Riek Machar’s War Expansion to Bahr el Gazel Region
7 min readWar Expansion to Bahr el Gazel Region: The last squashing of the stupor government of gluttons
By Chuol Chot Puoch
Just the title, hundreds if not thousands, will value me as a war monger. However, that should not be the case; I am among the very few South Sudanese looking at this Country with anti-tribalism lens, praying days and nights for peace to dip its roots in this beloved land of South Sudan. If I want to fight, If I want to sit and if I want to shout; perhaps, I may have a concrete reason to why I may do so. Read further and understand that I am not a “war monger” but a “peace advocator”.
Highlight on the destruction of Greater Upper Nile:
Let’s first start with Malakal town which was intentionally destroyed, looted and emptied by the government of South Sudan through the traitors and disgruntled rats under the political leadership of Simon Kun Puoch Mar Weng and military leadership of Johnson Gony Biliu Puoch. After the initial eruption of violent on 15th December 2013 in Juba, it took couple of days for the violent to start in Upper Nile State. The delay in the eruption of the violent was due to the absent of the BIG traitor Simon Kun Puoch, the governor from the state. Upon his arrival, Kun was so harsh and negative on Nuer fellows who were mourning the death of their love ones massacred in Juba and as a result, he finally made his orders to arrest some individuals accusing them of supporting the said attempted coup in Juba.
As people were angry, confused and mentally stranded, the only option to rescue their life was to act in self defense by not accepting to be arrested by the security gangs of Kun Puoch. Then the war erupted in the state capital and the government supporters were expelled from the towns leaving hundred bodies dead. To prove that no one planed the war, whether in Juba or Upper Nile region, the members of police forces, the Wild Life, the Prison and the youths remained in the town for more than two weeks with no military or political leadership. Everyone was under his/her own command and security.
Then, the government reorganized itself outside Malakal town and finally, the members of those defected units withdrew from the town after the rumors of the government’s plan to attack them. Random shooting was made, especially in the Southern part of the town as they were heading to Doleip Hill, south of Malakal. The government claimed the victory, unfortunately, the devil plan of looting, destroying, and burning the lovely city of Malakal came into the rat’s mind, the commercial stores located in many different parts of the city were all emptied and given to their troops with orders from Kun Puoch, the governor. All the houses owned by Nuer were burnt to ash, women and girls raped, pastors killed and tortured, children tortured and everything was a mess!
Hunting and slaughtering stations were set up in Malakal, Melut, Paloc, Panyikang, Renk and many other places. Officials and staffs working in all those areas, including the oil companies, were murdered and massacred with zero remained. Bahr el Gazel members in the army intensively raped almost every women present in the government controlled areas claiming that they have left their wives in Bahr el Gazel for the defense of the People of Upper Nile. They were acting as the only masculine troops considering the others to be women carrying penis. That was horrible and terrible!
The act initiated by the leadership of the state was then adopted and followed by the citizen allying with the government especially in Malakal. After the final withdrawal of the SPLA – IO troops from Malakal on the 19th of March 2013, Malakal city witnessed the ever seen looting and destruction. The town was burning almost for the whole month. Markets were created in Akoka, Melut, Kodok and Renk and were given the name “SUK MALAKAL” because the properties and items being sell/exchanged there were all brought from Malakal city. In UNMISS log-base in Malakal, almost every single person from Dinka and Shilluk tribe is currently sleeping on a bed and mattress, sitting on modern chairs with refrigerators loaded and parked all over the compound.
The same scenario happened even with a higher degree of destruction in Unity and Jonglei state respectivel; Nuer houses and properties were all looted and burnt, children slaughtered, women and girls were raped in “G-UNIT style” leading most of them to death. I always nearly go mad when I think about all these.
Then, why is it importance to spread this war to greater Bahr el Gazel:
With exception of very few individual including myself, leadership of a person in a certain public office like presidency, ministerial and gubernatorial post are always taken by people for tribal representation; not to move far from here, they are sometime given as well for tribal representation and domination, that is abominating!
In the beginning of this crisis, if it was not because of this belief that public seat are taken tribal, elders and youths from Bahr el Gazel region would have reverted and challenged the situation and eventually overcame it. In one way or another, they would have forced the government to stop killing, recruiting the children and so on. In lieu of our expectation, they simply choose to dance, celebrate and blindly support the Kirr’s leadership as a Bahr el Gazel gift which can never be taken away. If you were in Juba in the aftermath of the massacre till this very date, 3 quarters of the Bahr el Gazel population is in Juba, most of which are civilians. I have been wondering why they decided to unofficially migrate to Central Equatoria.
Whether you like it or not, they have already chosen the hell direction and they needs to be dealt with appropriately. I mean, if Salva Kirr is turned into a doll and placed in J1 or in the office of the president today, Bahr el Gazelians wouldn’t leave that doll so long as it’s there as a doll from them. Believe me or not, there is no peaceful solution to this conflict, not Kirr or greater Bahr el Gazel will ever accept peaceful resolution and compromise simply because the destruction, the raping, the looting and the extreme death that has happened in greater Upper Nile region is only seen on screen and heard on air.
It’s not been a dream of any of us, not even the active front line commanders of the SPLA – IO to escalate this war or even spread it to other parts of the Country like greater Bahr el Gazel. But, the only window of opportunity to rescue this nation from finishing and permanently fragment itself is to fight the war once and for all, aiming at bringing peace and stability, good governance with reconciliation and healing topping the list of the objectives.
It’s worth mentioning that, there are hundreds of thousands of youths from Bahr el Gazel ready to take up arms against the dictatorial government of Salva Kirr under direct command of Gen. Dau Aturjuong Nyuol. The same is in greater Equatoria where three quarters of the population is in full support of the SPLM-IO and the other remaining quarter is either neutral, undecided or oblivion of the happening.
In conclusion:-
I have no intention to advocate for the escalation of this war, but I understand that continues instability which can be corrected and managed in the Country but left continuing, is indeed, a lack of patriotism and nationhood; in fact, it’s stupidity! I call upon the leadership of the SPLM – IO to abandon luxury in Addis Ababa and come back to the bushes here to finally rescue our people. I call upon all South Sudanese to understand that Salva Kirr has no interest in bringing peace to our Country, not now or anytime in the future and therefore, we need to be politically, socially, diplomatically and militarily be operational and supportive to the SPLM – IO as it’s the only hope to restore peace and stability back to our beloved Country. Red lines, bloodlines and bone-lines have been drawn all over for us not to cross, though our rights, dignity and freedoms are all drawn in there untouchable, they are ready to draw even more if we don’t say “enough is enough”.
Chuol C. Puoch is a South Sudanese living in South Sudan; he can be added/follow on Facebook with his name mentioned above, on twitter @chuolchot and via email: chuolchotson@gmail.com
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