Six killed in clashes between SPLA and rebel militia ahead of referendum
January 8, 2011 (BENTUI/JUBA) – At least six people have been killed and 26 taken hostage in clashes over the weekend in Unity state between rebel militias and southern Sudan’s army – the SPLA – as the military give conflicting details on the attack, which comes days ahead of a referendum on the region’s independence.
SPLA spokesperson Philip Aguer, said the southern Sudan army ambushed militia loyal to Galwak Gai. He also claimed in statements to Reuters they were sent by Khartoum to disrupt the south’s referendum.
“They were coming from the north to disrupt the referendum. It is a known game. The spoilers are always here. They definitely came from Khartoum,” he told Reuters. On Saturday Gai’s forces launched a counter attack against the SPLA.
Since the 2005 peace agreement ended hostilities between the north and south, the southern government, led by former rebel movement the SPLM, have periodically accused Khartoum of aiding southern militia in order to destabilize the region and disrupt the referendum.
Unity state governor Taban Deng Gai also accused the Khartoum government of funding the rebel group and supplying them with weapons in order to threaten referendum particularly in oil-rich Unity state.
Deng told Sudan Tribune on Saturday that Sudan’s ruling party the National Congress Party “gave 57 heavy artilleries to Galwak Gai forces to attack our communities in Unity state, and indeed they did it yesterday in attacking their forces at Tor-Abieth.”
The allegations have always been denied by Khartoum.
The underdeveloped south suffers from cattle raiding and resource-led ethnic violence, which is perpetuated by the prevalence of small arms in the region, a lasting remnant of the regions civil wars, despite various disarmament campaigns.
SPLA-spokesperson-Aguer said that his forces killed two of Gai’s rebels and captured 26 on Friday and killed four more the following day.
He told Sudan Tribune in Juba on Saturday that as well as the six rebels killed there were 14 people were killed and several others injured. He said that 32 militia fighters were apprehended. The killings appear to be a renewal of armed confrontation between two armed forces ahead of the referendum that begins today, Aguer said.
Speaking on Saturday Aguer said: “I am told armed groups belonging to the militia commander, Galwak Gai, have twice attacked our position in Tor Abieth yesterday and today.” He said that no SPLA soldiers had been injured.
“From our side, I am told no single soldier has been killed. There are also no reports of injuries on our side from the ground but I am told six on the side of the side of the attackers have been killed.”
“Two (of Gai’s militia) were killed yesterday on Friday and additional four others were killed today on Saturday and our forces are following them. They are conducting hot pursuit. They will not give them room to sabotage this coming referendum so that our people exercise their rights to vote in a free environment. They will make sure that they are outside southern territory today so that [the] upcoming vote is conducted in an in security free environment. They will make them run and bring them under control,” Aguer said.
Speaking at Juba International Airport Aguer said that 15 of the attackers had been brought to Juba, the capital of Southern Sudan, as proof of the attack.
“These are the very people who attacked our forces yesterday and again today. Their plan was to sabotage the conduct of this upcoming referendum,” said Aguer.
The United Nation Mission in Sudan, who is mandated to observe the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) has sent a team to Tor-Abieth, west of Wangkeay in Mayom county, in Unity state to investigate the incident.
In Unity state SPLA General Gatdet Nyakuay told Sudan Tribune that the SPLA will make sure citizens are protected during referendum and that the exercise is conducted peacefully.
Following disputed election results in some areas of the south, Gai and other disaffected members of the SPLM/A rebelled against the Government of Southern Sudan.
The most prominent until now has been George Athor a former high ranking SPLA general who lost his bid to become the governor of Jonglei state against the incumbent, who was nominated by the SPLM, the political wing of the SPLA.
However, Athor’s representatives signed a ceasefire with the SPLA on January 5 in Juba.
