Torit Mutiny Anniversary: South Sudan celebrates Torit “Revolution” Day of 18 August, 1955
21 min readAugust 18th, 1955 Revisited: Torit is Synonymous with South Sudanese Armed Struggle.
“Alam akaac Torit, alam jech John, kabuku laar Juba Thudanda Jidiit. Kalashnikov adhiaau Thudanda aluel John, kabuku biok mutfa Thudanda Jidiit”—SPLM/A revolutionary song in Dinka acknowledging and praising Torit as the heart and soul of the Movement.
By PaanLuel Wel, Washington DC, USA
Torit town is the apotheosis of South Sudanese armed struggle against the sadomasochistic successive Khartoum regimes. It was in Torit town that the first bullet of the first Southern uprising was shot at the Jalaba on August 18th, 1955. The Equatoria corps, the valiant Southern soldiers who spearheaded the Torit Mutiny, was from Torit town. Father Saturnino Lohure, the priest turned rebel leader of Anyanya One, hailed from Torit. Torit was the first official SPLM/A headquarters. After the failed Nasir coup against Dr. Garang’s leadership, his faction was christened SPLM/A-Torit. The recaptured of Torit town by the Al-Bashir regime from the SPLM/A in 1992 engineered a frenzied celebration in Khartoum. The subsequent re-recapturing of Torit by the SPLM/A during the CPA negotiation nearly hemorrhaged the peace talk.
Of all South Sudanese historical events and dates associated with Torit town, none is as important, encompassing and influential as the Torit Mutiny of 18 August 1955. It was the first time that Southerners openly displayed, in bullet and blood, their pent-up anger and political frustration with their colonizers: the British, the British-favored northern Sudanese Arabs and their Egyptians surrogates. In the days leading up to Sudan independence from the British, the colonial administration under the British and the Egyptians had anti-South Sudanese state policy. Southerners were administratively and educationally ill-prepared and politically marginalized.
As if that was not enough superfluous provocation, any concerted attempt by leading Southern politicians, traditional leaders/elders, and few educated individuals, was dismissively characterized, in the word of the first Sudanese Prime Minister—Ismail Azhari, as “childish complaints of the Southerners.” Entirely excluded from the political and economic preparations for the independence of the Sudan, and with no further room or outlet to air their grievances, the Equatoria Corps of Torit town could not take it anymore. They decided to rebel on August 18th, 1955, after they were told to relocate to Northern Sudan, purportedly to participate in the celebration of the Sudan independence, the very occasion in which principal Southerners were summarily excluded and sidelined.
August 18th, the day the first rebellion was initiated against the Khartoum government in Torit town, later became the D-date of South Sudanese armed struggle. The Anyanya One of Joseph Lagu was launched on 18 August, 1962. The Clandestine Group or the Underground Movement of Dr. John Garang and his dissatisfied members of Anyanya One ex-soldiers planned the launching of what later became the SPLM/A on 18 August 1983. Unfortunately, Kerubino Kwanyin Bol and his money issues, plus other various unforeseen political events, necessitated the revision of the date to May 16th 1983. So ingrained in the political psyche of South Sudanese armed struggle is August 18—the Torit Revolution Day of August 18, 1955—that the current President of the Republic of South Sudan, H.E. Salva Kiir Mayaardit, declared it on August 18th, 2007 as the official annual commemoration day of the war veterans who fought for freedom, justice and equality for South Sudanese.
Torit town, too, produced the first war veterans of South Sudanese armed struggle. Among these courageous heroes were the veterans of Torit Mutiny of 1955: General Emilio Tafeng and Ali Gbattala etc. Secondly, among the sons of Torit town of Anyanya One armed struggle were leaders like Father Saturnino Lohure. Fr. Lohure was the real political leader of the Movement before he was brutally assassinated on 27 January 1967 in Uganda on his way to and from Southern Sudan. Torit also produced laudable and gallant leader in the persons of Joseph H. Oduho: an Anyanya One war veteran and the cool mind with unmatched experiences that provided the political wisdom during the hectic days of the formation of SPLM/A when the egoistical squabbling between Dr. Garang group vs Akuot Atem camp almost miscarriaged the nascent Movement. In the same ranks of great Torit sons are leaders like the late Brigadier Paterno, Angelo Lopuro, Captain Jada, and Major General Obuto Mamur among plentiful others.
