We fought many wars and made many agreements

The Historical facts of the people of South Sudan Journey toward independence characterized by many wars and many agreements, but In short what do we want for all these wars and agreements?)

When the people of South Sudan made a coup in 1955 in Torit, the current capital of Eastern Equotoria State, the main objective of this revolution was to have an independent South Sudan State prior to independent of whole Sudan 1956.

The South Sudan politicians and army officers who were behind the Torit rebellion knew that the independence for Sudan which was due on the following year mean nothing for people of South Sudan but it was about the change of masters as British hand-over to Northerners to continue the colonization of South Sudan. The examples related to this hand-over, is the Juba conference of 1947 where the chiefs of South Sudan were called and informed that, South Sudan will be fully become part of North Sudan without seeking the consent from people of South Sudan. Again the establishment of Sudan Legislative Assembly in 1948 was another example that the people of South Sudan become the subjects of Khartoum Regime because their representatives in that Assembly were only handpicked by the regime in Khartoum with condition that they have to demonstrate their allegiances to the northern regime in Khartoum.

With these two examples that I had mentioned above, the Southerners become fully aware about the Arabs scheme and as result Torit mutiny become cynosure of all Southerners to rally behind it. The armies who made the mutiny in Torit went to bush and there they transformed themselves into what become so-called Anya-Anya one. The Anya-Anya one fought for 17 years with full determination to liberate the South Sudan from dominant northern regime in Khartoum so that it becomes sovereign state. However with that lengths of time the people of South Sudan did not achieved what they fought for, but in little they got what was called semi-autonomy which did not help the southerners to realized their dreams to have independent state of South Sudan. The semi-autonomy for South Sudan came as result of the Addis Ababa Agreement of 1972 which give the people of South Sudan for the first time in history to have a puppet government in South Sudan but answerable to the regime in Khartoum. Although The Addis Ababa accord gave the people of South Sudan little involvement in managing their affairs the regime in Khartoum did not relinquish their quest for power to control and administered the South Sudan. As the result, this agreement did not last because some of its basic elements were dishonored by the Khartoum government while at the same time they use the policy of divide and rule by dividing the people of South Sudan along the tribal line or regionalism so that they fight among themselves. For instance if we ask ourselves, who were behind the korkora? and who armed these leaders when they and their forces were fighting SPLM/SPLA before the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA)? To mention few people like Abdulla Chuol, Gordon Kong, Paulino Matip, Gabriel Tanginy, Ismail Kony, Equotoria defense force, Fertit militia of Western Bhar el gazal, and many others. The obvious answer for this is well known to all Southerners that, it was the Khartoum government which was behind these leaders supporting them with arms in order to create the chaos among the people of South Sudan so that their unity become unattainable.

But With all these ill-intentions of Northerners against the Southerners, the people of South Sudan did not give up for their struggle even after Addis Ababa agreement failed. In 1975 another Anya -Anya called Anya-Anya two started as a result of Akobo mutiny of 1975 led by 1^st Lt Vincent Kuany and Cpl Bol kur in which colonel Abel Chol was killed. Vincent Kuany and Bol Kur led their force from Akobo and went to Ethiopia where they were later joined by some prominent politicians. The main objective of Anya-Anya two was again similar to that of Anya-Anya one which was for the independence of South Sudan from the rest of the Country. However Anya-Anya two did not received a massive support across the South because there was a lack of clear leadership and also the Ethiopia where their base was did not give them enough support in term of arms. As result of this Anya-Anya two could not persuade its objective to deliver the people of South Sudan into the Independent. However that was not an end to stop the people of South Sudan for their journey of their struggle toward the need for independent.

