By Mak Banguot Gok , Upper Nile State
April 11, 2014 (Nyamilepedia) — The Ugandan contentious leader, Yoweri Kakuta Museveni and, the South Sudanese divisive president Salva Kiir Mayardit, the two despots are almost emphatically regretting of the ill-advices they ever gives to one another whilst planned the start of the current fatal conflict in South Sudan. The war goes on for nearly four months and, no signs of the rebel being defeated or, hoping to defeats it anytime soon as Museveni proclaimed in December in Juba when a huge numbers of UPDF mercenaries deployment in South Sudan signed between the two. Museveni even shamelessly ouches to Dr. Machar and gave him only four days to completely surrender and abandon his rebellion, or face swift defeats by the two.
Unfortunately, the two are now begging Machar to accept peace with immediate effect to rescue the country from relapse. Instead of Machar to surrender in only four days or faces severe defeats by the two, the remnants dissidents force and its UPDF allies who earlier deployed to South Sudan are nearly exhausted in Jonglei, Upper Nile and others fronts in South Sudan. More than 50 military confrontation between the Nuer and the UPDF/Kiir’s combined forces, the revolutionary forces proved that, the two pooled forces of Kiir and Museveni will not stopped the calls for Salva to quite the country sooner than later.
This is a war which, Museveni had never involved into. It is really fighting and, the UPDF deployed in South Sudan are aware of the ongoing military conflicts in South Sudan cannot be wins against the Nuer with only supports of Ugandan army. Before the spate of the deadliest military conflict in South Sudan which started on 15th, Dec, 2013, many mouths in Juba and, elsewhere in this country, have been talking of the Ugandan president Museveni ‘involvement into South Sudan’s political and government affairs. People knew that, he (Museveni) could be in some sorts, the only friend in-needs to Salva Kiir and, he is the only one who will plunk as the stumbling blockage on our ways in quest for a democratic transformation of South Sudanese government. This was realities of the pre-war political situation and how Museveni was the decision-maker on South Sudanese political affairs.
For long period of time, East Africa has been engulfed with innumerable magnitude problems. Decade after decade, thousands of people are regularly slaughtered from a number of conflicts and civil wars. One of the doer who help fuel these conflicts in East Africa, is Yoweri Kakuta Museveni. For twenty-nine year, Museveni has involved in a systematical destabilization of the number of African countries, which include herein: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Central African Republic, Sudan, Somalia and now South Sudan. His involvement to all of these countries, have resulted into a horrific human suffering. African nations whom he destabilized, view him as a Criminal of an Atrocities in Africa, who should be indicted to international criminal court. If Charles Taylor, the former Liberian leader had to be indicted for involving in Sierra Leone, how come Museveni can’t be held accountable for interfering in these African countries’ affairs particularly South Sudan where he had used poisonous cluster bombs on civil population. The same indictment would be issuance to his counterpart criminal Salva Kiir Mayardit who ordered the killing of innocence–Nuer civilians last year in Juba.
The relationship between the two was, initially, in the first Sudanese civil war, many South Sudanese refugee escaped to seek shelter in Uganda. While viewing refugee anguish, the neighboring State (Uganda) who’s some of its common people share the same ethnicity with South Sudanese, gaze at the war as pitting Africans Sudanese against Arabs. That emotional response made them compassionate with Southern Sudanese yearning for secession.
Thus, between the periods of 1983 to 2005, the two countries, Republic of Sudan and Uganda played tit for tat games. Each antagonist decided to support one another rebel groups. As time kept ticking, South Sudan only one of its kind relation with Uganda was later solidified by John Garang who is “said to be a school mate” with Museveni back in the days in Tanzania. After ill-timed passing of John Garang, Salva Kiir intrinsic such a relation and further solidified it with the use of South Sudan oil money. As a leader who does not have a vision on his own, Salva start to look up on Museveni for no matter which, just whatever thing! He took all brands of advices from him—including how to lug his feet in cementing tyrannical autocracy in the young country and abscond his presidential advisors in indeterminate state, millstone in the sense. One instantaneous example as far as the pattern of how Kiir copy from Museveni is concern is about a outing he paid to Uganda in 2011 few months after south Sudan earned her sovereignty.
