply affected the internal cohesion of the SPLA.
Governor Taban is seen as an influential governor in the semi-autonomous region. His state accounts for an estimated 80 percent of all the oil drilled in southern Sudan, of which a 2% share of revenue is received by state authorities.
But Paulino Matip, a powerful former militia leader and now deputy commander-in-chief of SPLA, accuses Taban of trying to lure his men out of his control with state money. He declined to meet yesterday with Nuer elders who were seeking to mediate a solution between him and the governor.
Speaking at a press conference in Juba, Major General Kuol Deim Kuol, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) official spokesman, confirmed that the clashes in Bentiu of Unity state are purely an SPLA affair.
Kuol explained that clashes erupted in Bentiu on October 2 at about 1:30 pm, due to a misunderstanding in the town of Bentiu between the SPLA soldiers guarding the headquarters of SPLA Deputy Commander-in-Chief Paulino Matip on the one hand and the SPLA soldiers guarding the headquarters of the Governor of Unity State on the other hand.
Kuol affirmed that “the casualties resulted in a toll of 12 SPLA soldiers killed from the both sides including an officer with rank of major and 17 SPLA soldiers were wounded; four civilians were killed in the crossfire and four others were wounded.”
The commander of the SPLA Infantry 4th Division deployed in Unity State has intervened and managed to control the situation since yesterday evening, said the spokesman. Kuol also added that Bentiu is now calm.
Kuol noted that “the SPLA General Headquarter is sending to Bentiu today the 3rd of October, 2009, a high delegation led by SPLA Deputy Chief of General Operations, Lt. Gen. Obuto Mamur Mete, to launch the immediate investigation of the incident so that all the culprits are brought to book.”
The incident highlights the difficult work that SPLA has faced to integrate and cooperate with former militia elements, including the forces of Paulino Matip. The absorption of these elements was mandated by the 2005 north-south peace agreement.
(ST)
Jeremiah Mach
Bentiu clashes purely SPLA affair: official spokesman
This is a good step to calm down the situation, SPLM led-governemnt must increases its effort to help transform the SPLA forces to modern army loyal to the State not to the generals in charge. The State employ and pays them including their generals. It is unpatriotic for those who celeberate when forces loyal to Gen. Matip and governor Taban clashes in Bentiu just because the two are Nuers, that will not bring us, even a penny in South Sudan. we must consolidate our unity and look on what united us than what divided us.
Dinka Boy
Bentiu clashes purely SPLA affair: official spokesman
Dear brothers and sisters,
What is the reasons why Matip and many others have their own Militia separate from the SPLA?.
I don,t get it.
oshay
Bentiu clashes purely SPLA affair: official spokesman
Get your trigger happy, drunk, undisciplined SPLA thugs under control before you really anger Paulino Matip and we return back to the 90s when he was whopping your asses all over the South.
Gatwech
Bentiu clashes purely SPLA affair: official spokesman
Dear readers,
Yes, it is true that tribal fighting in the South is widespread in almost every state and it involves many different tribes. GOSS should be doing something about these mad communities in an honest and fair way. It should not apply discriminatory policies that favor certain tribes and negatively target others. The Lou-Nuer incident was interpreted by GOSS leadership to suit its tribal intentions. Yes, the Lou-Nuer revenge attacks on Duk Padiet targeted government institutions. But was it something new? Agaar-Dinka recently targeted SPLA and Police convoys using RPGs and destroyed some of them. Was that not against the government property and forces? The Nyarweng-Dinka of Duk targeted Lou-Nuer Wildlife and Police officers, traders, teachers, agriculturalists, money for salaries, etc in their truck outside Duk county headquarters, killing several of them. Was that not an attack against the government personnel and money? The Bor-Dinka targeted SPLA officers, killing even a Colonel from Lou-Nuer inside Bor town. Was that not a target against the SPLA army?