Therefore, the quest for independence of people of South Sudan restarted in 1983 when the war broke out in the Bor town and Ayoda led by two majors Kerubino Kuanyin and William Nyuon in coordination with Dr John Garang and other prominent politicians. Kerubino and Nyuon's forces with Dr John and other politicians went to Ethiopia. While they were in Ethiopia they formed the Sudan People Liberation Movement/Sudan People Liberation Army (SPLM/SPLA). The main objective of SPLM/SPLA and that of Anya-Anya two which was already existed in Ethiopia did not match. The SPLM/SPLA was and for the liberation of the whole Sudan while Anya-Anya two was and for the separation and independent for South Sudan. The two movements failed to agree to merge their objectives subsequently they agreed to exist independently and there it was a choice from politicians to choose which movement they can join. Politicians like Akuot Atem and Gai Tut opted to join Anya-Anya two and the two Movements remained peacefully to each other without resorting to war. However, the peacefully co-existence between two Movements did not last, because Anya-Anya two which was fighting for separation of South Sudan was later transformed into militias and it becomes an army wing of Khartoum government. How they become part of Khartoum government was unknown to Southerners, however it become known later that the person who was behind this was Daniel Koat Matthew known with nickname as DK. Koat Matthew was lured by regime in Khartoum when he was by then the governor of Upper Nile with leadership to hold on governorship and besides that there were lot of goodies given. He is brain master behind the transformation of Anya-Anya two forces into militias so that they can fight SPLM/SPLA together with Khartoum government. In 1987, Gordon Kong who was Anya- Anya two commanding leader and the former governor of Upper Nile Daniel Koat Matthew break their union with Khartoum government and joined the SPLM/SPLA it was from that time, the SPLM/SPLA movement become very strong and captured many towns from Khartoum government controlled areas.

 

Despite the successful progress of the movement after the Anya-Anya two forces joined the SPLM/SPLA. Then there was a setback in the movement when the Nasir declaration was made on 28, August 1991 in which Dr Riek and Dr Lam announced their breakaway from SLPM/SPLA and named their movement SPLM/SPLA -united. The main reason given by Dr Riek Machar and Dr Lam Akol why they exit from SPLM/SPLA was that, people of South Sudan need the right for self-determination which becomes similar to those of the Anya-Anya one and two objectives. That to me it answered the part of the title of this article, which says what do we want? It obviously tells from the look of things that people of South Sudan want the separation and to have their own independent state. But again the events of these struggles turn oppositely it makes you get confused and even sometimes you may ask why are we fighting for? Look for instance Anya-Anya two and SPLM/SPLA-united their main objectives were for separation of South Sudan but why did they fight SPLM/SPLA forces, were they seeking liberation of South Sudan from SPLM/SPLA or from the regime in Khartoum? Apparently it becomes clear later when the two Doctors signed the separate peace agreement with Khartoum government for the right of self-determination for the people of South Sudan. This show that the war they wedged against SPLM/SPLA was not for liberation of the people of South Sudan but it was destruction war on the people of South Sudan.

Why Dr Riek and Dr Lam signed two separate agreements with Khartoum government while they were the leaders of SPLM/SPLA-united. Dr Riek and Dr Lam disagreed how? Here is revelation of how they departed each other. In 1994, 26 September to 16 October the SPLM/SPLA-united held the national convention in the town of Akoba and in that convention it announces to rename itself with new name called South Sudan Independent Movement Army (SSIMA). However, according to the source of my reference to the SPLM/SPLA -united national convention, Dr Lam Akol left the meeting in the protest about the proposal to self-determination to include the areas outside of South Sudan because to him it reflects the SPLM/SPLA objective of which they did oppose when they break away from SPLM/SPLA mainstream. Dr Lam Akol went to Chollo land while in Cholloland he announced in Tonga that, he is the chairman of SPLM/SPLA-united. This is how Dr Riek and Dr Lam departed each other and in that year the people of South Sudan were divided into three Movements, The SPLM/SPLA mainstream, South Sudan Independent Movement Army (SSIMA) and the SPLM/SPLA- united. The South Sudan Independent Movement Army of Dr Riek and SPLM/SPLA-united of Dr Lam retained the same objective of the right for self-determination for the people of South Sudan while SLPM/SPLA mainstream remained objectively in pursuing the call for new Sudan. Both Dr Riek and Dr Lam fall short in their struggle and later they surrendered themselves to Khartoum government and signed the two separate peace agreements called Khartoum and Pachodo peace agreement. The question to ask, did the people of South Sudan reap anything tangible from these two agreements with Khartoum regime? The Obvious answer is that, the people of South Sudan did not gain anything from these two agreements. If there is, it may be only individuals who might have benefited and not the entire people of South Sudan.