Of all the Southern towns captured by the SPLM/A during its first glorious days of the war of liberation, it was Torit that became the first meaningful official headquarters of the SPLM/A leadership under Dr. John Garang. The captured of Torit from Jalaba by the SPLM/A heralded the age of SPLM/A as a serious revolutionary army to contend with and not to be mistaken for the rag-tags soldiers of Anyanya Two Movement. The SPLM/A leader, Dr. John Garang, in his media/propaganda war with the north, exploited and made a big deal out of the capturing of Torit from El-Bashir regime; a scenario that was later vividly replayed when Al-Bashir recaptured the town in 1992 from the SPLM/A and Dr. Garang was there to receive the taste of his own medicine.
Not only was Torit town the political headquarters of the SPLM/A, it too became its very name after the fateful split of the Movement in 1991. The downfall of Mengistu’s Derg government in Ethiopia that was the political godfather of the SPLM/A, coupled with the Nasir coup and the resurgence of Jihadistic Al-Bashir regime, put a considerable amount of pressure on the SPLM/A and profoundly weakened it to the point of near annihilation. Almost the whole of Upper Nile region was retaken by the enemy and so was Bahr al-Ghazal region. With Western Equatioria solidly in the hand of the Arabs, it was Torit and Eastern Equatoria region that SPLM/A had small breathing space till Torit was retaken too. In the height of South-South self-destructive partisan hostilities, the SPLM/A faction under Dr. John Garang was renamed as SPLM/A-Torit while the faction under Dr. Machar and Dr. Lam took Nasir to its acronym. Thus, there was SPLM/A-Torit under John Garang and SPLM/A-Nasir under Riek Machar.
It was not only in Torit that the first revolutionary armed struggle for South Sudan independence started, it was also where the last big final battle was fought. Just as SPLM/A was teetering on the verge of extinction at the hand of Al-Bashir Jihadistic army, the Movement, with the help of Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea and the USA, rebound and swiftly recaptured many towns from the advancing NIF operation “Seif Obuur” that had easily recaptured all towns under SPLM/A with the exception of Nimule where they were badly pinned down by the besieged SPLM/A soldiers.
The new impetus from the resurgent SPLM/A compelled the NIF government from their much publicized nationwide planned declaration of final defeat of the rebel and the end to the southern war and onto the negotiating table. By then, it was all apparent, to both parties, that any talk of military solution to the war was all but an entertaining illusion with no tangible corroboration from the ground. The SPLM/A, contrary to their revolutionary songs of “Khartoum abukku dom, 91”, was never going to realize their intended triumphant march to Khartoum and neither was the Khartoum government going to defeat the rebels at the barrel of the gun. So, grudgingly and resignedly, both warring parties went to the IGAD peace talk.
But with the SPLM still relishing their recent victories against the Arabs and their appetite whetted for more, they launched a successful armed operation that first re-recaptured Kapoeta and then Torit. While Al-Bashir was not that fired up by the fall of Kapoeta to the SPLM/A, he was not going to accept anything less than an SPLM/A withdrawn when it came to Torit. The recaptured of Torit by the SPLM/A almost derailed the Peace Talk and threatened to stillborn the CPA till Khartoum government, with the backing of Equatoria Defense Force, retook Torit town.
Honorably, not only was Torit the first Southern city to fire the first shot of the first Southern uprising, it was also the last Southern city to fire the last shot of the Southern armed struggle before the advance of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the war and gave Southerners their political freedom and independence from the north. As such an important town in the historical struggle of South Sudanese people, Torit town has the honor of being the capital city of Eastern Equatoria State in the newly independent nation of South Sudan.
It was this sublimity of Torit town that H.E. Salva Kiir Mayaardit, the current president of the Republic of South sudan, acknowledged in his 2007 speech in Torit, on the occasion of opening a newly built Secondary School in commemoration of Dr. John Garang, when he solemnly proclaimed: “since Torit is a town of history, I am declaring 18 August a national day because it will remind us of what happened on the 18th August 1955 when our people mutinied in this town.”