It is however funny that the GOSS leadership in Juba has turned tribal. Yesterday as I was watching South Sudan satellite TV (SSTV) I was surprised that the tribal leadership including the President, Salva Kiir, minister of Information Paul Mayom and the SPLA Spokesman, Kuol Diem Kuol, and someone called Alaak, etc were very busy making noises about the fighting between bodyguards of Paulino Matip and Taban Deng Gai in Bentiu, Unity state. They mobilized the local, national and international media to maximize the incidence because it involved something to do with the Nuer. They wanted the Nuer to be seen as the spoilers of peace in South Sudan. So they got that chance to tell to any body what had happened in Bentiu. Paulino Matip and Taban Deng Gai were not in Bentiu during the incidence. Taban had gone to Europe while Paulino Matip was in Juba. But the tribal leadership wanted it to sound like something directly involving those two Nuer figures despite the fact that it simply started as a quarrel between their two bodyguards in Bentiu.
And why these unblessed tribal leaders would be only interested in conflicts between Nuer figures in the first place? Why were they not interested in the Warrap state conflict between Salva Kiir Mayardit and Salva Mathok Geng-dit that fitted Aguok and Apuk Dinka clans which fought using heavy artilleries? Why they were not interested to mobilize the Media to magnify the Khorfulus/Atar conflict between General Gier Chuang Aluong and General George Athor? These two Khorfulus/Atar bitter opponents could not be reconciled successfully in that mad Jonglei state of Kuol Manyang. They had to be brought here to Malakal for our state government intervention that gave birth to their successful reconciliation. Also why not interested in conflicts among politicians of Lakes state which involves Daniel Awet Akot, Paul Mayom and Deng Athorbei, etc?
Unsurprisingly and interestingly, they all kept quiet about this similar deadly fighting between the Bor-Dinka and Mundari communities which killed almost the same number of people as in the Bentiu incidence and happened at the same time (Friday) with that of the Bentiu incidence. This Bor-Dinka and Mundari fighting also occurred close to the capital, Juba, and as reported, resulted to the closure of Juba-Bor road. The tribal leadership did not rush to call it a fighting between communities of Kuol Manyang Juuk and Clement Wani Konga.
These tribal leaders were ashamed to talk about it because it involved the Bor-Dinka who carried out the attack against Mundaris. They did not want the public to hear about it to avoid the chance of Bor-Dinka community being seen as provocative and spoilers of peace that implements the interests of Khartoum, which is their preferred description of any incidence involving the Nuer. What a tribal incompetent leadership!
This poor tactic is a cheap propaganda always resorted to by failed ruling tribal cliques every where in the world. They turn into a chieftaincy and that is what happens with the GOSS tribal leadership. They are panicking about the inevitable! They are desperate looking for any means to spoil the name of the Nuer, their most feared adversary, and this has always been both their daydream as well as their nightmare. There was a conspiracy of silence on this ugly and deadly fighting between the Bor-Dinka and Mundari. And this is to save the image of Bor-Dinka, but destroy the image of Bul-Nuer in Bentiu. Very interesting indeed!
What a tribal incompetent leadership in both GOSS and SPLA! They think the public readers and viewers are fools whom they can just mobilize to hate the Nuer when every body knows which tribe leads GOSS in this corruption, thievery, lack of development, lack of political direction, cowardice to face elections, deterioration of insecurity, tribal conflicts, etc. Even if they want to hide any fighting that does not involve the Nuer and rush to talk about any fighting that involves the Nuer, the public knows them better. They can run but they cannot hide. “Ci wec ku ruac kaap.” Athooow!
By Tut Gatwech, Malakal, South Sudan
Gatwech
Bentiu clashes purely SPLA affair: official spokesman
Dear readers,
I also blame both South Sudan Radio and SSTV for their silence and accepting to be used by politicians. This is compromising their professionalism and can be seen not doing their job. They should have aired the Bor-Dinka/Mundari incidence, the Mundri raiders incidence as they did to the Bentiu incidence if they were really doing their job.
Not mentioning the tribal newspaper (The Citizens) of Nhial Bol that publishes only articles written by Dinka authors on the internet and avoids articles by non-Dinkas. Now newspaper buyers avoid his tribal newspaper and instead buy from other newspapers such as Khartoum Monitor, Juba Post, etc.
thieleling
Bentiu clashes purely SPLA affair: official spokesman
Brother Kim Deng, Gatwech & others,
The Dinkas did not understand why Nuer’s Will Power and Superior self-confidence would always triumph over Dinka’s fearful and cowardic attitude. Unless Dinkas understand this, peace would never prevail between the two. That is why they are whining over spilt milk. The situation will only remain tense with the power of myth & their lies.
