where do we stand after 18 years of Eljebelin massacre

Christmas Holidays & El Jabelein Massacre

18 years after the Massacre of Collo, what lessons have we learned?

By: Kimo Ajing Aba This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

As we have entered the last month of the year 2007, of the Second Millennium, Collo (Shilluk) people must stand up and hold their right hands upon their chests, for a minute of silence in recognition of those killed, slain, and slaughtered in the small town of El Jebellin on 28 and 29 of December 1989.

The gratuitous killings, was committed by members of an Arab-armed group from Sabaha and Saleim, who wanted their Collo farm workers to return to the fields despite the fact the farm-workers opted for completing their Christmas?s with their love ones in the surrounding villages of Phodhi Collo.

Unsatisfied with their insistence, an Arab farm-owner struck to death his Collo worker with a sword (peil). Cunning with stick?s use, a companion jubilantly inflicted severe injuries right on head, forehead, and upper abdomen of the farm-owner. The local police reported to the scene and escorted the three companions to jail, pending investigation on the matter.

The wail (akeiw) reached the neighboring Arab villages and the Sabaha tribesmen packed themselves in Lorries, with riffles, swords, and automatic guns. They headed towards the small town of El-Jebelein where they abruptly, sealed it off and started shooting at every Collo men, women, and children. The Collo huts and living dwellings were set on fire. Those escaped the guns? bullets and fire blaze, by diving into the river Nile, were drowned, except for few who made it to the other shore (loug collo).

The Arab militia then turned towards the centre of the small town, where the police station is situated. The policemen fled the station leaving hundreds of Collo who sought refuge there, highly vulnerable and at the sole mercy of the assailant militia. All Collo people, including some Dinka, Nuer and Burun were killed, slaughtered or fanged to death at that police station. The suspects inside the police confinements received dozens of gunshots penetrating through the bars of the jail. Unable to break the locks, the militia resorted to swords, spears, and knives to chop at those who huddled in the very corners of the jail.

The blood flooded throughout the station and redness colored the large part of the dark soil of El Jebelein. The Collo Kingdom disappeared in El Jebelein with the murderers showing of no remorse or satisfaction over such elimination of human beings. They scattered into the fields and neighboring villages, in hunt for Collo. The sequence of violence, therefore, continued for several days while dead bodies were recovered from the river.

Alarmed by the news from El-Jebelein, a senior Sudanese Army commander in Renk, who happened to be Collo, by ethnicity, decided to rescue his kinsmen but his move was swiftly blocked on urgent higher orders from the Army?s General Headquarter in Khartoum. Late/ Brig. General / Pio Yukwan Deng, member of National Salvation Revolutionary Council and the Chairperson of the Council for the South, made several efforts to stop the rampage killings at its inception, but to no avail.

The Sudan People Liberation Army forces were not active in the very northern parts of the Upper Nile, where they would have come to protect these innocent civilians. Yet the SPLM/A condemned the atrocities and strictly hold the Sudan Government responsible, in complicity with the Sabaha militia.

After the cycle of death and mayhem took its toll on Collo of El Jebelein, an army and police units from Kosti and Renk were dispatched, respectively to the town. Pressures from the International community and Human Rights Organizations then let the Government of Sudan to endorse the formation of an official committee to investigate the massacre.

Collo at large, got relieved when the Authorities in Khartoum setup an investigation committee and a Reconciliation Panel, followed by the announcement of Usataz/ Musa Kur, as a commissioner for El Jebelein province. However, the established committees counted the number of casualties of Collo to range between 150 -250. The government officials endorsed these numbers while Collo Kingdom?s officials largely believed the death toll to have exceeded 3000 to 5000. Likewise, the Collo intellectuals roughly estimated the casualties to be around 4000 dead. Consequently, appropriate compensations for the families of the victims, would have correspond to the number given by the committee and the government, alike. This outcome has caused dismay and scorn Collo forever. It is to be noted here that some families or households were completely lost in the massacre with no body left alive to access the compensation, on their behalf.

