How can Shilluk keep silent against SPLA atrocities: Reply to Mr. Atok Dan Baguoot a Journalist in South Sudan, JUBA

I thought the job of a journalist is to tell stories as it is, free of personal interest and unbiased and how it should be or not what he wants people to hear. Mr. Baguoot seems to contradict himself.

On one hand, he admitted that SPLA has committed shameful crime against the unarmed Shilluk civilians. I give you credit for your admission that Kiir is indeed being misguided by some opportunists and thugs in GoSS, like Dr. Luka Biong, Deng Alor, Gier Chuang Aluong, and Major General Kuol Deim Kuol, the SPLA spokesperson.

On the other hand, he wants to justify what SPLA has done against unarmed Shilluk civilians as an important national project of disarmament. Let us say that disarmament is a national project that ought to be done but does it mean SPLA should commit crime against unarmed Shilluk civilians?

Evidently, I'm not surprised about the intention of Padang-Dinka plan with their organized campaign on the worldwide net against Shilluk who wrote about the going encroachment of Padang Dinka into Shilluk land and creation of two counties in Shilluk land supported by President Kiir.

It is so sad and extremely frustrating to hear people like Mr. Baguoot arguing and justifying horrible crimes committed by SPLA against unarmed Shilluk civilians in the pretext of national project for the disarmament. This is a shameful crime by SPLA soldiers where murders in cold blood of innocent Shilluk civilians have been committed.

These merciless, sadistic SPLA soldiers and their leaders continue to commit crimes against unarmed Shilluk civilians, including children, women and elderly people who are peace loving Shilluk community, on the pretext of GoSS and SPLA programs of national project disarmament are against the moral duty, ethical, human and legal obligations as demanded by UN, Human Rights Organizations, and the free-world.

The perpetrators who have committed these heinous crimes against Shilluk civilians must be held accountable. President Salva Kiir as Commander in Chief for SPLA has responsibility and national obligation to account for the crimes committed by SPLA against the Shilluk civilians.

It has been five years since CPA was signed in 2005, by now all SPLA soldiers should have been trained and disciplined like any other army around the world which abides by the rule of the law and respects human rights.

Trained or untrained Dinka SPLA soldiers have no right to kill innocent people and rape girls or wives of other people, whether the victims are Dinka or non-Dinka. These days when a Shilluk writes something regarding the Padang Dinka-Shilluk land conflict, the organized groups of Padang Dinka and their elites within GoSS would ignite like fire on the worldwide net to refute what have been said. They want us to keep quite while our people are dying in Shilluk Kingdom .

Shilluk are known as peace loving people who are law abiding and will not accept to be misruled or oppressed by anybody. That's is why when the SPLA thrashed out mistreatment of their people, the Shilluk intellectuals complained bitterly and wanted justice to be served on the culprits.

How can we keep silence while our people have been inhumanely, brutally mistreated by SPLA? It is our duty as civilized people to raise alarm bells regarding the atrocities that have been committed against civilians' populations in Shilluk Kingdom .

Mr. Baguoot claims to justify the indiscriminate SPLA disarmament against unarmed civilians in the Shilluk kingdom by saying that it is a national project and it must be executed. No person with the right mind can justify atrocities which have been committed under pretext of national project as Mr. Baguoot wants us to believe.

Even the ordinary villagers have been denied access to drink water, which is the most basic need for life. Shilluk villagers have been evicted from their homes; their entire villages have been burned down and their properties looted by SPLA. Now Mr. Baguoot wants to mislead us and the world that what is happening in Shilluk Kingdom is justified by denying people drinking water under the pretext of national disarmament project?

Mr. Kiir is a tribalist leader who is bent on wiping out Shilluk Kingdom from the map of south Sudan . SPLA has made the Shilluk Kingdom into concentration camps similar to those in Eastern Europe during Second World War.

Mr. Baguoot, who is a journalist based in Juba and who is supposed to inform the public about the truth of what is happening in Shilluk, has been swallowed by tribal hatred against the Shilluk. Hence, Mr. Baguoot has failed to follow the journalism ethical standards. Mr. Baguoot should know that the goal of journalism is to convey the reality and truth as accurately as possible to the public without bias.

Shame upon Mr. Baguoot to claimed that Kiir has also done badly to Padang Dinka more than what he has done to Shilluk. How can Kiir be against Padang Dinka if Kiir himself is behind the project which has been executed by Padang elites in GoSS?

Let me tell you my friend that African leaders can no longer get away with atrocities they have committed against their own people without facing the justice, now or later. The era of OAU is over. President Kiir will be held accountable for any atrocities which have taken place during his administration.

Mr. Baguoot you should not try to defend indefensible. I wonder if you have ever read a recent human rights report on SPLA, outlining brutal SPLA acts during the elections. Yes, Mr. Baguoot disarmament is a national project as you put it but it does not warrant crimes to be committed by SPLA against unarmed civilians.

But GoSS must first provide the security for all our citizens. First of all, it is important that GoSS should resolve the conflicts between the warring communities as result of land grabbing and any other concerns that may cause conflict.

Secondly, GoSS needs to coordinator its efforts, with the ten states governors, commissioners and Chiefs, in the disarmament process. The disarmament must be organized and must be carried out by police and other law enforcement agencies to insure that currently atrocities committed by SPLA soldiers against unarmed Shilluk civilians do not take place anywhere in South Sudan.

Let me make it clear to Mr. Baguoot that the rest Shilluk and I do support a comprehensive disarmament throughout the ten states of South Sudan provided that it is organized by police and other law enforcement agencies other than by SPLA.

Mr. Baguoot seems to contradict himself when he said, "Likewise, Salva is not in charge of Lands Commission to do the same", while everybody knows that President Salva Kiir was behind the Padang Dinka plan when he approved the creation of two counties in Shilluk land."

I hope you would be fair enough to take the suggestions offered to you by Mr. James Ogilo to take some moments to interview President Kiir and ask him on how and why he gave Piji and Akoko Dinka counties without prior formal and legal procedures necessary to support his actions.

For us to achieve independence South Sudan we must treat one another as equals before the laws of the land. Otherwise, hell will break loose even before we could enjoy the fruits that accompany independence. Common sense should prevail. Those who dig holes for others actually dig the holes for themselves. END

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