Why is “SSPDF’s” Disarmament of Civilians Quintessential in South Sudan

This file photo shows South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF) troops at the Rajap Police Academy in Juba, capital of South Sudan, April 26, 2019.(Photo: Xinhua)

By Deng Duot D’Ajur

In recent years, guns have taken many lives daily. Many lives are claimed through gun practices and many citizens in South Sudan walked with gun daily basis carrying their guns in town, bushes and wider a community. From my point of view, a life without individual acquiring a gun in South Sudan is like a house without electricity in western World’s suburb home.

It has become commonplace in South Sudan’s society that each citizen across the nation socially must acquire supplementary military skills and combat tactic. In comparison, with South Sudan People Defence Force’s personnel since independent in 2011.

Although there is no solid proof showing that the current disarmament initiative taking place in the Upper Nile is justifiable, it is indeed going to reduce gun acquirement. The author strongly believes the gun is doing more harm than good to South Sudanese.

The main point and justification for the establishment of SSPDF disarmament appears to have been seen as a deem necessity to watch the White Army having mobilized themselves. It could be seen as heavily arms and parading with a show of force. They are ready to take on the National Army in the form of tribal armed fighting heroic.

The military government of President Salva Kiir Mayardit, ought to have taken these approaches and made it a top priority from 2011 after gaining independency from the then Sudan. The approach of disarming civilians would have been considered due to the insecurity gun presented to civilian populations. 

However, it can be said that the level of death in every corner of the country is extremely high and inconceivable. The argument is plausible because of the high level of guns in the hands of civilians and part-military militants such as a white Army. In a country like South Sudan where military’s guns are attained and obtained by unqualified people and uses them like fully qualify soldiers. These are nations where genocides appeared easily. For example, Rwanda is a prime example of ethnic genocide that took place in 1994. 

Therefore, it is an implausible argument, and the underlying fundamental questions would be where does the White Army get their guns from? Who oversees the White Army Central Command? And when will the white Army stop attacking other communities? Military Barrack in neighbouring town? Answering these questions help one to identify and present a public choice that disarming armed civilians particularly white army is quintessential in South Sudan. The White Army is used by some warlord politicians and defective generals as a support force based on achieving personal ambitions, either military or political objective in the country. 

It is evident that ethnic Nuer militants have suffered in the hand organized force for successive years of fighting parties.  The evidence shows, there has been loss of millions of lives including women and children’s adding to total numbers of unthinkable level of destruction. The action of white army resulted in death of tens of thousands of civilians killed in non-combatant war. The Nuer’s population is reduced to a level that could not be counted. This could indicate that the white Army is not achieving any military victory and its political objective since Samuel Gai Tut’s disagreement with SPLA/M in early 1983. The Nasir declaration of 1991, 2013 and 2014 respectively. Nuer military means does not allow white army to achieve its purpose at the end of attempted period. When single tribes take up armed against national military resulted in an undefined achievement. 

It is possible that this mean SSPDF decided to launch military operations involving combat mission because the White Army had developed and accepted ideas of military engagement with the National military.  The military Barack is being surrounded in Ulang and Nasir town under their control. These actions by the White Army gave Bilpam a convocational decision to declare a military combat mission.  

Therefore, SSPDF have no other choice other than declaring war against this insurgency nature in the country. There is no other viable option for SSPDF since the White Army is not laying down their weaponry and stops creating media morality as shown by various social media platforms in the past few days leading to SSPDF’s Airstrikes. Yes, many citizens would agree that a nation is not being governed appropriately under the constitution and again this does not allow any ethnical group to form tribal militants to challenge the military. 

This demonstrates those politicians representing Nasir and Ulang need to understand their responsibilities. Their responsibility includes following and persuading the white Army to unlock using military confrontation. They should have understood whether anybody rebelling against a government, whether legitimate or illegitimate, is met with government force. It is widely considered and being conceivable that South Sudan government is having no sense of belong to a people. This caused citizens to be dissatisfied and armed themselves in order to defend themselves from other aggressive tribes. 