Hence, Late/Reth/ Ayang Anai Kur, was deeply offended on the figures pronounced by the Government?s authorities, the lack of transparency in the investigation, deliberate concealment of facts related to the massacre, lack of proper compensation for the families of the victims, plus labeling of the massacre as mere ?inter-tribal fighting? . His Majesty/ Ayang Kwon, made a historic stand by denouncing participation in any process, which is not fair and just. In addition, he chanted away from any attempt to rally Collo behind his Rethship, for revenge and vindication.

Upon his entrustment to the throne of the Collo Kingdom in Pachodo; in a first videotaped coronation, in1974 Reth/ Ayang Ani Kur substituted the traditional white weapons of Reth guards with relative riffles and then Kalashnikovs. In today?s world of modernity and advancement in the various aspects of life, his sound judgment should have realized the actual need for what is more capable, than a stick and a shield, for defense, protection, and war.

History always reminds Collo that their northern boarders used to stand as far as Shendi. Then it dropped down to Khartoum (which means in Collo language ?kad-a-atoum?- a name for confluence of the Nile River. Afterward it became at El Aliyass - present ?Kawa?. The only detrimental factor upon the southward retreat and the defeat of Collo was the use of automatic riffles, artillery, introduced to Sudan by the Turkey-Egyptian invaders.

Again, when Mohamed Ahmed Al Mahadi brought his final victory over the demised Turkey-Egyptian rule, the Mahadist?s State used the confiscated Turkey-Egyptian weapons in attacking Collo in the Aba Island (moj aba). As a result, their territories limits dropped further to its current position, as Zaki Al Tamal was one of the most rigorous Mahadist?s commanding officers determined in subduing the Collo nation.

Collo warriors? quickly learned their lesson the hard way and made considerable adjustments to the war conditions at that time: by abandonment of spears and shields; in the first place. Instead, they turned to flow am batch to carry swift and concentrated attacks along the Nile, on the newly established villages and stations created by the Mahadists. Although this new strategy enabled them to hold ground, stopped further defeats, and block Al-Ansar from moving deep southward, the riffles and small guns had already tipped the balance in favor of the intruders. Thus far, crippled from making no northward advancements, Collo were bound to seek survival solutions, up to this day.

At the present days encroachments dictated by desertification, change in the environment around the globe, exploration and exploitation of natural resources such as Gum and Coal, fish, and the search for grazing lands, would evidently put Collo at the cross road of how to measure the impact of that on them and on their culture, land, and system of governing.

With the major grounds Collo have lost earlier, Reth of Collo has also lost his historical role as the commander-in-chief of the Collo army (warriors). However, a way to regain that largely remains with Collo people, who have fought in the 21-year-old civil war. The war had helped in the flow of ammunitions, machine guns, and riffles into the territories of Collo; causing a raise in their fighting or defense capabilities.

Reth role can emerge, here by having all various fighting groups and militia join the Sudan People?s Liberation Army (SPLA), the-will-be army of the South Sudan. In addition, the declaration of Phodhi Collo as militia-free-zone can be seen as a prospective role of His Majesty, who still acts as the prime- peacekeeper of the Collo land. The relocation of the internal displaced people who have settled in some parts of the Collo Kingdom, back to their original places, should by now be one of the prime tasks of our people as such presence may constitute major risk that can easily escalate into an abrupt atrocities or wanton killings.

As Collo has always remained as an entity within the context of the social, economical, cultural components of the South Sudan and the country at large, its daughters and must strive for its continued existence. One way of doing that is to find an equilibrium for its existence and well being within the changing world of today, where physical and economical aspects are the rule of existence.

Where do we stand after 18 years of El Jebelein massacre is an invitation for comments and further deliberations.

By: Kimo Ajing Aba

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