South Sudan army says it clashed with SPLM-DC militia
By Ngor Arol Garang
March 6, 2011 (ABYEI) – Heavy fighting involving forces belonging to the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), South Sudan’s official army and armed elements, the SPLA claim are affiliated to opposition party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement for Democratic Change (SPLM-DC), broke out in Upper Nile state on Sunday according to military officials and local politicians.
The SPLM-DC have denied that they are in anyway related to the militia involved in the fighting or have affiliations to any other armed groups in the South.
SPLM-DC was formed by veteran Sudanese politician Lam Akol in 2009 as a breakaway faction of the SPLM the political wing of the SPLA, the former rebel movement, which fought a two-decade civil war against successive Khartoum governments.
As part of the 2005 peace deal that ended the conflict the SPLA became the official army of South Sudan and the SPLM the ruling party. The South is due to become independent in July after a referendum held earlier this year.
After the 2005 peace deal Akol served as Sudan’s foreign minister but was recalled by the SPLM reportedly because of his perceived closeness to the Khartoum government.
Sunday’s fighting took place in a village near Owuac locality in an area in the southern state of Upper Nile predominantly home to members of Akol’s Shilluk ethnic group.
Speaking to Sudan Tribune from Malakal, capital of Upper Nile state’s minister of information, Peter Lam Both, said that the militia was loyal to Lam Akol.
“Yes, I am told there was a clash involving SPLA forces and armed elements associated with Oliny in one of the villages around Owuac locality. Oliny is known to be an armed militia leader commanding groups loyal to Lam Akol,” Both said.
“He was one of the groups covered by the amnesty issued by the president of the government of South Sudan in October and we told him to relocate from Malakal to division seven because we wanted the town to be free from hosting armed groups”, said the minister.
However, Both did not give any further details of the clash and it is unclear who, or what, triggered the fighting.
Colonel Phillip Aguer, spokesman of the SPLA said the clash took place but did not give the name the militia group the army had clashed with.
“Yes, there was a fighting in one of the villages around Owuac between 11am to 12pm between our forces and armed elements identified to be associated with a pro-Khartoum based government militia. It is Khartoum that supports this militia group with arms I am told associated also with Lam Akol”, Aguer said.
Witnesses who spoke to Sudan Tribune by telephone, with the sound gunfire in the background, described the fight as one of the heaviest clashes they had seen in the area. The witnesses said that an armed group attacked residents from the village and set fire to many of the buildings.
“It just occurred as we were leaving back [from] Owuac to Malakal. The soldiers had quarreled in the morning before we came. We did not know there were quarrels and the cause of it. We became to know from some of our friends and residents who told us to return to Malakal because they said they were sensing something between the two armed groups”, said Peter Odwuok, a student from Upper Nile University.
Sandra Bona Malual, secretary general of the SPLM-DC in a separate interview with Sudan Tribune rejected the claims that the leader of her party has militia groups loyal to him.
“As an individual and as the leader of the political party, I do not know armed groups operating in the South and loyal to him [Akol]. The SPLM-DC is a registered political party. We do not have armed groups loyal to us.”
Malual said that in the past her party had been wrongly accused of being associated to militia in Upper Nile, giving the example of when a group of armed men killed a Shilluk chief in May 2010.
The SPLM-DC secretary general said that the May 2010 incident and the clash on Sunday are being used to smear her party.
(ST)
Abionmur!
South Sudan army says it clashed with SPLM-DC militia
Who can not group Gordon Lam, Gatwech, Liais or lair, Kong Dual or Mathod and other “foolish majority” with a dog family?
It is because of loyalty that dog follow it owner in rain. Like dog; this group is following Riek Tueny despite his natural weaknesses. Shame on the dog family!
A dog eats its own vomit. Like dog; Mr. Kong Dual comment on his article. What a mess!
A dog first take-off when thrown a dry meat only to return on recognizing it. Like dog; this group of people, praising Riek after his multiples failures – only to return on sensing “meat” in the South – the CPA that Omar’s government aggreed on realizing a suceeding SPLA compaigns.