While in Uganda, Museveni took him to his assortment and show him all livestock he own there. At the end of an escapade, Kiir became so hustler wanted to go back to south Sudan and instantaneously impersonate the remarkable range Museveni had just shown him. It is a brilliant structured range which Mr. Museveni endowed for years on power with Ugandan money. Upon arriving South Sudan, Kiir withdrew lump sum of money and ordered some flatterers Dinka fellow citizen to buy him cattle to establish a range for him outside Juba; which is called “Luri”. Museveni on his part, copy the big Dallas cowboy hat imitating his newly baptized autocrat: however, Museveni hat is white and Kiir hat is black. Previously during the war, Kiir wore brown hat and two of black hats he frequently wore recently, were given to him by Americans; one by George W. Bush in 2006 and another one by John Kerry in 2008 after they have learned that the man like wearing big cowboy hats.
Ironically, it became very hard to see him without those hats in public. Even South Sudanese, asserted many time that “the president got nothing in his mind only that big black hat on him”. These public opponent’s words may currently find room after many people realize Kiir has failed south Sudan!
In case of Museveni, his actions conspired with the genocidal government of Salva Kiir which trying to impose his own tribalistic will onto others South Sudanese through presidency. I was not bolt from the blue that, the two have started the crisis which they did miscalculated the outcomes. The friendship between Kiir and Museveni is, as to many analysts and realities, it was derived by specific rationale. The fact that, annual of over $500 million South Sudanese oil money directly granted to the economically paralyzed government of Uganda through Museveni ‘personal account. The Ugandan government’s long record of using its national army in many eastern African conflicts as resources for earning dollars that goes nowhere, but Museveni’ pocket. The negative tendencies by Yoweri K. Museveni to stage-manage the East African affairs, including its politics. However, the two have miscalculated that, the crocodile is under holding croak in the river.
They don’t know the war will last for long; Museveni don’t have clue of where the oil which produce money in South Sudan is strategically situated in the heart of Nuer land. Khartoum which is well-off in term of economic, military and others logical knowledge of the South Sudan than Kampala, has not won to exploits South Sudanese oil during the 50 years oppression. Definitely, Kiir and Museveni will never wins in this war
Yoweri doesn’t want to see strong and objective leader and government at his strategic northern border region. For him (Museveni) to see credential leader like Dr. Riek Machar at its country’s border, he could better calling Joseph Konya out of bush and instate him as the Vice-President of Uganda.
He (Museveni) enjoys scrawny and inept president like Salva Kiir’s poor leadership which has nothing to do with strategic planning of its own country’s national resources. What he only want to see is, Salva Kiir remains president and, the moneys still generating from oil and continues getting his illegal shares,
The interest of oil money now dragging others Ugandan-likes countries of eastern Africa to supports a failed president. If you get into what Kenyatta, Kigama, and the likes playing in the conflict, you find that, those east African leaders are caught between South Sudanese oil money ‘interests and the welfare of their vulnerable civil population which depending on western government ‘aids. To how tangible differences with western governments which are hostile to Salva Kiir, one may faces severe economic, food and human insecurities, political etc. Western governments keeps reiterating that, they will never give into an individual or, a government which/who stand as gridlock to the democracy, whether in his/its own country, partly or the whole Africa, or elsewhere.