You can reach PaanLuel Wël at paanluel2011 (email address), PaanLuel Wel (Facebook page), PaanLuelWel2011 (Twitter account) or through his blog account at: http://paanluelwel2011.wordpress.c
Auguest 18th, A National Day for South Sudan
By Steve Paterno
August 30, 2007 — On August 28th, 2007, President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir was at the historic town of Torit to open the newly built Secondary School there in commemoration of Dr. John Garang, the chairman of Sudan People Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A). This school is perhaps the best school ever built in South Sudan, given the fact that the South Sudan lacks schools; leave alone the good built schools. While celebrating the opening of the school, Kiir also made declaration by announcing, “since Torit is a town of history, I am declaring 18 August a national day because it will remind us of what happened on the 18th August 1955 when our people mutinied in this town.” This declaration did not come as a surprise to many patriotic Southern Sudanese. They are actually expecting it for the last fifty-two years.
What happened in Torit in August 18th, 1955, is a great part of Southern Sudanese history that will live with the people of South Sudan for centuries to come. By August of 1955, just months before the country would declare its independence; tension in South Sudan was very high. Southerners were deliberately excluded from all aspects of their affairs by the British, the Northern Sudanese Arabs, and the Egyptians. As if that was not enough marginalization, the Northern Sudanese Arabs kept on provoking the Southern Sudanese in certain specific incidents that sparked the Southerners to respond in kind. Among those incidents was that a Southern Sudanese, Member of Parliament, Elia Kuze was illegally sentenced to prison by Northern Sudanese Arab administrators in Yambio. The Southerners demonstrated in front of the court, but unfortunately, the Arab merchants shot to death some of those innocent demonstrators. And then suddenly, only few miles from Yambio, in Nzara, Southern Sudanese workers also went on the streets demanding better treatment and pay, but like their fellow colleagues in Yambio, several of them were shot to death and some were wounded. Sensing the tension, Khartoum began to send in troops to replace the proud and courageous Equatoria Corp, a Southern Sudanese military unit instituted during the colonial rule. Accompanying all these, was a letter from the then Khartoum’s Prime Minister, Ismail Azhari, ordering that his Northern Sudanese Arab administrators should ignore the “childish complaints of the Southerners.”
The Khartoum then moved on with its plan in liquidating the Equatoria Corp unit. The Equatoria Corp (Company number two), which was stationed in Torit was ordered to report to Khartoum on the pretense that they were going to participate in ceremony of the evacuation of foreign troops, which was due to take place during the independence. Knowing that they would be lured in the North then be imprisoned and eventually killed, the Equatoria Corp (Company number two) soldiers disobeyed the orders from their commanding officer who was a Northern Sudanese Arab. This commanding officer, a certain Saleh, became disoriented; he began to issue threats against these brave Southern Sudanese soldiers. As he realized that his commands were ignored and his verbal threats had no impact, he mistakenly took a gun, and shot one of the soldiers. He then jumped into his car, which he set ready, and sped off to Juba and all the way to Khartoum. He would later report to the military headquarters in Khartoum and to Prime Minister al-Azhari, and swear in the name of Allah (the God of Muslim) that he promised he will never again return to the South of Sudan, especially Equatoria, and Torit in particular. As a symbol of commitment for his words, he broke a stick. According to this cultural superstition, if he ever again step his foot in the South, he would die as a result of something like lightening strike, heart attack, a stroke, or even a snake bite.
Anyway, Saleh’s decision of not wanting to return to the South was probably the right decision for him. After he luckily escaped from Torit, the Equatoria Corp went on rampage, massacring all the Northern Sudanese Arabs they could find. They managed to secure the armed depot and dislodged all the Northern Sudanese soldiers from the town. Those who could escape ended up drowning in Kineti River. It turned out that the Arabs could not swim, especially under panic. Few of them who survived took refuge in a Catholic mission, the very Catholics that they will later come and persecute.
The Southern Sudanese response was almost instantaneously, from Torit spreading all over the Southern Sudanese towns. The Arabs were killed, left and right, and all they have to do was to run desperately while they could still run, but in most cases, they cannot even run. Some of them, the nice ones from other towns were asked nicely to pack and leave immediately. It was for the first time in the history of South Sudan since colonialism that the South was virtually set free as all the Northern Sudanese Arabs were dislodged and sent to run desperately for their lives. If some people out there are thinking that the Southerners cannot free themselves, then they are mistaken, because they did not need to be reminded that in 1955, the Southerners did in fact free themselves without the help of anyone, whether it is foreign or the so called marginalized Sudanese of the Sudan’s peripheries.