Without Riek No CPA
The mother army SPLA that – played a game to win, without substitution or a rest period or taking refuge to Khartuom the way Riek did, are the role model behind CPA. NOT RIEK; as you – the foolish majority; put. Who told you Omar respect shy, greedy and “eating champion” in any discussion? War or food?
International and national heros
Depending on source, Riek can be a person of intergrity in your residence but Southern Sudan as you exhausted on the website is squeezing horse in the eye of needle! But Dr. Garang has a self explanatory celebrity. How can you compare the two extremes of life – Hot and cold? Why kill yourselves young – foolish majority. Time is not reapen yet for Sudan’s judgement, who told you to go to America, Mr. Kong Dual and waste a lot of time on depending Riek than concentrating of eating sugar – you missed while straving during Riek ’quarter-time’ play in the SPLA war (if at all you might have heard of or he did)?
Arok Thon died in 1998. Riek’s Khartuom aggreement in 1998. How do the two match all together Kong Dual? Your attack against Mabior Philip is unreasonable. I thought people of your nature have changed having moved too far – up to America. but like dog, the remain who they are – a dog remain a dog whether it heads a state or vice. That is the only mistake SPLM has ever committed – to award outfits with high positions.
My fear is your narrow mindness to comprehend that you belong to dog family. (This a sceintific classification based on adquate findings – just admit your relatives – the dogs).
Bol Deng
South Sudan army says it clashed with SPLM-DC militia
Why are we having alot of food lovers like this in the South Sudan. The only solution is to give those militia something to eat and that will be the end of story. This is why South-North Sudan took this longtime because we were fighting among ourselves and leave the real enemy aside because of food that the enemy gave to other stupid hungery people. I am sorry fo this stupidiy which does not understand how enemy works against their people.
Let July come and the problem of Abyei whether those militia against the interest of South will exist.
Joseph
South Sudan army says it clashed with SPLM-DC militia
The more I want to comment on Sudan tribune website, the participant disappointed me due to their tribal conflict, currently in Upper Nile State and witness the fighting. simple the fighting was about the recruitment of soldier.
Therefore I would like to advise SPLA to recruit those who want to joint army for the security of Southern Sudan.
Bol Deng
South Sudan army says it clashed with SPLM-DC militia
Poverty and illiteracy are obstacles,
Things that will affect our beautiful country-South Sudan are severe poverty and high illiteracy rate. It’s widely known that unemployment count, and this is why militias are pursuing conflict with SPLM. The enemy of South Sudan has been doing dirty tactics against the people of South Sudan for many years, while we still did not understand their works against us. The North is doing the same games in the South by promising the militia of SPLM-DC, George Athor, Gatluak Deng, Yau Yau to perform their works. If there was no hunger in the South, then why would those sons of South Sudanese work against their own people? Yes because of severe poverty, our enemy thought that the ways to trap the South to fail could be to set them against each other through private employment of paying bribes against themselves. In the olden days; there were frequent fights among the communities in the South Sudan but that has been the gimmicks of wrong elements who like to benefits regardless of those who died in the battle field. This makes me think that corruption, tribalism, and many other factors are not the problems but poverty and illiteracy.
“Poverty is a certain level of material deprivation below which an individual suffers physically, emotionally and socially” for instance, cattle raiding, child abduction, and renegade are consequences that encourage stifling. But they are not experience in a modern society just in ancient one.
“Education is a preparation for life” The process or art of imparting knowledge, skill and judgment; Facts, skills and ideas that have been learned, either formally or informally .The major issue in the South Sudan is not about tribalism, corruption, infrastructure, and nepotism but illiteracy and poverty which make others fail to understand ill-intention set by enemies against their people. How? When? Where those people will learn in this modern world? We are expecting war in Abyei while those militias are busy with the works of their masters. Let me see whether they will gain!