Implication of Dinka Akoka Militia Attack on Shilluk

Upper Nile Government press statement by Nuer Minister of Information stated that youth from both Shilluk and Dinka were the ones involved in last week incident in which General James Bwogo Olew and his body guards were killed by Dinka Akoka Militia who are from Dong-jol clan not related anyway to Padang clans of Melut and Renk

This how the news was generated in the media in Juba and also the Juba Government has taken it for granted. The Minister of Defense in Juba refused to meet the Minority Opposition leader in SSLA on the same subject playing down as youth clashes like what happens in Lakes State.

General James Bwogo Olew was an SPLA general. What took him to fight in youth clashes? One is made to believe that there are different structures in SPLA. The proper SPLA are Dinka and Nuer. The unconfirmed SPLA are Shilluk. The integrated SPLA are Nuer Militia of Paulino Matip, Peter Gadet, Thomas Mabior and Gabriel Tangenyi. The absorbed SPLA are civilians from Dinka and Nuer who never fought in the war like Dinka White Army in Akoka, Melut and Renk. The Dinka White Army was formed with recommendation of Jieng Council of Elders (JCE) by Minister of Petroleum Stephen Diu and is paid from Oil revenues. Where do the other nationalities of non-Dinka and Nuer belong?

If the mentioned structure of SPLA is right then the ongoing propaganda is in place. Major-General Johnson Olony is an SPLA Officer, but regarded by proper Dinka SPLA as Militia allied to the government in Juba whose purpose is the fight the rebels. If anybody who followed all the press releases by SPLA spokesperson Brigadier Phillip Aguer, the successes made by Major-General Johnson Olony in Malakal, Canal, Panyikang, Fam Zaraf (Also known as New Fanjak) and lastly Wadakona were all attributed to Dinka SPLA in different divisions and Kiir private army of Mathiang Anyor.

When you turn on SSTV to watch Brigadier Malak Aywien program, you not fail to notice Dinka were portray as liberators of South Sudan. This was confirmed in a letter to IGAD on 28th of March that, they Dinka will not accept imposition of peace by International Community. They call themselves people of South Sudan and will be force to take arms against IGAD. They as Dinka and Nuer are fighting as brothers and sisters. They have a home grown solution to the conflict and can achieve peace without outside interference. The DCE message was also mentioned by Salva Kiir on his Easter message to the nation.

The ambush of General James Bwogo Olew was not by accident. Prior information went from Secretarial by Simon Kun and Ayong Aware agencies that a general from Johnson Olony group was coming to that direction of Akoka. The ambush was laid at Village of Nyigar on East Bank of the Nile.

Dinka and Nuer are about to reach a peace agreement and their obstacle will be the presence of Collo Soldiers. The Shilluk must be eliminated first. This time the Dinka must take the lead of aggression starting with Dung-Jol Dinka of Akoka.

In Shilluk songs; keny da Jieng keny da Nuwah is the beginning of the next phase of the war. The Shilluk is in between these two tribes in the struggle. The Dinka policy was to use Nuer to fight Shilluk where they massacre many Collo civilians in Malakal in 2014. Dinka did not come to assist Collo as they remained neutral until when Nuer were defeated. The Dinka are worried about the strength of Shilluk and they want to try it also.

The Shilluk are concern about their land which was grabbed either Nuer or Dinka and now they have recovered it. Shilluk have no plans to ask for separate administration like Murle of Pibor. They will loyal to the central government in Juba and remain in one United South Sudan Republic.

By: Yorwin Otor; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.