Bentiu Community Refutation of UNIMISS Accusation of Bentiu’s Massacre

GatwechMacharMier

April 28, 2014(Nyamilepedia) — Bentiu Community in Bentiu, Unity State, South Sudan is strongly denying the UNIMISS claim that over 200 Darfurian civilians were massacre and 400 were wounded in Bentiu when the rebel recaptured the Bentiu town from the government of South Sudan. This is pure lies. The 400 wounded civilians reported by UNIMISS could not be found anywhere in Bentiu and they are not in hospital either.

There were no any kinds of traders in Bentiu town when the SPLM-In Opposition forces attacked Bentiu. There were no Nuer or Darfurian traders in Bentiu at all. There was no single shop and single restaurant left unburned by South Sudan arm forces when entered Bentiu in January. All Nuer and Darfurian traders evacuated Bentiu in January and never return.  Both Bentiu and Rubkona County were burned to ash by South Sudan arm forces when they captured Bentiu in January from the rebels. The only traders in Bentiu are local people who sale firewood. These local people come to town at noon to sale their firewood and return to their villages in the evening. They do not stay in town. Again, in Bentiu there are no shops and restaurants, but I wonder where over 200 Darfurians traders sale their products. I believe those traders are JEM soldiers who sale chewing tobacco and other drugs to other soldiers within South Sudan army.

South Sudan Arm Forces

After South Sudan army entered Bentiu and took all the state counties, they divided themselves into four groups: Dinka, Nuer, JEM, and SPLM-North. The Dinka soldiers were deployed in Rubkotna County, the JEM and SPLM-North were deployed in Bentiu, and the Nuer soldiers who support the government were deployed in Guit, Nhial diew, Koch, and Leer County. Rubkona is located in the North of Bentiu, Guit in the South of Bentiu and Nhialdiew in the west of Bentiu. First, the rebels attacked Rubkotna, where the Dinka military was deployed. The rebels defeated Dinka military in Rubkotna. The Dinka soldiers fled to Bentiu where JEM and SPLM-North military were deployed but did not attempt to resist the rebels so they (Dinka) left JEM fighting with the rebels and continue their way toward Nhialdew. Therefore,  the Nuer soldiers who were in Guit, Nhial Diew, Koch, and Leer withdrawn from those counties when they heard that the rebels were on the brink of taking control of Bentiu and did not attempt to reinforce JEM and SPLM-North either while the JEM and the SPLM-North did not know their way out from Bentiu. Hence, this JEM of Darfur was not traders, they were not civilians, and were not killed in the Mosque, but in combat.

UNIMISS Over-Report

Toby Lanzer, the UNIMISS reporter should know that JEM, SPLM-N, and Tora-bora are deeply involved in our internal affairs. The accusations Toby Lanzer made against Nuer and rebel are just written series of liars and baseless. Nothing like claim happened in Bentiu. The killing of innocent Sudanese civilians; Target killing of other ethnicity, and Killing of Nuer and raping of women in hospital and churches or mosque are all liars.

We would like to bring it to the attention of all Darfurian across the world and the international communities in general that nothing like what Toby Lanzer claims happened in Bentiu. Toby Lanzer over-reported and exaggerated what had happened in Bentiu. Toby Lanzer went further by posted the bodies of Nuer who were Massacre in Juba on the Internet as Darfurian traders killed in Bentiu.  Those who misinformed him are those that Salva Kiir used as window dressing in his tribal government such as the Unity State governor.

Indeed, people were killed in Bentiu, but they were not civilians. Majority were JEM, SPLM-N, South Sudan military personnel who occupied Bentiu for the last 3 months. All the traders had left for Sudan and UNIMISS in Rubkotna when the war started. Furthermore, many of JEM, and SPLM-N, did not know their way around Bentiu area, so they could not ecape from the rebels attack, thus, they had nowhere to run. The only thing they resort to was to take their military attire off and pretend to be civilians. We deny Toby’s claim in the strongest terms possible.

As far as raping women is concern, we never heard of raping women in our culture. What the reporter said about raping is out of touch with reality. Our Nuer custom dictates such act. We dismiss this as mere fabrication to tarnish the image of our community. Whose women are to be raped in the first place? Bentiu is Nuer-land and it would be unthinkable for us to rape our own women, sisters, mothers, and grandmothers who survived Juba Massacre. We deny this allegation in the strongest terms possible. Our community image cannot be tarnished in such manner.

The claim made by Governor of Unity State that other Nuer were murdered and targeted because they did not support rebel is purely a lie. All Nuer were targeted collectively in Juba massacre. Western and Eastern Nuer were no difference in Juba when our people were murdered in Cold Blood. All Nuer civilians support SPLM-In Opposition; it is the only those opportunists in juba who support Salva Kiir’s regime and being used as window dressing.

Joseph Nguen Manytuel, governor of Unity State
When did you learn that SPLM is good?

You have been fighting against SPLA from 1983 to 2005. In 2006 you joined the SPLM. What motivated you to join the SPLM? What was discouraging you from joining the SPLM in 1980s? Why you did not volunteer for your country and people if you are a patriot citizen?  Your desire for joining the SPLM was purely money motivated.

You joined the SPLM in 2006 after you realized that SPLM is capable of printing it currency and willing to pay it soldiers so you wanted to be one of those who get pay. Now you are betraying the very people who brought you freedom because of money.

You were not interested in joining the SPLM in 1980s and 1990s because the SPLM was unable to pay it combatants.  If you are a patriot citizen why you did not condemn the killing of hundreds of thousands of Nuer murdered in Juba by your boss including 7 of your body guards? Why you did not condemn the murdered of Nuer in UN compound in Bor? Why did not condemn the massacre Nuer trainees in Mapel?

I know that if you condemned the mass murdered of Nuer in Bor, in Juba, and Mapel, Salva Kiir Mayardit would have frozen your bank account. All South Sudanese know that money is more important to you than your own people. Shame on you, dinka figurehead.

Gatwech Machar Mier, a concern resident of Bentiu, Unity state, South Sudan can be reached at bgatwech@gmail.com