Conceivably, the white Army fighters need to acknowledge since ethnics and clan lines representation is in the Government in Juba. They are presented in the government of national unity by those SPLM-IO vices president of Dr Riek Machar, Vice Taban Deng Gai alongside several senior generals in the SSPDF. 

South Sudan is a war-torn nation state; she has not enjoyed some sort of fruitful nation-building for years. For those who know and follow South Sudan’s politics and military action. Nuer as an ethnic group had faced a lot of rebellion and thousands of people have died in the hand of Nuer white Army rebellion. The White Army needed to weigh and essentially listened and agreed to disarmed peacefully to maximize or contained loss of lives. Throughout the years of military disaster in South Sudan Nuer had been one ethnic community who have suffered a lot.  

During the SPLA/M war of liberation, the ethnic Nuer community contributed greatly and even Dr. John Garang de Mabior acknowledged them. In one of his interviewed-on air after the Signing of Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in Nairobi Kenya. This community was initially the backbone of armed establishment for the early birth of SPLA/M. However, in recent years Nuer has been, so controversies possess aggressiveness and produce the largest number of rebellions concerning Juba government. 

Over time, during the liberation struggle, ethnic-Nuer has produced many armed rebellions like Dr Riek Machar who engineered 1991 SPLA/M’s split, Paulino Matip Nhial, Peter Gadet Yak, Gabriel Tanyi and December 15,2013 and 2014. These several rebellions have overturned, and Historiography affected Nuer as ethnics community within the South Sudanese communities. The tribal temporary mobilization is causing disastrous stain in Nuer’s social, political and militant status.  

ethnic Nuer should an essentially recognize that their lives matter, and the interest politicians and military mobilizers should not be allowed to explore and exploit Nuer young lives. The government is of course using extraconstitutional to create unprofessional disarmament strategy by singling out one community and a region. The military campaigns currently taking place in Nasir and Ulang are justified under pretext of disarmed armed civilians and indeed are causing great harm to the Nuer civilians’ populations. 

Since the dawn of the Samuel Gai Tut era, the Nuer has not enjoyed much success in having relative peace both local and with other armed struggles in the country. The war experiences in Nuer land have kept young Nuer in a state of priorities on acquiring armed to rebelled or defense themselves from any form of security threats. 

In numerous cases, the white Army was used during crises of government. White Army is a Tribal militant which only confronted the government of South Sudan. Oppositionists would always use the White Army as force to fight the regime or ideological change in Juba or in case of SPLA/M by then. It is very sad when individuals see the footage video of the parade of one ethnic community having the principle of fighting organized force. 

One single sad part is these young lives could possibly acquire better’s skills and education for better use in South Sudan rather than being portrayed as fighting personnel to gain unfortunate political and military objectives. 

In conclusion, Nuer is a great time in South Sudan, and they have very well-educated citizens they will continue producing leaders in this country. I potentially ask White Army mobilizers to aggressively stop ethnics mobilization and use the White Army as primary support based for politicians in Juba. SSPDF must make permanent disarming civilian decisions in the whole country otherwise, there will never be peaceful existence among communities. The events of the white army seem to conspire to prevent a solution being reached in the affairs of creating a non-civilian gun class. 

The issue of civilians obtaining guns and ammunition notable for the depth and breath of hell of problematic the government comes up with a policy nationwide. Those guns in the hands of untrained people on how to use get should be recognized and given due weight by the government in charge of the nation. Therefore, “disarmament is justified”

True, it could be argued that disarmament in one region, particularly ethnic Nuer, is showing inadequacies of unproven interest parties to the issues facing the civilians. Therefore, disarming civilians is unhelpful given various points in the past policy used by the government. 

Whereas the government can disarm armed civilians in one section of the country and leave other communities’ un-touch. When a government persuades a white army with comprehensive and thorough disarmament programs it can help ethnic Nuer as being used by unhappy politicians. It is therefore possible to conclude that disarmament will serve the purpose of stopping intercommunal violence. To summarize, my argument eliminating and controlling of arms could possibility sustain longevity of peace in South Sudan. 

Deng Duot D’Ajur is a concerned South Sudanese Australian who can be reached via his email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.