LAND GRABBERS BE WARE!

The press statement issued by the so-called "Pigi Intellectuals" yesterday (below) is a combination of bad taste, cheekiness and arrant lies. Bad taste because they are disrespectful of a dead body which, in the good custom of our people, should be allowed to rest in peace. It is cheeky in that it is claiming an area which everybody, except for the expansionists like them, acknowledges to be a Chollo territory. In their justification to claim the land, they without shame spread arrant lies in order to mislead public opinion.

There is nothing we can do about the bad taste since this is something inbuilt in them. In this respect, we can only pray to God to bring them back to the right path. In Chollo tradition, people are buried in their homesteads near their compounds (a group of up to three huts). There are no graveyards in Chollo land as is the case everywhere in the villages of South Sudan.
Therefore, when the body of the late Hon. James Ogilo Agor was taken to Lyel village in Adhidhiang Chieftaincy, this was perfectly in conformity with Chollo tradition. Adhidhiang is part of Panyidwai Omodia and its being part of Chollo land is beyond doubt. James Ogilo as well as his father and his ancestors were born and grew up in Lyel. When he was a pupil in Doleib Hill Elementary School (1948-1952), James Ogilo used to cross Sobat river from Lyel to Doleib Hill every morning.

The people of Lyel were displaced by the Anya-nya 2 militia just recently in 1986 and James Mabor Dhol who commanded those militia established his HQ in Lyel which he renamed, because of the connotation of the original name in the Naath (Nuer) language, "Wey Mabor", meaning the village of Mabor. James Mabor is now languishing in jail in Juba, and can attest to this fact.

When did the Jieng (Dinka) go to Lyel?
Governor Kuol Manyang Juuk, who the writers of this ugly statement claimed to have laid the foundation stone of the so-called Pigi County, had his elementary education at Jonglei Elementary School in Malakal in the late 1950s with many Chollo pupils. He certainly must be aware that the
area has always belonged to Chollo. Pigi or Pigo is a Chollo word and the name is that of the village around Canal mouth which is part of Adhidhiang Chieftaincy.
Exposing their ignorance, and maybe cheekiness, the pseudo-intellectuals of Khorflus/Atar County claim that Chollo dignitaries were buried north of the Sobat. This is absolute balderdash! The ancestors of Hon. James Ogilo were buried at Lyel. These are verifiable facts the land grabbers
cannot distort.

If these land grabbers believe that they now have the power to take Chollo land by force, let them be reminded that force has never been mightier than the truth. Nothing on earth will stop Chollo from getting back all their lands now annexed to Jonglei State.

Michael Deng
24/6/2013.

*ABUSE OF NATIONAL ARMY BY CHOLLO GENERALS AND IT'S IMPLICATIONS*

Honorable James Ogilo Agor was widely known as a veteran politician who deserved the respect of every South Sudanese. He was among the first Southern Front Party leaders who asked for Independence of South Sudan from North Sudan during the round table Conference in 1965 in Khartoum. He was a contemporary of H.E. Abel Alier, Bona Malual, Joseph Lagu and many renowned
political leaders of the South.

Pigi community deeply regrets his untimely death and we pray for the Almighty God to receive his Soul in His eternal abode.

Honorable James Ogilo died in the United States of America. He went into refuge to seek treatment after a long hereditary ailment. Although he received successful treatment like any other human being, the disease as well as the old age overcame his resolve to fight for survival. His remains
were brought back to South Sudan for burial. His remains were supposed to be laid to rest where honorable Chollo are buried- west of the river Nile.
Unfortunately, his remains were taken to Pigi (Khorfulus) South of Sobat which is the headquarters of Pigi County. Upon learning that the late did not have a residential plot or Luak at Wun-Aruop, the Pigi County authorities advised the relatives of the late Hon. Ogilo to bury him according to the tradition of the Chollo, – on the west bank - across the Nile, but they refused.

The Chollo leaders in the National government of South Sudan ordered the SPLA around Malakal to execute a forceful burial at Wun-Aruop, the H/Q of Pigi County, Jonglei State - where the foundation stone of the County H/Q was laid by Hon. Lt. Gen. Kuol Manyang Juuk.