Dr Riek and Dr Lam return to SPLM/SPLA mainstream before signing of the comprehensive peace agreement (CPA) which was seen by many Southerners as the end to their long struggle for the independent of South Sudan. The comprehensive peace agreement (CPA) was signed between National Congress Party (NCP) and Sudan People Liberation Movement /A (SPLM/A) and it was an ultimate answer for all these wars and agreements that the people of South Sudan have been fighting for. The CPA has granted the people of South Sudan with the very important two items, the full Self-autonomy and Referendum. The full self-autonomy is that, the people of Southern Sudan will have their own three arms of government comprise by executive, legislative and judiciary which are answerable to the president of South Sudan. The government of South Sudan has its own independent armed forces therefore, it can call herself the country if they want to do so before going to Referendum but to respect the term of CPA and its content then going to Referendum is another important element. The Referendum gives the people of South Sudan as individual or collective individuals to exercise their rights to choose between Unity meanings Sudan remained as one country or separation meaning the people of South Sudan want to be separated from the rest of country and become the nation of their own. Of cause to me all these wars and agreements in which the people of South Sudan were engaged along all these times were about the need for independent of South Sudan.

It is now a time for us as the people of South Sudan to determine our destiny whether we want to make ourselves freed or oppressed citizens in our own country. For all those Southerners who still thinking for the unity option of Sudan please rethink and flash your memory back and see how we have started our journey from 1955 until today. Again you need to remember the blood of our fallen men and women who had died during the war. Did they lose their lives for unity or for separation? Then if your answer is for unity, why did we fight the Khartoum government for all these years? Again look how our innocent people who choose to remain in the towns were also killed. For examples the massacre of 1964 in which our people were killed in Yei, maridi and Kodok and again the massacre of 1965 in towns of Juba, Wau, Torit, Warajwok, Bor and Akoba. Down to the line the Wau massacres of 1987 and Jebellian massacres of 1989/1990 in which more than 2000 South Sudanese were killed are good example that shows the Khartoum government cannot be trusted to be legitimated government to protect the sanity of human life of our people. Apart from the mass killing some of our people were also killed in cold blood by Khartoum government indiscriminately since the starting of the war from 1955. Therefore, I Conclude my article with this message to all Southerners that to honor the lives of our people who were killed in battle fields and those killed in towns individually or in the massacres, it is now for us to vote for separation of South Sudan because it is what we fought for, otherwise it will be meaningless to lost 2.5 million lives for the unity but if it is for separation then it is the defined purpose of what we stood for in all these times. If we failed not to honor this spirits of our departed brothers and sisters then the curse will fall on us and the generations coming after us will remain in bondage of slavery forever. It is now a great call for all of us to put our nation (the South Sudan to be) above our own personal interests and our own ethnicity then vote for separation.

Long Live Anya-Anya One Oyee

Long Live Anya-Anya Two Oyee

Long Live SPLM/SPLA Oyee

Long Live CPA Oyee

Long Live the People of South Sudan Oyee

Long Live Independent of South Sudan Oyee

Long Live Our Fallen Men and Women Oyee

Long Live the Dreams of our struggles Must Become True that the people of South Sudan must have their own independent country come January 9^th 2010!

Thank and may God Bless our hearts so that we vote wisely

Francis Chol Ajing

SPLM Youth League Council Coordinator Victoria-Australia

He can be reached through this email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.