(ST)
Bol Deng
Six killed in clashes between SPLA and rebel militia ahead of referendum
Dear Southerners,
When referendum is near Gatluak Gai when to spoil it because our main enemy gave him a brave. Moreover, at the time when SPLA was about to capture Juba they rebel and started fighting SPLM/A because of power greed. Also, at the time when SPLM/A rose up against the Khartoum government,they started attacking people on the way to Bilfam. Not only those but when the South was about to establsished their governmnet,they rashed attacking villages and raid their cattles includding attacking SPLM centeres.
are thse cotributions your pride? They are the curse of South Sudan because they can not think beyond their eye level. Thanks
landlord
Six killed in clashes between SPLA and rebel militia ahead of referendum
Anyagat gai tut and riek machar will never stop gat forever
Death to nyagateen
Stephen Gatloth K
Six killed in clashes between SPLA and rebel militia ahead of referendum
Gatloh Gai (Bentiu),I am not happy when i heard that Gatluak is using as hunter dog once again by an Arab north.
Please Gatluak you are out of your mine this time,doyou know how southerners tiried themselves forte sack of this very event.
Please come home you will be rescue,Gatmachar (Dr.Riak)is here in Bentiu calling better to understand that otherwise.
Stephen kuach
Six killed in clashes between SPLA and rebel militia ahead of referendum
SHAME ON THOSE SOUTHERNERS WHO HAVE FORGOT THEIR FREEDOM AND THE BLOOD OF OUR HEROES WHO HAD DEID.SINCE THE CIVIL WAR STARTED IN SUDAN,SOUTHERNERS WERE THE ONLY ENEMY WITHIN THEMSELVES,ARABS HAD USED US IN A WAY THAT SOME PEOPLE CAN’T EVEN REALIZED UNTIL THIS VERY DAY.TO YOU THOSE WHO HAVE ACCEPTED THE BIBERY FROM KHARTOUM GOVERNMENT,CURSE ON YOU WITH YOUR MONEY.
AUGUSTINO DENG
Six killed in clashes between SPLA and rebel militia ahead of referendum
I will never stop condemning Nuer people as a whole. This Unity State will never be recognized as a State for the people. Nuer people put this Unity State in the list of terrorist. That is why everybody who rebel in the Movement is sent to Unity State. I think to those of Nuer people who always supported or denied the fact that Nuer are they cause to everything in Southern Sudan will not denied this stupid event in which Gatluak Gai consolidated his own troops in order to disband the acceleration of Referendum.
Is there anyone from Nuer who will denied that Gatluak Gai is not from Nuer? When I condemned or accused Nuer, I don’t mean that Nuer are not people, but what I mean is the bad act that Nuer people do always and they don’t even win it. Why Nuer betrayed themselves always? Why they don’t have to be patient?
I wish Dinka Ruweng Community of Biemnom and Dinka Panaruu Community of Panrieng are not included in this mess. We are a very transparent communities in Unity State. I wanted the whole Southern Sudanese communities in order not to combine the whole three communities in Unity State as rebels. The only community in target is Nuer Community. Shame on Nuer.
Thanks
By Augustino Deng. Jech la mer from Tharpam.
omoni Atari
Six killed in clashes between SPLA and rebel militia ahead of referendum
The good news is No one in our side SPLA/M injured.
The bad news is No good news to militia group.
Maguangdit
Six killed in clashes between SPLA and rebel militia ahead of referendum
Dear Southern Sudanese,
What happened is indeed unfortunate. Our people should stay away from Arab cheap policy of “Divide and Rule”. They will never win whatever they dream to achieve in Southern Sudan.
Second, this is an advice to all of us as Southern Sudanese: please, let us forget everything about tribalism or racial profiling. Complaining always that this problem is caused by Dinka, or Nuer, Azande, etc is not the solution to our problem. Either George Athor, Gaatluak Gai, or David Yauyau are enemies of Southern Sudan, not of Nuer,Dinka, or Azande.
