GoSS: SPLA Commits Atrocities against Shilluk Civilians

June 27, 2010- During my recent visited to Sudan ; I was terrified by SPLA soldiers brutal treatment of Shilluk civilian populations in the Shilluk Kingdom.

According to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Explanatory Memorandum, crimes against humanity" are particularly odious offenses in that they constitute a serious attack on human dignity or grave humiliation or a degradation of one or more human beings." In public international law, crime against humanity is an act of persecution of any large scale atrocities against a body of people and is the highest level of criminal offense. What is happening in the Shilluk are not isolated events but part of policy of SPLM/A, though the perpetrators involved in these crimes are Padang Dinka elements within SPLM. SPLA used the arms search in Shilluk Kingdom as pretext to humiliate the Shilluk people. Shilluk politicians, who are puppets of SPLM, have been used by Dinka politicians to humiliate their own people for their personal interests. In fact, certain Shilluk elements and politicians were indirectly responsible for the brutal and inhumane treatment of the Shilluk people by the SPLA.

Forceful search of unarmed civilian populations by SPLA soldiers is unacceptable. Because during arms search, the undisciplined SPLA soldiers commit crimes against humanity, such as rape, torture and killing of unarmed civilians. SPLA is supposed to be a national army for South Sudan to protect and defend the civilian populations against foreign aggressors without discrimination. But what the SPLA did in Shilluk Kingdom undermined their mandate. The crimes committed against humanity in the Shilluk Kingdom underlie the urgent need to transform SPLA from being rebels to an impartial national army, which does not side with a particular politician, political party or tribe, but abides with the rule of law and respects human rights. The perverse behavior of SPLA soldiers, therefore, can not be tolerated or accepted in a civilized society.

Padang Dinka elites have been exploiting the differences between Shilluk politicians to achieve their hidden agenda: to force Shilluk out of their ancestral land and occupy it. Evidently President Salva Kiir has proven to be tribalist leader who is only concern with Dinka domination of other tribes in South Sudan . He, President Kiir, is fully behind the Padang Dinka plan to occupy Shilluk land by terrorizing the Shilluk inhabitants and force them out from eastside to the westside of the river Nile because he was jittery in taking actions to arrest the deteriorating situation.

To be more specific, Kiir has encouraged insecurity throughout South Sudan because of his indifference in resolving the land disputes between various communities. President Salva Kiir is a part of widespread insecurity in South Sudan due to his absence of prompt action and of intervention to resolved land conflict between the communities. He, President Kirr, has allowed himself to be misguided by opportunists people like Luka Boing, Deng Alore, and Geir Chuang Aluong, just to name a few. Shilluk politicians and some elements within the Shilluk community have also had a hand in the whole thing. I am aware that these Shilluk elements in SPLM have political differences with Dr. Lam Akol, who defected and formed a new political party known as SPLM-DC. These elements of Shilluk politicians in the SPLM have taken the whole community hostage due their political differences with Dr. Lam or SPLM-DC.

I personal disagree with those people who label the whole Shilluk as belonging to SPLM-DC when, in fact, Shilluk does not belong to one political party. Moreover, SPLM-DC is political party which has a national agenda that appeals to all tribes in the country and not just the Shilluk tribe alone. Yes, Dr. Lam Akol is from Shilluk tribe, but that does not necessarily make the whole Shilluk to be members of SPLM-DC. Therefore, those who label whole Shilluk tribe as members of SPLM-Dc are utterly wrong because Shilluk does not belong to one particular political party. In addition, prior to the formation of SPLM-DC, there has been land problem already existing between the Padang Dinka and Shilluk. Padang Dinka elites who want to discredit Shilluk noble contribution to South Sudan struggle by labeling the whole Shilluk as members of SPLM-DC will not achieve their goal. Also those elements of Shilluk politicians who want to betray the whole Shilluk community for their personal interests will not succeed either. Without defending Shilluk, everybody in South Sudan is aware that Shilluk have made undeniably noble contribution to the cause of Southern liberation.