The Southerners’ hopes and bravery was only to be betrayed by the British. Of course, the Northern Sudanese Arabs could not reclaim the South. Historically, the Arabs have never managed to penetrate the South. The powerful al-Mahdi revolution that drove the Turko-Egyptians and British out of Sudan could not penetrate the South despite all the Mahdi’s mystical powers and the glory of a prophet. And once again the soon to be independent Khartoum government could not recapture the South after the Torit Mutiny. They had to run to the British and beg for support. They requested the British to airlift their troops to the South and asked that the British should negotiate a peaceful settlement with the Equatoria Corp soldiers. Unfortunately the British budged on those request by agreeing to transport the Khartoum troops to the South and convinced some of the instrumental leaders of Equatoria Corp to give up arms on the condition that a full investigation on the incident would be launched and amnesty be granted to all those involved. But that was not to be the case. Of course, the investigation was convened but its recommendations were not to be followed up and those who gave up arms were summarily executed and the most unfortunate ones were shipped north in the labor prison camps where they were expected to rot there.
This however, never destroyed the Southern Sudanese resolve for their liberation. For their inspirations, the Southern Sudanese had Torit Mutiny of 1955. The date August 18th, 1955, according to one author symbolizes, “Southern Solidarity; a symbol of rejection of an alien rule be it British, Egyptians or Northern Sudanese.” He goes on to add that the political, the social and the economic significance of the Torit Mutiny “have developed into a living legend.” The Anyanya, a Southern Sudanese liberation movement could not find a suitable date to officially declare an arms struggle against the government in Khartoum other than the August 18th, 1963. Those Southerners who conspired to form what later to be known as SPLM/A couldn’t look for another inspiring date than August 18th, but unfortunately in their case, their plan to launch a mutiny were betrayed through a leakage, which preempted them to rebelled earlier, on May 16th of 1983. The significance of Toritis countrywide. Even the current President of Khartoum, Omer al-Basher is obsessed with Torit just as Northern Sudanese Arab generations before him were. He had to pulled out of peace negotiation in 2002, simply because the SPLM/A then drove his troops out from Torit. He swore in the name of Allah that he could only return to negotiate when SPLM/A withdrew from Torit. If there is any important place for Sudanese Arab that will evoke them to swear in the name of Allah, it is Torit.
For Southerners, they are not short of supplies when it comes to being inspired. The inspirations are their in huge supplies set by those who bravely and courageously fought during the Torit Mutiny, therefore, no reason to lack inspirations. The motion for liberation was already set during the Torit Mutiny, therefore, no reason to rest. The standard for Southern Sudan freedom was already set when the South was freed during the Torit Mutiny, therefore, no reason to accept anything short of that total freedom and liberation. As the Southerners will be enjoying the celebration of the Torit Mutiny each year, they should remember what it means for them.
*Steve Paterno is a Sudanese residing in the U.S.A and the author of the of the upcoming book, The Rev. Fr. Saturnino Lohure: A Roman Catholic Priest Turned Rebel, The South Sudan Experience.
http://www.sudantribune.com/Auguest-18th-A-National-Day-for,23527
18 August 1955, South Sudan heroes day
By Charles Olukok Onyo-Ihari Langairio
September 5, 2007 — 18 August 1955 is not only national day but is also heroes day, it is a day when South Sudanese openly open fire and told the government in Khartoum that enough is enough.It is aday when Southern Sudanese were transported in thousands to Port Sudan to dig salt for the survival of the Northern Government,it is the day when other regions in South Sudan come together to give support to Torit mutineers and to shade their blood for the land God gave them without negotiation and argument.This is the Town which brings peace in South Sudan and it is a town where SPLA/M survived the final devolution or from coma stage which was blown by Dr.Riek Machar/the current Vice President of South Sudan government under his Nassir faction and Khartoum government allies.Torit is atown where their own sons and daughters will never betray the aspirations and the wills of the people of South Sudan and those in need freedom and justice.