Therefore, let us not quarrel among ourselves when anything that affects all of us as SOuthern Sudanese happens. We should condem them all except that George Athor has accepted to sign ceasefire the SPLM/A for the referendum purpose. He knows that he could not even be fighting for leadership had it not the SPLM/A today. People like Gatluak Gai and David Yawyaw are confused people and may God redeem them.
Even if Gatluak Gai is Nuer by tribe, it doesn`t mean that all Nuer are bad people; there are bad Nuer and good Nuer. The same nature is found in every tribe including Dinka, Azande, Acholi, Moro, Toposa, Balanda, Didinga, Murle, and in any other tribe in Southern Sudan. Hence, individual mistakes, crimes, or pronlems should be blamed on those individuals and let us abstain from assigning collective guilt to a group when all of us are the victims of the same troublemakers including people (tribes) from which the same criminals hail from.
In fact, one thing is certain, our enemies will never win no matter how hard they try. May God bless the impending Republic of South Sudan or whatever we will call it later!
Thanks for your understanding.
iHatejalaba
Six killed in clashes between SPLA and rebel militia ahead of referendum
Sudan will soon become the next former Yugoslavia. Are Southern Sudanese leaders really educated? A five year old child would know what right and wrong. What if every General would like to have their own militia group? What is the point we fought those jalaba for 21 years? We might as well kill every last standing southerner so that the jalaba can take the whole country for them. What is the reason for fighting now while we are on a historic moment? (Final bye bye to the jalaba) but we still have our own terrorist groups? seeking POWER. You don’t fight your own brother to gain power but you fight your enemy who wants to kill your brother. Our well know ENEMY deep down our grandparent, relative, mother, father aunties and uncles who deceased during the war is the JALABA. Now the Jalaba man is fulfilling his dreams by using the DUMB brain wasted Southern Leaders to fight his own people while the Jalaba man is sitting on a comfortable Sofa in Khartoum perhaps drinking coffee and watching the command he appointed that IDIOT trader killing his own people on TV. “Agutran made a point” that “whatever money they pay them to come and fight their own brothers in the south is the same oil money Arab withdrew” by the time this so- called trader realize that they did something wrong, is the time when the jalaba man hang them. For how many years southerners had been used as servant, mistreated, enslaved and sexually used by this jalaba people? After all this years of civil war that General George Athor supported SPLM/A to fight the common enemy is this how he repays the southerners by turning against them? If his mother is alive, he will get a spanking on the ass. I don’t know much about Galwak Gai and the zoo he came from but I assume they go back to the zoo and graze.
Omar will never succeed with his dirty plans to kill every native black Sudanese man. Although the southern alienate there are still other rebel groups against the NCP. However the Justice and Equality movement (Darfur western Sudan) and the Federal Alliance of Eastern Sudan (Eastern Sudan) will over throw the Khartoum government in the near future. Even though they are Muslim people Omar Bashir still treats them like shit. The reality is that most of the northern Sudanese people all came from Egypt because when the Arab mainly the Saudis, Palestine etc occupied Egypt back in 15 -18 century, they chased the native Egyptian Nubians towards northern Sudan and the few remained and lives on south of Egypt around Aswan. If your see the painting inside the pyramid, the painting are of black Nubian people
Omar ancestors remained there until today. So if you think they give a damn about any black brother or sister in Sudan whether Christian or Muslim you’re mistaken. Lets get obtain our freedom and let’s say any southerner wishing to live and treated like a dog in Khartoum it’s the choice let them live with them. I personal will never live a person who tells me instructions and follow their own beliefs while they know I have own. They don’t understand what democracy means but wanted to use Sharia Stupid law to a Christian person who does that work. One of the Sharia laws “After using the toilet wash your ass with water? Haha
Gatwech
Six killed in clashes between SPLA and rebel militia ahead of referendum
Hi guys,
We will continue to tolerate you until zero hour when our final freedom is achieved. Why, because we know who you are from your grandpa to your offsprings.