Six years ago before his death, the Padang Dinka wrote a letter to late Dr. John Garang claiming ownership of Malakal town and many Shilluk areas as their place. Late Dr. John Garang rejected their request because it is known and well documented that those places belong to Shilluk people. The Shilluk bitter anger against Salva Kiir and SPLM is because Kiir gave green light to Padang Dinka to take Shilluk land. So many peace-loving people among the Shilluk like Uncle James Ogilo Agor and Rev. Daniel Amum wrote several letters to Mr. Salva Kiir before to resolve the issue of land dispute and claim of ownership of Malakal by Padang Dinka. However, Mr.Salva Kiir ignored the matters altogether.

Those who called Shilluk traitors for their stance against Padang Dinka encroachment into their traditional land must get right that no Shilluk can substitute their land for SPLM membership. The founding of SPLM-DC by Dr. Lam Akol's has nothing to do with Shilluk bitter against SPLM; but rather the policy of Padang Dinka to occupy the Shilluk land, which is supported by SPLM elements of Padang Dinka elites and President Salva Kiir himself and his group of protégé advisers. As Uncle Dr. Peter Adowk Nyaba once said, "The idea is to take Shilluk land is to unify all these Padang Dinka sections into one Padang Dinka state which extends from Abeyi to Renk as a compensation for the loss of their dream home in Southern Kordofan ." But one thing Padang Dinka should know is that Shilluk would rather have Padang Dinka take their ancestral land on their dead bodies.

Shilluk do support SPLM as a national movement provided that it treats the entire population of South Sudan equitably in the eyes of the law. Elements of Shilluk politicians in the SPLM should look back to the history of Shilluk Kingdom and ask them why Shilluk Kingdom is the only survivor Kingdom in the Sudan ? The answer to the above question is available in any textbook on modern history of Sudan and those interested can find for themselves. I'm no going to recap the Shilluk history in this piece. It is suffice to say the Shilluk would be the triumphant.

With regards to ongoing disarmament process throughout South Sudan, I fully support simultaneous general disarmament in the ten states of South Sudan . Partial disarmament won't work because it leaves certain tribes vulnerable to attacks by bandits or armed tribes. Shilluk will always be there and will defend their rights until the last drop of their blood. Those who think that they can occupy Shilluk land would ultimately pay a heavy price because the Shilluk will defeat every enemy who seek to occupy Shilluk ancestral land.GoSS should work together with state governments to resolve tribal conflict in their states cause by land grabbing and cattle robbery or bandits like LRA in Western Equatoria State .

If President Kiir wants to lead the people of South Sudan to promise land in 2011, then he must reject the misleading ideas from opportunists such as Luka Biong, Deng Alore, and Geir Chuang. My advice to the new GoSS administration is to move quickly to clean house: resolve tribal conflict as a result of lands grabbing between various communities through South Sudan and to also resolve the differences between SPLM and rebel General George Athor in Khorfulus and also General Gatluak Gai in Unity State, who have been fighting the SPLA army more than two months now.

We cannot afford to go for referendum next year without resolving these security matters because the enemy of peace would exploit our differences and make it impossible to hold a free and fair referendum on January 9, 2011, which is more than likely to trigger another deadly civil strife.

The author is a South Sudanese currently living the United States ; he can be reached at email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• Add New

Comments (2)

• 29-06-2010 10:44:08 |Author| jalpan

  yes bro.some of us are forgetting that what is happing in shiluk lands are not a war against DC party.But it is a clear war against collo kingdom,and the goal is to end what we have today as the only remaining kingdom in Sudan.Let us not be decieve and by those who are farming in sea watter.

  • 0
  • 0

  ReplyQuote

• 29-06-2010 14:14:43 |Unregistered| Dr. Peter Adwok Otto

  Your good writing is like casting pereal before swine. Kiir is oppinionated to wipe out collo from the map of south sudan. what is happening these days that the SPLA had made the collo land like a large extermination camp. the army of SPLA had closed the routs to the river so that the villagers have no access to water. Even the water sources in the inland had been captured by the occupation army.

  • 0
  • 0

  ReplyQuote

Write comment

Your Contact Details:

Name:

Email: do not notifynotify

Comment:

Title:

UBBCode:          -color-aquablackbluefuchsiagraygreenlimemaroonnavyolivepurpleredsilvertealwhiteyellow -size-tinysmallmediumlargehuge

Message: