An Open Letter to the President of GoSS

H.E. the President of the Government of Southern Sudan and Chairman of SPLM party Juba, Sudan

CC: The Governor of Upper Nile State

CC: Human Rights Organizations

FROM: Collo Community in USA

SUBJECT: Urgent Request to Halt the Padang Jieng Armed Encroachment into the Collo East White Nile and South Sobat River land.

Your Excellency,

Please accept our sincere heartfelt strong condemnation of the treacherous act of violence and death caused by the Padang Jieng to innocent peace loving Collo citizens in Malakal, Anagdiar, and Abanim during the ninth January 2008 (4^th CPA Anniversary in Malakal) a few days ago.

The CPA signed between The NCP and the SPLM on 9th Jan, 2005 in Kenya, charged the two negotiating parties with, “Making Unity of the Sudan Attractive to Southerners” during the interim period. Having been agreed that NCP shall pick one State as model in which it would experiment the phenomenon of making unity attractive to southern people, chose Upper Nile State to exercise its skills in public affairs. It is worth noticing that Upper Nile State has a large number of Arabicied and Islamized southern citizens most of them educated early on in Mahad El Helmy at Kodok during Ibrahim Aboud Islamic inspired military regime. It is no wonder that they “NCP” chose it for easy campaign. The SPLM on the other hand having been entitled to have a larger share in ministerial positions in the Upper Nile State Administration, but being mindful that most of the would be as aspirants for leadership among the Arabicized people would be those with uncontrollable thirst for power, which thirst usually eat like cancer in their hearts, accorded 4 ministerial positions to the Padang Jieng, ignoring the larger groups like the Collo nation. It’s to be noted that early on, the candidates chosen for ministerial positions by the SPLM, actually had held positions in the Upper Nile State representing the NCP, but had swiftly jumped over to SPLM as soon as CPA was insight.

It is with these preparations and high hopes that your government went to Malakal in order to test whether or not unity of the country has been made attractive and therefore, permanent peace, development, and progress was imminent and inevitable .

Mr. President,

We in the Diaspora were just anxious to hear joyous news and rejoice of the celebration in Malakal, when these expectations turned tears in our eyes. The Padang had profaned the tranquility of the friendly neighborhood of the Nilotic cradle land. Prospect of the successful peace in a united Sudan or successful separation of the South had now to end in anarchy and chaos. The Padang thirst for power which we had thought had been quenched when you oiled their mouth with 4 ministerial positions is uncontrollable. They are bent on occupying Collo land by Iron and Blood and nothing short of that.

Mr. President,

As an illustration, the tribal fight between the Shilluk and Nuer in Malakal in 1973 over the meat of hippotomus had no relation with hatred or enmity or rivalry between the two tribes. It was only a conflict of cultures. The Nuer believing in the culture of “The Survival of Fitters”, contended that elders had had their birth rights in the share of food during their youthful days and therefore, didn’t deserve any attention in the distribution of meat. The result was the flow of the blood and death. Now history has repeated it self. The greed for power and land which acts like cancer in the heart of some of the profaners of the celebration of January, 9 has found its level “.The Survival of Fitters” by Iron and Blood.

Mr. President,

The continued false claim by the Padang Jieng for the ownership of Malakal town and the entire eastern bank of the White Nile and the lower Sobat River up to its confluence with the White Nile are as follows:

1. During the Anglo Egyptian administration in Sudan, the area in question was ruled with Malakal Town Council as a full District headed by a District Commissioner; Kodok District Council headed by Assistant District Commissioner; and Sobat Rural Council headed by a local government executive officer. Since then the Sobat Rural Council didn’t have an office building in its area of activities, that at Ngok and Dingol villages which border Kodok District Council. Malakal Town Council offered them an office for their executive officer within the Town Council building. It’s absurd, for a person accorded kind accommodation to claim ownership of property of the host. It’s also naïve, and erroneous to think that central government institutions could be subservient to local government institutions.

2. The citizens of the Sobat Rural Council seem to confuse administrative council and the parliamentary election constituencies. In fact  there was time when Sobat Rural Council, Malakal Town Council, and lower Sobat areas of Kodak District

3. Councils “Anagdiar and Panydway Omoudiya,” were grouped together as one territorial constituency. And there was also time when Malakal Town Council, Kodok District Council, and Nasir District Council were one territorial constituency, while Sobat Rural Council, Malut Rural Council, Renk District Council, and Maban Rural Council were one territorial constituency. In short electoral constituencies did not mean the same thing as an administrative zone.

Mr. President,

For our Present day concern, your are on Records to have empathetically stated that your esteemed government didn’t come to interfere with previous arrangements by your predecessors, like the Anglo-Egyptian administration or the Sudanese successive governments or the southern’s regional governments. That your government recognizes the boundary of the old Pangak District Council and old Kodok District Council is the boundary between Jonglei and Upper Nile State. And the boundary of old Sobat Rural Council and old Kodok District Council to be the boundary between Bialiet County and Panyikang, Makal and Pachodo Counties. If that statement is true we strongly demand that you proclaim its implementation by an Executive Order.

Mr. President,

Given the preparations your government and national unity government have been making for four years, now destroyed by the barbaric, uncivilized, and treacherous attack on peaceful loving Collo people, what’s the way forward?

H.E President, Omer El-Bashir and his National Congress Party whatever their feelings about the incident may have the right to shade crocodile tears for the dead, while at the same time they are hiding smiling faces suggesting that the Southern Sudanese people will make anarchy and chaos of the south if left to govern themselves. Is your option to stand aloft and watch the peace so strenuously earned by the south cast over board by some Blood Thirsty Elements?

It’s our well considered opinion that your government has been slow, lenient, unforcefull and irresolute in handling the many cases of violence, corruption, accountability, land grabbing, tribal and public affairs.

Late Dr. John De Mabior was on records saying that the SPLM government policy was to take towns to the people. The situation now seems reversed. Despite the fact that, unlike the situation from 1972 to 1982 when there was no money in the hands of the government of the day, now we have the oil money and international donations, but your government does not have a program for rehabilitation and resettlement of the internally displaced persons of the south and the returnees refugees from abroad. Your government seems to have left the people to randomly fend for acres of land of others instead of directing each group to return to its previous place of domicile.

“Survival of the Fitters” is the order of the day, for instance we find husbands and spouses getting appointed to ministerial positions, relatives and tribesmen being appointed as directors for administration and finance.

It’s to be recalled and reiterated that in the past there was a strong, efficient and dedicated civil services in the south. In those days for instance a Collo, Moro, or a Feritit could be appointed in a ministerial or very senior civil service position, but now power seekers seem to be keeping your eyes away from some of the most efficient southerners. In another development, the government of the south used to officially engage the Collo Reth “King” in tribal conflict resolution activities. We have now observed that the present Reth hasn’t been invited to Juba since the CPA indicating that his services are not needed.

In conclusion

Mr. President

We would like to recommend the followings:

1. We strongly urge you to speedily implement the demands of “Collo nation members of parliaments, National, Southern Sudan and Upper Nile State assemblies” in their letter to His Excellency the governor of Upper Nile State, specially those parts which deal with criminal justice, law enforcement, and resettlement of people in their places of domicile.

1. We earnestly request you to appoint Collo Persons in the government of Southern Sudan.
2. We strongly recommend the involvement the Reth in your government public relation activities.
3. Complete investigation into the use of the heavy guns “RPG, Grenade, Forty Six, etc” in attacking Collo villages in Anagdiar, Abanim etc and the involvement of SPLA personnel in the attack.
4. We blame the Upper Nile State authorities “Governor, Ministers, and Commissioners” as they appear not to know the geographical boundaries of their State with the nightbring States, like Jonglei and also the geographical boundaries of the neighboring Counties within their State.

With complement

Singed by:

1. Uncle James Ogilo Agor
2. Mr. Ojamo Tor
3. Mr. Lwanyo Padiet
4. Mr. Simon Aban Deng
5. Mr. Bol Nyikang
6. Mr. Jwothab Wanh Othow
7. Mr. Yomo B. Arop
8. Ms Victoria Dennis
9. Mr. William Ator
10. Mr. Aban Ajawin
11. Mr. Jalpan O Nyawello
12. Mr. Olwak C Ayawak
13. Mr. Jameson C Nyapal
14. Mr. Kuol D Farag
15. Mr. Jermico D Amon
16. Mr. Okuc O Lwangmianga
17. Ms. Banythuro A. Padiet
18. Mr. Emmanuel Ajak
19. Mr. Jibeen J. Agor
20. Mr. Francis Chan
21. Mr. Joseph Adeng
22. Mr. Alnoor Nywillo
23. Mr. Peter Opach
24. Mr. Sabino Ator
25. Mr. Gabriel Owac
26. Mr. Johnson Owac
27. Mr. Banino Y. Aban
28. Mr. Michael Aban
29. Mr. Sabit Okach
30. Dr Tino S Nyawello
31. Mr. Akim kur
32. Mr. Augustine Ochoung
33. Mr. Michael Tip
34. Mr. Samuel Ochem
35. Mr. Chan Aba Akol
36. Mr. Obac Deer