The event of last year started like this. On 15 December 2013, the Dinka dictator Salva Kiir Mayardit stunned the world by announcing that there was an attempted failed coup d’état in which Salva Kiir alleged that it was thespian by the former VP Dr. Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon one of the most prominent and outstanding British educated Nuer Mechanical/Architectural Engineer, PC Management System and the former lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering/Architecture at his Alma Mata, The University of Khartoum, one of the best SPLM/A field commanders, articulate, talented, the best and the brightest or la crème de la crème with higher spirits vs. the mediocre minds that are often anxious of the higher spirits, one of the political and democratic leaders of our times, educator, politician, scientist, philosopher and fourteen (14) other senior members of the SPLM Political Bureau (PB) as the ruling party. Salva Kiir had a strategic plan to get rid of the well-rounded educated 14 leaders of the SPLM to avoid the 2015 democratic elections and fearful of the intentions of the former VP to run for the Office of the President of the Republic in Africa’s newest infantile pre-born and pre-failed state in South Sudan as used to be said by prof. De Chan. I quoted! The Dinka dictator wanted to rule for life.
The Dr. Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon wanted the establishment of a multiparty democracy with representation, participation, inclusion of ethnic minorities, transparency and accountability, thus, fostering national unity, de-triblization, unity in diversity of the variety of culturally diverse, converging and diverging interests amongst the people of South Sudan in unity in diversity, unity of purpose and of equals in the country.
Salva Kiir is not only an ethnocentric and a non-benevolence dictator, but a blood thirsts killer or the “minister of death” of the third kind equals only to President Yuri Museveni of Uganda that killed almost his entire political opponents in Uganda that was once called the “Pearl of Africa.” He is primitive warlord whose knowledge based on cattle keeping. Salva Kiir Mayardit has been the first head of state and government in the African continent to have a private notorious Dinka Touich militia ill-trained, undisciplined, brute killers that could not speak any other languages except the Dinka Touich, the most disreputable, mulish, brute, oafish and foul-mouthed Dinka private army in South Sudan known in Dinka language as Agetwang, Abut Bany and Malwal Anyuol under all command of the notorious killer and butcher Paul Malong Awan , the Governor of Northern Bahr-el-Ghazel State. On the nights of 16-17 December 2013, Salva Kiir gave stunned orders to his lieutenants to unleashed the so-called “dogs of war” or “The Dirty Dozen”- militia into the City of Juba to kill run amok the Nuer people in the streets and to move them out from house to house to go out to kill the Nuer children, women and men, students, doctors, civil servants and other professionals if they have been identified to be Nuer folks; to loot their properties and money, burned down to ashes their homes, including the home of the former VP Dr. Riek Machar.
Were the civilians’ population were also the ones who staged the alleged coup d’état or was it because Dr. Machar’s negatively perceived and drawn in as the ring leader of imaginary military coup d’état is of a Nuer nationality like them that made them to become part and parcel of the alleged and collectively punishment for the crime that they have not done, which they ought not to have done. Salva Kiir’s militia murdered in cold blood many Nuer people as the targeted group and most of them were innocent Nuer civilians’ population, families of the GOSS civil servants, including the SPLA forces and many of them were those repatriated form Sudan after the split. It was strategically, surgically planned and calculated pogrom, genocide similar to the 1994 Rwanda Genocide and specifically collective punishment targeting the Nuer nationality because the accused- the former VP- is of a Nuer nationality or ethnicity. The thirteen (13) other accused of implication in the alleged foiled or aborted coup d’état comprised of different nationalities, including the Dinka negatively perceived to be anti-Salva Kiir Mayardit, the Nuer and the Shilluk (Tat) (Cholo) intelligentsia and professionals. Based on this precise narrative, one could imagine and conclude that it was all really hell break loose and lawlessness of the third kind because the Dinka dictator went all out berserk to collectively punish the Nuer people and their leaders.
Moreover, the civilians’ population, university students, professors, lawyers, economists, medical doctors mostly Nuers who studied different professions abroad with in North America, Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan and other parts of Europe and North America were all almost gunned down in their homes or in the workplace or on their way homes from work. Hundreds of thousands of unarmed Nuer people and other nationalities were forced to flee their homes because of fear of probably being killed by Salva Kiir’s militia ran to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Compound for safety and the militia followed them at the UNMISS Compound and managed to kill wherefore the UNMISS personnel could not provide protection because of its size, outnumbered and could neither control the militia nor provide the necessary protection to the victims of the perpetrated genocide in Juba town.