Some of you even dared to question the wisdom used in tolerating you and dragging you slowly to the freedom day.
Do you know how to shoot two birds with one stone? Well, it was Dr. Riek Machar whom you hated for correcting your past kings and turning the direction of the ship to the right path (self-determination in 1991).
In 1997, Khartoum Peace Agreement was signed: Bashir was forced by strategy and committed himself to the right to self-determination (first time in Sudan’s history). He thought by doing so, Riek would be his permanent ally. Riek strategically “landed on his feet” as written by Western writer in his book. Self-determination got stuck in the vocabulary of Bashir even after losing Riek’s strategic alliance.
2/ Late John Garang was forced by the international community and South Sudanese to reunite with Riek on the basis of self-determination or lose support. (You know he could not survive without support). Riek traded leadership with self-determination by telling Garang to be the leader but accept self-determination.
Well, Bashir’s alliance with Riek has failed as was the leadership of Garang. But self-determination has survived!!! This is what we are celebrating today, 9th January.
Some argue why Riek did not sign any of CPA’s protocol. The answer is simple. Accordiing to the Nuer wisdom which your likes would never understand. Riek wanted you people to be proud of CPA on his self-determination to referendum so that you don’t spoil it using the so-called united Sudan.
Perhaps he wanted you to feel the delusional ownership of the CPA on self-determination so that you support its implementation.
Even when your greediness, known to all southerners and the whole world surfaced in 2005 by forming the government with most of your tribe in the government, the Nuer wisdom which knows your culture tolerated you so that you eat and corrupt to satisfy yourself in order to support the match to referendum. You would have spoiled it, if you were not allowed to eat like orphans from the Nuer oil money.
Thanks God that Salva Kiir is alive and well until the voting day because without him, your likes (Dinka) who believe in Benys would have lost hope and vote for unity. You would have refused an independent South led non-Dinka. The Nuer wisdom told them to allow the Dinka to eat in order to be carried by the wind of separation.
Well, I am wasting my time lecturing to people who don’t have the guts to understand the deep wisdom of the Nuer.
We congratulate ourselves for carrying you on board of separation and destroyed the so-called united new Sudan, your vision which was after second class citizenship. Garang was baptized in the name of separation when he finally confessed and said the people of South would not vote to be second class citizens.
Our goal is to achieve independent South no matter how we tolerate greedy species through giving them the hope of eating for ever.
Peter Elia Kuzee
Six killed in clashes between SPLA and rebel militia ahead of referendum
DEAR BROTHERS,
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF SOUTHERNS TO KILL SOUTHERNS?
WHAT ARE YOU FIGHING FOR?
LET US GO TO THE VOTING CENTER ONLY,
LET US STOP ABUSING TRIBES,WE KNOW TWO TRIBES ARE PROBLEMS TO THE COMMINTY,WE SHOULD FORGIVE THEM AND WAIT FOR THOSE WHO WILL START WAR IN OUR NEW COUNTRY.THIS NO REBELION.
NO MORE KILLING,NO MORE ABUSING.
Joseph
Six killed in clashes between SPLA and rebel militia ahead of referendum
Dear readers
Riak Machar has a hand on Getluak Gai rebellion in western upper Nile state; One day I never heart Riak Macher voice on rebellion of Getluak Gai what is a problem? He better to convince son of his home area not to act blindly at this time? .All betrayers of South Sudan will be like Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus Christ and at the end he committed a suicide by hanging himself. One spoil onion makes the whole bag of onions useless. All Nuers communities being educated or illiterates are the same on behaviors no different.
J G kuol
Six killed in clashes between SPLA and rebel militia ahead of referendum
Brovo!!!well done!!
With thanks and prayers to our brave army of frontiers.
And special thanks and salutes to Gen/ Peter Getdet.
we thank Gen/ Getdet and his boys