The declaration by President Salva Kiir 18 August 1955 as a national holiday ,though it is too late,we the concern citizens of South Sudan still welcome it.We the Otuho and people who belong to Torit county and other neighbouring counties (Who shared the mutiny in 18 August 1955 when they were one district under Torit) will still celebrate it as national day and January as heroes day because these are some of the major historical memories of our struggle and assassination of our freedom fighters,First Fr.Staurlino Ohure the Founder of the South Sudan problem and who used forced to overcome the Southern Problem than the bible was assassinated on 27 January 1967 in Uganda and January 1991 is one of the worst massacre by SPLA/M on his own SPLA/M supporters and freedom fighters ( This is known as Kor March Massacre in Kapoeta) where ever village in Toritlost five to ten SPLA freedom fighters,another incident in EES is the firing squad of 15-17 officers from Torit or LOPA county during inter factional fighting,this for me remains heroes day,the 15-17 officers died innocently without any justification from Dr.John Garang Torit main stream faction and Dr.Riak Machar SSIA/M know as Nassir faction.
The President Salva declaration has alot of argument in terms of academic and political understanding as I quote and underline words in question or that are not clearly explained to the people of South Sudan and Torit in particular ” “Since Torit is a town of history, I am declaring 18 August a national day because it will remind us of what happened on the 18th August 1955 when our people mutinied in this town,” he said. Quote by Abalu gurtong correspondent.
The word since has mean alot and for it ,it means the President is forcefully or he was under pressure that he declared the 18 August 1955 a national holiday that is why he said ’since” as to me it seems he does not know that 18 August 1955 was a liberation day for South Sudan.The national holiday have to be explain to the citizens of South Sudan and Sudan in particular because their are alot of national holidays in SPLA,Sudan,NIF/NCP etc. Iam not going to explain all of them because of interest of time and other commitment that need my attention and SSCCI.So it is us the concern citizens to evaluate and analyze the facts in the President word that create doubt and which create trust about all the citizens of South Sudan and the country at large.
My first article and question was during 16 may 2007 celebration President Speech posted by SPLM Diaspora,where our President Salva failed to acknowledged Torit Mutiny and its mutineers plus our Elder and Commander in Chief/Founder of South Sudan Liberation Fr.Saturlino Ohure,another point is the failure by President Salva to recognize/declaration 18 August 1955 or 52 Anniversary of their Struggle as a national day holiday during his term of office second anniversary but only declaring it during the opening of Dr.Garang De Mabior Memorial School which in actual sense must or should be renamed/named as Fr.Saturlino Ohure Memorial School .The Reasons are simple,Torit is the Place where the revolutionary struggled for South Sudan problem started and where the first leader come from and assassinated and this was suppose to be the procedure and how we should award our heroes according to their work. If SPLA/M want to make their historic naming it should either started with Brigadier Late Paterno,Angelo Lopuro or they should name Captain Jada (the name is not clear but he was the first SPLA officer that was dragged by Khartoum military tanks on Torit streets between 19889-1989 or the first Captain to shape his life for the liberation of South Sudan).
Therefore naming Dr.Garang is catch 22 and it belittle the founders of 1955 that shaded blood and taught Dr.Garang the spirit of liberating South Sudan through Referendum or Self determination.I would prefer the School to be named as Major General Obuto Mamur Memorial school because this will reminds us how he sacrificed his efforts and struggle to overcome Nassir faction and Khartoum offencive on Torit main faction that brings the CPA. The reasons for naming it after Major General Obuto Mamur is that he is under going the second liberation struggle in South Sudan known as underground,physical and psychological torture under his own party of SPLA/M.As rumours circulate he is undergoing final stages of his physical live and soon it will history since the Southerners betray him and never give him support as he supported them for the last 22 years of SPLA/M and Jallaba of Beshir war.
In conclusion,the President of South Sudan should take another step of declaring Major General Obuto Mete afree man and hero of SPLA/M.His declaration of 18 August 1955 as national holiday without explanation is another question mark.One country can not have two national liberation days or two national Heroes day.One must be forgo another or one must be eliminated or aleast combined to the major or the first incidence carry more weight than the second.Therefore the President of South Sudan should declare one liberation day or national holiday in South Sudan,we can not have 16 May 1983 and 18 August 1955 celebrated separately,it is waste of resources and time consuming since we need more time for reconstruction of South Sudan.