They also introduced cannibalism to some people caught to food stuff in town Juba. Of course, the Dinka of Pan Malwal de Bongbar in Yirol, Lakes State, still practices cannibalism although no Dinka intellectuals and academics would want to expose to write and to talk about it in public. Although it is well-established fact its remains a taboo that cannibalism or human flesh eaters do still exist amongst the Dinka Community in South Sudan. To make the whole story short, what really transferred on the nights of 16-17 December 2013, up to this day has been and still is “Genocide” as defined in the UN Convention on Genocide in December 1948 perpetrated by the Dinka against the Nuer as the targeted group for destruction and/or extermination as a “final solution” in whole or in part similar to the 1994 Rwanda Genocide against the Tutsi in Kigali, Rwanda perpetrated by the Hutus and in other parts of the world, including the advanced industrialized and civilized Europe with focus on the Balkans crisis.
Specifically, the term “Genocide” was coined in 1943 by the Jewish-Polish Lawyer Raphael Lemkin who combined the Greek word “Genus” (race/tribe) or in my Nuer culture known as Raan ke Rami mi raan) (race, person of person) and the tribe is also known as “Wiec” (tribe/state), with the Latin word “cide” (to kill) or in the Nuer language also known as “Nhak” (to kill).
In December 1948, the UN Convention on Genocide was held, which came into effect in January 1951. In international law, genocide is understood to be the gravest and the greatest crimes against humanity and it is possible to commit it without realizing it. Of course, what transferred in South Sudan on the nights of 16 and 17 December 2013 was genocide pure and simple. Succinctly, for the purpose of this article on the current situation in South Sudan, I would like to say that it was a deliberate and willful strategized mass extermination against the Nuer folks in whole or in part as a targeted group of people, an attempt to destroy an entire group and wipe them out of existence.
In Southern Sudan, the British genocide the Nuer in the Anglo-Nuer War (1900-1930) and gassed them in large numbers in 1915-1920; in Kenya the UK committed mass killings against the Mau-Mau uprising because of anti-colonial sentiments against the British colonial rule in the 1950s-1960s. The French exterminated more than 2 million Algerians and today Algeria is known as the “land of a million martyrs”; the Belgians genocide in the Belgian Congo, the Portuguese, the Italians and the Boers in South Africa were no exceptions to the colonial crimes either. No qualm that, the two- Kiir and Museveni have premeditated the illegal training of hush-hush tribal army geared up for the events of 15th, December. Those advices misinformed and offered negative momentum to Salva that inspired him violet the constitution and resist even the transformation of the ruling SPLM party from feudalism to an open democracy. What happened on that day in Juba is known further than doubt with the aim of illuminating Nuer as what he ( Museveni) did onto the Acholi, Langa, Buganda and the others anti-Banyangkole Ugandan tribes throughout his dictatorship reign in Uganda. It was a product of Museveni’ politics.
Unfortunately, the two have failed because, Riek Machar have escaped that left big hole in their plans. Museveni was very hasty to shamelessly said, he and Salva gave only four days to Riek Machar so that he surrender and abandoned rebellion or, face humiliated defeat of the two’s join operation. Of course, they tried to joint up hands in fighting rebel but, they failed because the war have got or it is getting too long with many uncertainties that could not be accorded by the two’s governments.
Beyond doubt, 98% of Salva Kiir government’ revenues generates from nowhere else but, oil. The later have not been educated of where the oil situated in South Sudan is strategic and, even the governments in Khartoum during 50 years oppression, have never uses South Sudanese oil by force due to the fact of its geographical location. You either kill all Nuer or swallows to get away with oil.
Reverting to the topic or to the ongoing genocide and war in South Sudan on the nights of 16 and 17 December 2013 up to the present, Salva Kiir committed and had been an accomplice to the crime of “Genocide” against the Nuer nation and its gallant people. The Nuer shall and will overcome Salva Kiir’s Genocide and there would be decisive, quick, surgical response into the Heartland of the Dinka in Bahr-el-Ghazel. Salva Kiir has not seen anything yet how the fighting Nuers would react to the events of the nights of 16 and 17 December 2013 and beyond.