The SPLA forces crossed the river Sobat and without regard to the County authority manhandled and arrested two paramount Chief's, one National Security officer, one CID personnel and four policemen who were present at the H/Q - then forcefully buried the body of Hon. James Ogilo in the
surveyed first Class area of Wun-Aruop - Pigi Head-quarters.

Of course, the paradox is that there are no Chollo or relatives of late James in the vicinity. The Chollo are across the river Sobat at Doleib Hill. This is not the manner Africans bury corpses of dear ones. They are buried near our luaks or houses in Malakal and for others it has become fashionable that dignitaries are buried in their fences and not in the grave yard.

What does it now mean that an honorable MP, Minister, Member of Southern Front Party, Member of SSPA (South Sudan Political Association), Member of USAP, etc. was buried in another man's land? In the wilderness and not among his relatives in Pashoda or at least in Malakal where he has a house?
Why were the County authorities beaten up and detained while relatives of the late were allowed to choose the burial site irrespective of whether a cemetery existed or not in that administrative area?

Truly, the Jieng of Pigi County have no problem to allow the body to be buried among them, if Hon. Ogilo were to die in their midst. The relatives of late Hon. Ogilo may also stay in Pigi area just like other Jieng from Jonglei or Pigi who are residing in Upper Nile (Malakal) without claiming land.

It is also common knowledge that when Chollo stay on Jieng lands, they give their own names to those places (especially along the river - in the case of Pigi County). With this understanding, inhabitants of Pigi know that the land belongs to the Jieng and do not see any reason for quarreling with people who are using land temporarily. For instance, the Chollo call that place "Adidhiang" or "Lyel". This sounds as if it was a different place but on the ground, it is the same place Jieng call "Wun-Aruop". This does not give the government justification to use the National Army to force the
burial of Ogilo there.

*COMPLICATIONS:*

1. If the burial by force through the SPLA is a show of force by the Chollo Ministers and Generals in the SPLA, then there is a pending problem.

2. If the burial of the remains of Hon. Ogilo is indicative to the claim of ownership for the land by the Chollo, then there is a real problem.

3. If the forceful burial is a demonstration by the Chollo Generals in the SPLA to the so-called "Chollo home-guard" (returning militant groups) alleging their commitment to the protection of the Chollo land, then there is a major problem.

4. If the burial by force is to propel the two states of Upper Nile and Jonglei to settle any border issue between them, in isolation of other states as neighbors, then there exists a problem.

5. If the Chollo Generals and officials in the National government intend to force the Jieng to negotiate and decide their co-existence through pressure and use of force then this is the start of major crises between the two tribes.

* *

*CONCLUSION:*

While the citizens of Pigi County put their faith in Government institutions to serve and protect them, we are skeptic of the behavior of the Chollo leaders who have embarked on abusing their national authorities.
Sadly enough, Pagan Amum – the SPLM Secretary General and aspiring Presidential Candidate in the 2015 Elections, is involved in the "Chollo land grabbing scheme" by encouraging the Chollo to settle in Anagdiar and to force the Jieng out and move Malakal H/Q to Mohamed Ajak. And without shame, Gen. Oyai Deng Ajak –Minister for Security in the Presidency, through his comradeship in the National Army is responsible for the orders delivered to the SPLA forces stationed around Malakal area to do his "dirty job" on Jieng land in Pigi County, Jonglei State. Furthermore, the returning Chollo armed militia group also known as "Chollo homeland guards" under the command of "Oliny" is the new militant force in town whose declarations questions Jieng territorial ownership – thus, its intentions have yet to be examined - sooner rather than later!

In light of the above facts, our hope is that these recurring actions by the Chollo leaders are not by any kind a declaration of whatsoever!
However, should we choose to forge forward as good neighbors, the abuse of power by Chollo Generals and use of the SPLA to forcefully bury a renowned South Sudanese intellectual in "Wun-Aruop" shall be treated as a mistake! A "mistake" we hope shall not be repeated!

It is therefore our humble advice that communal and border issues be settled amicably through dialogue and without the threat or use of force.

Finally, we strongly advise the Chollo Generals and officials in the National Government who are involved in causing friction to understand that unless the free will of both parties to dialogue is guaranteed, only can meaningful negotiations on co-existence be achieved.

Pigi County Intellectuals.