By Gattuak C Guek,
Opinion.
July 30, 2014(Nyamilepedia) — “One People, One Nation” says the autocrats whilst relaxing in Juba but not realising our nation has since been divided and destroyed by the ongoing ‘tit for tat’ war that began in mid-December. The Nuer group, to which Machar belongs are facing injustice from the SPLA, Uganda’s UPDF and JEM troops for being labelled as the left wing oppositions, whereas Dinka civilians, Salva Kiir’s people sit and enjoy being on the safer side of the government. However, countless lives are said dead from both communities due to reprisal attacks but the major suffering is mostly seen on the Nuer side as they are being cruelly executed, tortured, humiliated and displaced in urban and rural areas by the SPLA, which is the official army as many claims, the army that should not be extoled nor valued for killing over 20,000 civilians, a massive killing that forced opposition forces including the white army to fight back in self-defence. The Ulang killings in early May do therefore question the slogan of “One People, One Nation”.
Ulang is proudly inhabited by Cie-Lang of Gajiook section and is a gateway to Jikany land particularly if one comes from Malakal, the state capital for Upper Nile. Its geographical location made it special as well as a prime target for any aggression whether it was during our struggle in mid 80s or in this current war of vengeance cleansing Nuer and Dinka civilians. Ulang is also use by Jikany youths for their counteroffensives to Malakal from the southward direction. Like the previous operations that captured Malakal on December 24, January 12 and February 18 were largely mobilised from this direction, and as a consequence the Military Junta in Juba was manic to unleash an ethnic cleansing war against Jikany civilians on May 1 which in particular started with Cie-Lang and soon sent thousands to Ethiopia with only glooms.
Cie-Lang, ‘the golden people’ who famed for cultural proudness, hospitality, braveness and strong unity were not in any case biased to what was unfolding amongst the SPLM party members. As the crisis was political, Cie-Lang assumed it should also be solved through political mean. But because Salva Kiir’s regime was indifferent to Machar’s people, it did not hesitate to call upon Ugandan muggers to lead a calculated carnage into deep territories of Jikany without legitimate grounds. Over 5,000 of combined forces backed by Ugandan gunships were sent out from Malakal by mid-April to liberate Nasir via Ulang. Doma payam residents caught uninformed of incursion were thrashed accordingly when their positions came under constant attacks by late April. On these particular onslaughts, civilians were chased by tanks, tectures mounted with machine guns, excluding those who had also drowned in Sobat River and swamps.
Over all, golden citizens were agonised from May 1-4 for trying to protect their children, livestock and land from these muggers who at the same used sophisticated weapons to muscle their way into Nasir. Uganda’s UPDF is said to have been the main aider that mapped and materialised the executed genocide inside the golden land, the land of lion hearted men. If it was not because of Uganda notorious SPLA commanders like Brigadier Koang Thor and Brigadier Peter Wiyual Khor whose hands are stained with bloods of acquitted civilians could have not set a foot on Ulang soil with their secret mission which at the end displaced and starved the entire population. Ulang people are thus devastated by Juba regime and have since returned and locked everything within their respected jurisdiction. Specially, when golden sons such as Tut Makuach Nyakek, Pal Biliew, Chuol Bayot Wal, Juong Geng and many other fallen heroes went and vanished in the forest of Doma while proudly defending the invasion from their impractical government. Over 50 persons were also shot dead including Cie-Koway’s local chief ‘Gatbel Maleek’ along with community elders and Commissioner Nyuon Wiiw Riek who is yet missing after the white army defend-lines in Waga and Wunpiew were bypassed by Kiir’s troops via Koyiic and Rupbuot on the east and advanced to Ulang town on Saturday May 3 according to sources from the ground.
On May 4, the SPLA forces were again on their march to Nasir where they razed everything in between and displaced residents. On this process awful crimes (extrajudicial killings and rape) were also committed. As General Paul Malong Awan said recently all these attacks were intentionally ‘calculated’ to gain ground.
So, if we are “One People, One Nation” as many says on SSTV, why then were Ulang civilians deliberately shot dead and ran-over by tanks? Why were children chased to Sobat River by regime forces when they did not cause the Failed Coup? And why were residents’ homes burned to ashes in a time of rainy season?
Certainly, killing Cie-Lang due to their genetic link to Nuer ethnic group is a grave war crime, crime against unity, crime of genocide and crime against humanity. It is like when the Turkish Armed Forces committed an ethnic cleansing of the entire population of the northern Cyprus in 1974 because they were Christians. Colossal crimes as such do therefore prove the violations of human rights under the protection of international law in a place where UN, right groups and global media were nowhere to be found.
Lastly, signs of mass atrocities such as human remains and skeletons are now evident in Chomguk and Rupkem areas, despite the return of civilians to their torched homes after the SPLA and allied forces were dislodged to Nasir where they were totally destroyed on Sunday, July 20 by Machar’s rebels. So, whom can we blame for such gruesome and organised crimes? Of course, it is the Dinka-led regime sitting by force in Juba and not letting the peoples’ government ascends to power, a unified government that can respect all the tribes and religions. Salva Kiir and his cohorts must in this sense understand how cruel they have broken many guiltless hearts within the golden community who were perhaps on their side or neutral. Now the entire Ulang Community apart from those psychopaths who run after their money is devastated, traumatised, demoralized and frustrated by the South Sudan government that is supposed to safeguard everyone’s freedom, and so it is best for Juba deceivers to stop annoying public with their pathetic and ambiguous slogan of “One People, One Nation” which is an insult to Nuer nation.
Gattuak C Guek – Cannot be identified as a journalist nor a writer but rather than a concern Sudanese who is disturbed by unfair killings of vulnerable civilians in South Sudan. He can be reached at zoal11@hotmail.com
