The SPLM/A Red Army: genesis, perception, stages, objectives and achievements
7 min readBy Joseph Garang Deng
Introduction:
When the second war broke out in Bor town in Jonglei State on the 16th May 1983, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army /Movement (SPLA/ M) was immediately formed by the southern Sudanese who were disappointed by the bad governance by the Khartoum-based government. The majority of the former Sudanese army, intellectuals, students and peasants joined the rank and file of the SPLM/A. Among these were young boys who joined the movement voluntarily or were mobilized by the SPLM/A for one reason or the other.
This article covers several perspectives of the Red Army. It specifically seeks to answer questions like: What is the genesis of the “Red Army”? Who is the SPLM/A Red Army? How do people perceive the SPLM/A Red Army? How many stages of development has the SPLM/A Red Army has undergone? What were the objectives the SPLM/A Red Army was formed? To what extent has these objectives been achieved? What are the expectations of the Red Army from their SPLM/A-based government after having brought the independence?
Where was the genesis of the name “Red Army”?
The genesis of this name can be traced back to the World War II era when the Soviet Union formed their Red Army, a strong force to fight against the allied forces to prevent them from occupation of Moscow. The name can also be traced to the Mao Zedong (Tse-tung) period in China when the Mao government trained and built a strong Red Army to defend against any foreign aggressions. Both the Soviet Union and China were under a socialist system which was later adopted by countries such as Ethiopia and Angola, among other countries, in Africa that were allied to the Eastern Bloc against the Western Bloc during the Cold War period (1945-1991).
George Orwell, the author of “The animal farm” depicted the role of the puppies’ character in the book. He said that the puppies were kept far away from their parents and were trained, brainwashed and were well-fed to bring change in the animal kingdom. This idea is also believed by many people to have influenced the concept of the Red Army.
To justify his ideology, Dr John Garang was at one time interviewed by journalists to specify which socialism he was leaning to, whether Marxism or Leninism. “I am John Garang” was his answer. So had it not been for the changes that happened following the end of the Cold War when socialism ended under Mikhail Gorbachev, John Garang would have developed a tailor-made type of socialism for the Sudanese society.
In 1991, Dr Garang made this important pronouncement in Kapoeta: “socialism has come to an end; I and my movement, the SPLM/A, has now joined the political wind that is changing the world and blowing to the West”. This means that the movement’s socialism inclination had been changed to capitalism from that date.
Though the name Red Army was adapted from the socialist background, it continued to exist even after this paradigm shift. The continuity of the name “Red Army” even after the movement changed focus to capitalism was an indication that the SPLM/A Red Army was not purely an extension of the socialist type but had its own different purpose and objective to achieve.
Who is an SPLM/A Red Army?
This term refers to all the unaccompanied minors who volunteered or were mobilized by SPLA with an intention of being given formal education and for paramilitary activities. They underwent difficulties at different times and places. All these qualify to be called Red Army.
How do people perceived the Red Army?
Many people associate the Red Army to useless, failed young people who had nowhere to feed themselves other than found “Jesh” (SPLM/A) as a safe haven to get free food and other human needs. “Oh! I lost my clothes, who might have passed here? Of course Jesh el hamer was here a few minutes ago”. This public perception of associating the Red Army with thieves and cruelty was proved wrong since it was a policy of the SPLM/A to mobilize all the youth irrespective of their family background to join the SPLM/A ranks. The movement believed and perceived that these young people if they are equipped with all the necessary skills will replace the old “Jesh Aswot”, the black army. The SPLM/A’s vision of the New Sudan was seen as unachievable in the short-term hence in 1986 the movement initiated the policy to mobilize the youth from central Upper Nile under Cdr. Kuol Manyang Juuk, greater Bahr el Ghazal under Cdr. Daniel Awet Akot, greater Equatoria under Cdr James Wani Igga, western Upper Nile under Cdr. Dr. Riek Machar Teny, and the Nuba Mountains under the late Cdr. Yousif Kuwa Mekki .
How many stages has the (jesh el hamer) Red Army undergone?
The Red Army has undergone many stages and persevered difficult conditions. The Red Army in their earlier ages ranged from about 10 to 17 years of age. They walked long distances from their different localities in southern Sudan to Ethiopia or other areas allocated for them in the southern Sudan. They underwent difficult training with limited medical and other social welfare supplies. Most of the Red Army missed their earlier parental care; many lost their lives in the training centers. Those who survived the harsh training conditions joined schools in Ethiopia, southern Sudan and abroad.
The Red Army was categorized into First Brigade, Medium, Minors, Nyawanyiw, or named under their mother battalions or division such as Koryom, Mormor, Kazuk, Zalzal and Intifaza…Red Army. They were also named according to their bases like Bilpam, Tharpam, Panyido and Dima Red Army in Ethiopia, Palataka, Moli, Bronglei, among others in southern Sudan, and the SPLM/A Cuba Red Army. They were also named after the frontline they occupied such as Jamus Two, Commando Six, Ingaz among others.
After the change of the friendly government in Ethiopia in 1991, like other citizens, the Red Army suffered another blow of crossing rivers, and suffering a great deal on their way back to Sudan where many people lost their lives again. The group that reached Kenya in the same year or soon afterwards was became known as the un-accompanied minors. It was accommodated in the minors group or attached to other families in Kakuma Refugees camp.
What were the objectives the SPLM/A Red Army?
The SPLM/A leadership thought of mobilizing young people because it wanted to send them to school to enable them to acquire formal education because war had created an education gap that needed to be filled. Dr John Garang demonstrated this in Panyedo in Ethiopia in 1987 by writing on the board the numeral 1, 2, 3…and English letters A, B, C…respectively and taught the Red Army with these and calling the Red Army “al teraab” meaning seeds.
The leadership also wanted to equip these young people both militarily and politically to instill in them the spirit of patriotism and nationalism. They also wanted to develop a self reliant generation that would replace the old (jesh el aswot) army (SPLM/A) incase the war did not end quickly. The group also provided a pool of readily available and equipped army that could be resorted to in the time of need.
To what extent have these objectives have been achieved?
The Red Army has already achieved many of the above mentioned objectives:
- The minors that have been renamed the “Lost Boys” became informal ambassadors of the movement in countries of their settlement such as the USA, Canada and Australia to help spread the policies of the movement in these countries;
- The Red Army became the movement’s backbone during the dark days of the movement (1991-1994) when they helped to defend the SPLM/A territories from the advancing enemies;
- It is the Red Army Cuba and the First Brigade batch that were trained to use military tanks and artillery when the SPLA got advanced military hardware;
- The Red Army occupied very important places such as the signals, intelligence, engineering and junior officers in the movement that led infantry successfully;
- In civil administration, the majority of the Red Army occupies reasonable positions especially in Information Technology, Human Resources, and Finance among others; and
- The Red Army are patriotic and even when they are shaken by strong winds of politics they remain patriotic among the sea of the reactionaries.
- The majority of the Red Army received basic education, certificate, senior school certificates, diplomas, degrees, master’s degrees and even PhD degrees.
What are the expectations of the Red Army from their SPLM/A-led government after bringing independence?
According to my personal point of view, the Red Army expects from their government more recognition and representation, scholarships and employment opportunity. They are the manpower of which the late Dr. John Garang referred to when he said that “I have no problem of manpower to develop the country”. The government should make it apriority to employ the Red Army before resorting expatriate consultants.
I was a member of the Red Army who was wounded during the war. I admit that this article cannot exhaustively discuss the Red Army. I also regret any mistakes or omission; it was not intentional. I can be reached through josephgdeng@yahoo.co.uk or Tel. +211-0955705613.
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