The Waging War’s Effects on Civilians in South Kordofan State / Nuba Mountains Region

Kadugli – Nuba Mountains

A Voice from Its Wilderness:

It is worth indeed, to mention that no words are said to have been exposed by the closed media reports to the site to see what the Sudan Army Forces and Popular Defiance Forces militia PDF launched battle in the region against SPLA...

No media has said something particularly the national one . This consequent tragedy without profound viewed facts behind had been a puzzle to all the observers throughout the globe. A witness of one of that tragedy is Nuba, a UN hanged staff here, trying to strand at its compound in Kadugli; the capital of the state viewing part of this seen, whose stay alongside other national UNMIS personnel from other ethnic groups including Southerners could be a shame and merit by itself if he is not a side to talk, show something or if he is entirely to remain paralytic and refrained from reflecting it, at least that essential life safety in the compound looks secured on the basis of meager available protection resources given to and provided by UNMIS Sector IV, in the Nuba Mountains Region. Many of the national staff members are recognized and allowed to escape their skins from the risk not to remain in Kadugli to that hazardous situation, while some are seized and brought back under arrest procedure by security or military intelligence organs together from El Obeid Town and Khartoum .

Restricted media coverage and absentees of Real Humanitarian Assistance Recovery in Southern Kordofan to the IDPs who reached Northern Kordofan State as what had been reported on the daily national news papers made it impossible to view what is really going on here and there on the ground, inside the emerge of this tragedy crisis, due to the national government’s Sudan Army Forces and its aliened forces (PDF) declared war against Sudan People’s Liberation Army on 1^st June to start on 5^th June – 2011 to immediate execution spelled order. The immediate effect was directed to the civilians, especially against Nuba Ethnic Groups and South Sudanese , while the vast majority of population indiscriminately had evacuated the town, shortly after fighting out-brake, they started to run, shortly afterwards towards UNMIS’s fence including the called on writer, via UNMIS security measure to report and others towards other cities of the Northern Sudan. Nuba and South Sudanese UN,UNMIS and INGOs Staff and their properties have had been the first target systematic killing and organized looting ,as an example of war racial discrimination that was applied in the region immediately. Numiri Philip a UNMIS staff who was on duty, caught, brought down from UNMIS VEHICLE right from its main gate and been shot to death just nearby and his body was there for more than two days abandoned , on the sight of the Egyptian Fence Guarding Force. Juma Bahr Teia, who is UNMIS Security officer was shot at his leg, nearby UNMIS fence too, currently getting his medical treatment in one of the military hospitals as a captive , another personnel was arrested on his way fleeing from war events to El Obeid and said to be brought back to Kadugli, similar other associate known names to me were arrests while intimidation cases on the ground were experienced. Obviously, UNMIS is failing to secure protection on that recalled lack of capacity to respond to such cases basis for its own staff, whether they are International or Nationals and also it has underwent some sort of its own operating forces detention too.

Likewise, our life here, as UNMIS and UN staff within this complex weaker context and specifically on the life non Arab and in particular Nuba at large in their own homeland and on the Southern Sudanese personnel sides are frankly subject to great danger and risk, despite that the highest authority of UN Peace Keeping Institution exert their efforts to convince us daily of doing their level best to secure all its compound personnel life and equally to the UNMIS properties in safety sate. On the ground, the facts exceeds far beyond that humanitarian attempts they are exposing totally, may be at any time contrary findings bear un-liked feature though people are stranded at the state of some sort of alert, chatting and eating with worries at this moment. This of mine might be one of the various outspoken voices and words to reach the ears and hearts of the highest authorities, than just influential directions who are deeply concerned with rescuing the ethnically targeted communities around. Killing through random bombardment, heavy artillery shelling, brutal manner of massacring people are not less assumed in this part of the world other than real genocide upheaval, compared to what is seen in Darfur since 2003, in Abyei in 2008 and recently in 2011 and what was predicted for by the International Crisis Groups Report of 2008 about such war escalation phenomenon, appeared to happen during this month time. Directing guns towards humanitarian aid workers could be normal worldwide, but directing massacre towards certain focused on ethnic groups of Nuba Mountains People, who are widely believed to be the majority population density of the region to clean them from their own surface lands and automatically deploy other non-Nuba races groups to dwell in this rich Petroleum Land of Southern Kordofan State, in accordance to this events means a lot to say it without exaggeration either if any other person would think it like that. Military to military confrontation is not like thing; what happened in this very different warring case in Southern Kordofan State continued belligerent clashes for over 15 days from its starting date, up to this moment. SAF, PDF, Militia Forces, other Security Forces who controlled the capital city allow wide theft of mainly their opponents properties, destroying building of whomever they think are SPLM/A affiliate persons or even from other races whom are not NCP supporters major, despite that inclusive rubbery of the town buildings and UN Agencies, INGOs, NGOs and other related institutions could not escape that norm of looting at all. The other side (SPLA) reaction against civilians might have not been heard or not broadly reported to allow killing of identical NCP Nuba cadre or other ethnic groups and intellectuals like what the exposed number being reported to have been the massacring by SAF and its associate forces.

With this uncertainty of tranquility of order around and far beyond UNMIS witness and the deteriorating conditions for all over 140,000 IDPs of whom some are in better conditions in UNMIS established camps. But with those IDPs stated to have evacuated their homes to remain under the custody of the upcoming winds and of the rainfall mercy on majority barely situated in poor locations, an immediate seek of a solution must be found to guarantee the the food and clean water security for all including us. Our sights were being witnessed at the time of the dropped aerial bombardment, west of the UNMIS Kadugli fence, quite near by the staff residents compound, on 18^th June – 2001, of about 500 mts away as it was later on reported instantly too. The thread is still here, since this is the second time bombardment occurred around UNMIS buildings in tow different places, could over sighted as a clear warning sign as what could be read as it appeared to us or it might not be as such exactly. But none of us can confirm that, even if when we mention the more closer dropped bombs to the UNMIS fence in KAUDA, several days back as justification to that point. Therefore we can conclude that the risk to safety of the UNMIS Staff, especially those whom are assumed to have better security within its compound than others outside is still great and it is un-known, whether at this ravaging stage or in near future, on these basis the sight is geared towards actions to possibly speak better than words, stating again that the ethnic groups (Nuba and Southerners identically are on the spot to deeply and fast contemplate their deep concern even if there is nothing said to be of no any danger or risk to their lives here).

By: Ganjwok T Onak