In order SPLM party to succeed in the next coming national elections and making their dream for South Sudan independent come true ,the top brass must release their captives like Major General Obuto Mamur,re-instate Governor for WES who was democratically accepted by the people of Western Equotoria,allow freedom of press,encourage private entrepreneurs like Aggrey Idri of Nile Commercial Bank,remove insecurity,corruption,forceful land occupation,harassment of civilians by SPLA and nepotism from South Sudan or GOSS government,any prisoners of conscience in South Sudan whether in Equatoria,Upper Nile and bahr El Ghazal must be release without any conditions.
Human rights respect must be atool of SPLM government and it should champion it since the purpose of struggle was to give freedom for the people of South Sudan and to allow them elect people of their choices.The problem in Eastern Equatoria has defeated democracy and freedom to choose/elect and to refuse aleader who abuse and misuse resources of the needy..
To remind our President of South Sudan and our South Sudan Legislative Assembly representatives,we want and I appeal to SSLA to pass laws that speed the trial of all prisoners of South Sudan especially political prisoners like Major General Obuto Mamur Mete who was detained on 21 march 2007 up to date without his case heard in the civilian or military courts neither did the conditions of his arrests and the results of his investigation made public to the people of South Sudan and SPLA military his a leader.As concern citizen,I appeal to the President to declare Obuto as free man since their is no evidence to support his continuos detention.
If our country of South Sudan does not respect freedom of speech and conscience it is time to international community to intervene,there are situations in South Sudan which are worst than Darfur conflict if immediate attention is not made.
Both the government of South Sudan and the government of national unity must respect international /diplomatic protocols,the expulsion of Canadian Diplomat is not internationally acceptable.The innocent detention of opposition leaders and members has enticed the democratic and peaceful country like Canada representative to call for the release of those innocent detainees who under daily torture in the hands of NCP/SPLM who are the sole owners of CPA.It is up on this I call the international community to condemn Sudan government for the expulsion of the Canadian Representative to Sudan.Sudan must be appreciative of the role Canada government played in bringing peace and donating millions of dollars to help the poor,in addition to that Canada have offered its land to host refugees from Sudan which in return repatriate millions of dollars to Sudan which help to improve the economy and living standards of the people of South Sudan.
To the people of South Sudan I believe the Founder of South Sudan Problem Fr. and C-N-C Saturlino Ohure dream is coming to its objective achievement sooner than later I predict that our current President Salva Kiir will declare South Sudan sovereign state or an independent country.
The author is the president of South Sudan Concern Citizens International (SSCCI). He can be reached at olukokonyoiharilangairio
http://www.sudantribune.com/18-August-1955-South-Sudan-heroes,23627
South Sudan celebrates Torit “revolution” day of 1955
By James Gatdet Dak
August 18, 2008 (JUBA) – The semi-autonomous Government of Southern Sudan on Monday celebrated “Torit revolution day” of August 18, 1955, which is declared as the official commemoration ‘Day of War Veterans’ every year throughout the region.
FVP, Salva Kiir Mayardit
The first rebellion of the people of Southern Sudan in protest of arrangements towards the would-be independent Sudan from the British colonial administration was declared in Torittown of the present Eastern Equatoria state just four months before the country gained its independence on January 1, 1956.
The Torit mutiny resulted into the Anya-nya I war that ended with the Addis Ababa Agreement in 1972.
Addressing the celebration in Juba, the First Vice President of the Republic of Sudan and President of the Government of Southern Sudan, General Salva Kiir Mayardit, described theTorit revolution as the starting point of the real political movement in Southern Sudan.
Kiir also urged for recognition of war veterans who also fought for freedom, justice and equality in western, eastern and northern Sudan.
President Kiir underlined that the Addis Ababa Agreement of 1972 was the only agreement of which the people of Southern Sudan tasted the dividends of peace, but was violated by the Khartoum government’s policy of divide and rule.
He said the people of Southern Sudan would never accept distortion of Sudan’s history as practiced by the previous and successive regimes in Khartoum.
(ST)
http://www.sudantribune.com/South-Sudan-celebrates-Torit,28325
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