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| James Gatdet Dak |
*By James Gatdet Dak*
VIDEO CLIP: In December 2011, H.E. Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon, who was the only Vice President by then, risked his life to stop thousands of advancing armed Lou-Nuer youth, also known as the 'White Army.' They were on the move to attack Pibor, an administrative headquarters inhabited by the Murle ethnic group, in Jonglei state. I was on that mission together with him as his Press Secretary.
The situation was very dangerous and risky as the Lou-Nuer youth had already captured Linkuangole town of the Murle, and were about to attack Pibor. The youth were responding to several cattle raids and child abductions carried out by the Murle armed civilian youth into the Lou-Nuer territories. They also accused the government's National Security Service (NSS) of arming the Murle youth.
The Murle youth heard that the Lou-Nuer youth were coming. The Murle also mobilized in thousands to meet them at the border between the Lou-Nuer and Murle. There was a very deadly confrontation. Then the Murle youth retreated, causing the Lou-Nuer youth to pursue them and advanced towards Pibor town.
As the readers can see and hear in the shared video clip from my former colleague in the office, Cde Miyong Kuon, who also handled the camera and did the voice-over, the Lou-Nuer youth angrily and fiercely tried to resist the Vice President and Lou-Nuer elders who went with us on the mission from Juba. The youth refused being stopped in their match towards Pibor.
As our UNMISS helicopter was landing at the airstrip of the captured Linkuangole town of the Murle ethnic group, the Lou-Nuer youth rushed to the helicopter and tried to block Dr. Machar from stepping down from the helicopter. Dr. Machar, pushed them back and continued to walk towards them. It was chaotic for a moment.
But finally, they listened and allowed him to talk to them. I heard one of the youth leaders shouting to the youth, "Please, don't allow this man to speak to us otherwise he will ruin our planned attack on Pibor.'
The youth reluctantly agreed to retreat to Lou-Nuer. Then we left, as they were also leaving. Instead of immediately returning, they went ahead towards Pibor and took hundreds of cattle in the outskirts of Pibor. When Dr. Machar heard this, he demanded to speak to their leader again, to ask why they deceived him. The youth leader told him that they were actually retreating, and were only "making a wide U-turn." Finally, they returned to the Lou-Nuer territory without attacking the Pibor town center.
So who are the White Armies?
These are groups of armed civilian youths in various clans of the Nuer ethnic group in Upper Nile and Jonglei states. And similarly, many other ethnic groups in South Sudan have their own armed civilians with different names in Dinka communities, and Equatorian communities, etc. They are civilian defense forces, or vigilante groups who have taken upon themselves to protect their communities as the government or organized security forces fail to protect their communities, or aggress their communities.
They are all over South Sudan with different names.
For example, in Eastern Equatoria state, they call themselves Monyimiji. In Warrap state, they are called Titweng, or Gelweng or Titbai. In Northern Bahr El Ghazal they are Mathiang-Anyor (named after a cow). In Western Equatoria, they are Arrow Boys. In Jonglei's Pibor they are called Kerlangbor or Cobra. In other communities of Upper Nile state they are called Gojam, and Abushok and Agwelek. In Unity state they are called Gojam and Terchuong. In the Nuer communities of Jonglei and Upper Nile states, they call themselves as White Army, because of the white ashes they used to smear their bodies with years back. All those types of civil defense forces are community-based youth groups who elect their own local leaders.
So the presence of these armed civilian youth groups throughout the country is not a new phenomenon. Sometimes they fight among themselves. Other times they fight against government forces. Some are affiliated militia groups to the government. Some also voluntarily take politcal sides temporarily, depending on what they perceive to be a common threat to their respective communities. Some have been used by the government of President Salva Kiir to participate in targetted killings of other ethnic groups.
For instance, Mathiang-Anyar was transformed into a militia force affiliated to the government and participated in the December 2013 massacres of thousands of innocent Nuer civilians in the capital, Juba.
We have, for example, seen such several battles in Warrap state and Lakes state involving the national army and the armed youth for many years, with so many casualties, including killings of senior army officers in Lakes state.
Despite all these army versus armed youth confrontations in Bahr el Ghazal region, the government in Juba had never unleashed aerial bombardments on those armed youth and their civilians, let alone hiring the Uganda's UPDF to help in killing them. So why bombing civilians in Nasir, Ulang, Longechuk and Akobo counties, inhabited by the Nuer?
Played up division in Upper Nile region
Dr. Machar tried his best as a Nuer elder to save the life of late General Majur Dak, who was wounded in the battle with the White Army in Nasir, just like the rest of the SSPDF officers and men who got evacuated from Nasir before the late. However, the assurances given to Dr. Machar about the safe evacuation were broken or dishonoured. The youth were also bitter, having lost so many innocent civilians and fighters. This is why a number of the SPLA-IO officers who were carrying the wounded General Majur to the UNMISS helicopter were also killed by the White Army, while trying to evacuate him. It was not tribally based. Some of the SSPDF Nuer officers with General Majur were also killed with him during the attack.
Why does the government of President Kiir want to play up the death of General Majur, and not the death of other senior officers in the hands of similar White armies in Warrap and Lakes state? Why using the Defense Minister Chol Thon Balok, Advisor Kuol Manyang Juuk, and Minister Michael Makuei Lueth, to stirr up emotions that a Dinka General who hails from Upper Nile region's Greater Bor community lost his life in the hands of Nuer armed youth, who have a Nuer leader in Juba called Dr. Riek Machar? Is this another ploy to try and fit Upper Nileans against Upper Nileans?
I respect the Vice President, Mama Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior, for her wise analysis of the situation in her statement at the burial ceremony. Other leaders in Upper Nile need to be wise, not to be dragged into an abyss!
I understand that the current leadership in South Sudan does not have the courage to appreciate Dr. Riek Machar's efforts to control situations which would have gotten worse beyond human imaginations.
Even after he convinced the Lou-Nuer youth to spare Pibor in December 2011, the leadership became rather jealous of him!
Similarly, instead of appreciating his recent efforts to save the life of the late General Majur, the leadership is again on a witch-hunt mission, coupled with orders from Uganda, and arrested him for being deceived by the White Army, who also killed General Majur together with officers from the SPLA-IO.
Dr. Machar earlier advised President Salva Kiir that if a disarmament of the armed civilians is to take place in Nasir, or any other areas of South Sudan, it had to be done by unified forces, not unilaterally by the SSPDF and their affiliated armed militia groups of Abushok from the Dinka and Agwelek from the Shilluk.
Late Lt. General Majur had no intentions to fight his country's youth or civilians in Nasir. Juba pushed him to do it for political gains! And I hope his family will not accept his name to be used as a pretext for the further destruction of our country.
Let us think straight!
May God help South Sudan!
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