To bring this case closer to the attention of the Dinka dictator in Juba, I would be obliged to refer to Article II of the UN Convention on Genocide, which defines “Genocide” per se, as any of the following acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group as”
1. Killing members of the groups
2. Causing serious bodily and mental harm to members of the group;
3. Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
4. Imposing means intended to prevent births within the group; and
5. Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group
Fine, the two have dragged our young nation into unwanted and bloody war we ever seen throughout the history of liberation. The people who have and still keep dying as conflict results will definitely make double of the two millions died during 21 years civil war with Arab.
In all the origin of the crisis in the country, Salva Kiir has not been straightforward to his friend for the reason that, if he (Salva) was serious to shake down Museveni, he would have been in the approved manner given the later an exact picture of the Nuer tribe and the convolution which involves in crushing Nuer-lead rebellion against Dinka –lead government in South Sudan. Over 70% of South Sudan’s regular armed force being predominantly comprised of Nuer sons and daughters have relapsed with 2/3 of its soldiers deserted and make up the rebel leaders and fighters. In the liberation history, the best fighters amongst the SPLA commanding are mostly Nuer. This is the fact that, Nuer always making huge presence in depending this nation.
Gen. Peter Gatdet Yak, Gen. Gabriel Tang Ginya, Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual, Gen. Gordon Kong Chuol, Gen. Gat-hoth Gatkuoth, Gen. Simon Mabor Dhol, Gen. Dor Manyjur, Gen. Both Teny and the subordinate Nuer commanders who are now leading revolutionary army are the best known of commanding real fighting against South Sudanese enemy. The formerly an SPLA Infantry Army Divisions which defected to the rebel were, amongst which, the SPLA’s 8th Infantry Division under Gen. Peter Gatdet Yak have been containing Yaw-Yaw rebellion in Jonglei State for three years; the 4th Infantry Army Division entrusted of depending oil under Gen. Gordon Kong Chuol and, it was the triumphant of fights on Higleg in 2012.
The 7th Infantry Army Division on the west bank of Upper Nile State was supervising borders with three States of the north Sudan borders. The 1st Infantry Army Division on the east bank of Upper Nile state doing the same supervision of the borders with Blue and White Nile States of North Sudan.
These are the best SPLA Army Division that have deserted and now formed an SPLA/M/IO/Force against Salva Kiir. Others unites of an organized forces, like, Police, wildlife, prison wardens, and so on were doing the same that left Salva Kiir completely defenseless. Given the fact that, over 300,000 Nuer men and women have took up arms against Salva Kiir in retort to the ethnic cleansing that took place in Juba between 15th-20th December, 2013 against the Nuer innocents unprotected civilian in thousands, the fights will instead ghastly continue if Salva still insisting to rule the country in impunity.
It is discovered that, Salva Kiir’s government is paying million of South Sudanese oil riches to the hungry Eastern African presidents in exchanges for mercenaries to fights rebel alongside Kiir’s. That is what many lives, many properties, political collapse will still anguish.
Museveni don’t have clue of tribal dimension of this country. Given his diminutive and backward political locale at the level of others African long time leaders, he (Museveni) considering Nuer like any of the Uganda which he (Museveni) uses as his own properties. He has no proper familiarity of the Nuer at the level of South Sudan, he was wrongly extorted that, Dinka constitute preponderance population and, the remainders others 62 tribes might stick together and flush out or, keeps the Nuer a ways of the oil reach-territories and, than he will continues exploiting as long as Salva Kiir is the president. Unfortunately, not as it was planned.
Mak Banguot Gok, SPLM/A/IO/Public Communication Officer, Upper Nile State, and he can be reached via makjohnson2005@yahoo.com/makbanguotgok@gmail.com