There is time for negotiations and time for fight. This is NOT time for negotiations. The risk of all out war between the Dinkas and Nuers is not just dangerous, it is real and it would happen. The actions of any Nuer who wastes his/her time with the Dinkas amounts to appeasement. I am a realist and I said “shit” happens. Dinka tribalism cannot be nursed for so long in south sudan. 1972 is 37 years ago or so and south sudanese are sick of this tribalism.
Inevitably, the all out war will occur between the Nuers & Dinkas in south sudan. There is unbelievable open hostilities between the two since 1983. Many people now focused on who had fired the first shot in their minor skirmishes since 1983. They forgot to see and focus on the looming dangerous war between these two cousins. Both Dinkas & Nuers should quit saying so & so attack was not justified. The guy who fired the first shot and the guy who provoked the fire are both in this together. None of them is an umpire.
What was not justifiable by any means is the open Dinkas tribalism not only against the Nuers, but also against other south sudanese. This is the roots cause of the next coming war among south sudanese. The origin of the war or the culmination point of so much hostilities that increase tensions, provocations and incidents went back to centuries before though.
The Dinkas enslavemment by the Nuers during the “NUER CONQUEST” was the source of shame for Dinkas. They lost much of their land & manhood. the Dinkas should also blame their own weak defenses because they were also enslaved by Europeans & Arabs. They were too submissive to Europeans at that time while the Greater Nuers & Greater Equatorians, specifically the Azande were figting fiercely to resist the Europeans.
so, the current Dinka tribalism was an attempt both by Abel & Garang’s ambitions to impose their Dinka low self-esteem to influence south sudan and rewrite Dinka’s ugly history of enslavement by both the Nuers & the Europeans. See, the Dinkas obsession to rewrite history against the Nuers is at the heart of their tribalism today.
Therefore, Dinkas are so scandalous and ignore facts to contradict version of events or the whole truth itself. That is why the Dinkas, especially the Dinka-Bors in the name of Abel & Garang wanted to rule south sudan through proxy by advocating south sudan to be ONLY an entity within Sudan to be ruled by them. They NEVER wanted the south to be independence because they would loose power.
So, ruling it by proxy through the north is their secretive choice. They are so ashamed of their background in south sudan. Now, they will have to find it out in a hard way. I am not naive, I know both Dinkas and Nuers will violate international law during their upcoming south sudan civil war.
The Hague tribunal, ICC, and other local and international human rights organizations are symbols to make justice the ultimate goal, but they do not prevent the onslaughts. The Dinka’s ultimate goal is power, not justice in south sudan. So, the war is imminent to breakout.
The international organizations will only ask questions after the facts. The Rwanda is a good example. Our cousins, the Tutsi defended and liberated themselves and Rwanda from Hutus genocidaire regime and defeated it single handledly. This is what is going to happen in south sudan between the Nuers & the Dinkas.
The Truth & Reconciliation, the world court, will then make their soundbite after the facts. Tutsi promptly claimed undisputed power & authority through blood & iron after fighting off the genocidaire gov’t. Who is to blame? I leave that to your judgement.
But Kim & Gatwech, the Nuer should focus on the preparation of war, instead of wasting time over dead issues between them and Dinkas. The war will happen whether in united sudan or independence south sudan. Dinkas are addicted to lies no matter what happen.
So, the GREATER NUER with its 3 states, the Liech State, the Bie State & Latjor State would plan the “MUT” accodingly. This will not be a genocidal war but a contest of war between brothers. It will be illegal , but our fearful & cowardic cousins, the Dinkas invite the mess. So, let settle it once & for all.
1991 was not a tribal split and those nationalists would not be involve in this purely hegemonic war. This tribal supremacy & hegemonic war will be to settle the debate among the extremists, it is not for weak and faint-hearted!!