Panaruu/Panrieng Community Press Release on Heglig/Panthou Crisis.
33 min read`’Any voluntary withdrawal by the RSS from Heglig would depicts and portrays the South Sudan as a military aggressor and illegal intruder of the Sudan’s Sovereignty in the face of the world, and would further emboldens the Sudan regime to dispute the status of Heglig with legal legitimacy before the international community.” `’You cannot withdraw voluntarily from what is rightfully yours under anybody or enemy pressure.” `’There should be a conditional prerequisites prior to submissive admission to the international pressures.” Quotes by Panaruu Community leaders in North America.
The sudden eruption of military hostility which sparked the international discriminatory and biased condemnations of the Republic of South Sudan by the UN, EU, UK, AU & USA, and indiscriminate bombardments of civilian populated towns in Unity State along the South-North border frontiers had become the focal concern and saddening outrage among the Panaruu/Panrieng Community and Unity State citizens across the globe. Panaruu/Panrieng Community across the world is also upset by the RSS’s mishandling of the Heglig/Panthou status and the incoherence of the Juba on the international-diplomacy frontline in the media versus the Khartoum ambassadorial diplomats. These themes had derided the status of Heglig.
Discriminatory & Biased Condemnations.
We, the Panaruu Community of the Ruweng/Panrieng County are vehemently maddened by the discriminatory and biased condemnations uttered by the UN Secretary General, EU, UK, AU & USA diplomatic Representatives and I quote them as follows;
Alarmed by escalating conflict between Sudan and South Sudan — as manifested most recently by the seizure of oil fields in Sudan — the Security Council this afternoon demanded that both sides immediately end cross-border violence and support to armed proxies and redeploy their forces from forward positions.
“The recent violence threatens to return both countries to full-scale war and the period of tragic loss of life and suffering, destroyed infrastructure, and economic devastation, which they have worked so hard and long to overcome”, the Council said in a statement delivered by Susan Rice of the United States.
To defuse the situation, immediate actions demanded by the Council include withdrawal of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) from the oil-rich area of Heglig in Sudan, an end to aerial bombardments by Sudan’s air force and redeployment of the forces of both sides 10 kilometers outside the North-South borderline specified in their agreements of 29 June and 30 July 2011.
The Council also reiterated its demand that both parties redeploy their forces immediately from the disputed Abyei area. In addition, both sides were urged to take immediate steps to establish a demilitarized border zone and activate the border monitoring mechanism already agreed upon, with the support of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNIFSA).
Towards lasting peace, the Council called on the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan to “urgently and peacefully” resolve issues regarding Southern Kordofan, Blue Nile and Abyei and all other outstanding matters of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which ended their decades-long conflict. For that purpose, the Council called on the leaders of both States to hold a summit, as previously planned, and to work with the related African Union high-level panel.
We, the indigenous natives of Panthou (infamously known as Heglig) condemn and denounce the discriminatory and unfair condemnations by the UN Secretary General, EU, UK, AU diplomatic Representatives, & USA State Department spokeswoman toward the Republic of South Sudan over the status of Heglig. Moreover, Panaruu/Panrieng citizens categorically reject the UN, EU, UK, AU, USA imperialistic demands in urging the Republic of South Sudan to withdraw its armed forces from the Panthou/Heglig as if it is a legitimate territory of North Sudan. Panthou/Heglig is an indigenous territory of the Panaruu Dinka of Panrieng County. Panthou/Heglig falls under the administrative payam of Aliiny of Kuok section in Northern Panrieng County.
Panthou is located deeply in Unity State, South Sudan in accordance to the colonial map of the January 1st, 1956 national archive of Sudan unless otherwise it is being tempered with and defaced to alter the authentic geography of the colonial map of 1956 borderline by the Khartoum regime for their malicious intention to illegally annex it due to its economic abundant resource in oil reserve and agricultural fertility. Panthou is nationally known as the most productive and rich oil field in Sudan that had been feeding and prospering the economic boost and boom of Sudan before the autonomous secession of South Sudan. The areas of Panthou including Roor de Lou or kool de Lek or Kelek (infamously renamed as Karasana is also part of Panthou, situated north of it) were occupied and annexed militarily by the Khartoum regime following the discovery of the oil deposits in these Panrieng County indigenous areas. Both of these oil producing areas of Panthou & Kelek/Karasana were natively inhabited by the local people of Panaruu Dinka until they were deliberately and intentionally displaced by the Sudan armed forces as a policy mandate by the foreign oil operating companies to depopulate the entire territories of Panaruu/Ruweng Dinka of Panrieng so that they can extensively expand for more spacious areas to carry out the extensive oil exploration in Ruweng/Panrieng County.
We, Panaruu people reserve much of substantial evidences to challenge anyone who dare to annex and claim the ownership of our indigenous territories with pre-emptive malice and rhetoric including the international bodies that are obsessively misled and misguided by the falsified fabrications and diplomatic smear-propaganda of Sudan regime before the UN, EU, AU, UK, & USA and public media. Both Panthou and Kelek/Karasana are the ancestral territories of Ruweng/Panaruu Dinka of Panrieng County in Unity State, South Sudan. Thus, South Sudan is the legitimate, authentic, and indigenous owner of both the Panthou and Karasana/Kelek.
Therefore, the rhetorical demands by the AU, UN, EU, UK, and US that the Republic of South Sudan must withdraw its triumphant and victorious troops over the capture and occupation of her sovereign territory along the South-North border does not make any logical/reasonable sense to the government and patriotic citizens of the South Sudan unless the UN, EU, UK, AU, Russia & USA want to abuse their imperialistic world powers against the belittled nascent South Sudan state for their own economic ambitions in favor of Sudan regime. If these international bodies and nations are actually adhering to the UN Charter of international peace and security mandates, they should instead hold the Sudan regime accountable for the defiant and deliberate violations of the South Sudan territorial integrity and sovereignty and apprehend Khartoum to conform or comply with the implementation of the border demarcation of the South-North Sudan, Abyei , Nuba Mt, and Blue Nile protocols which were legally rectified in the signing of the CPA in 2005 in Kenya.
The same international bodies were the signatory witnesses to the CPA accord, and we South Sudanese are stunned overwhelmingly as a result of the international failures to hold Khartoum accountable over the frequent violations and breaches of numerous CPA protocols and treaties in Addis Ababa occasional negotiations. Juba government has demonstrated a sincere and accountable commitment in the diplomatic negotiations and compliances with the AU and other international mandates and guidance, but all these diplomatic avenues of pursuing peaceful solutions to the status of border demarcation, Abyei, Nuba Mt, and Blue Nile were desperately frustrated with dismissive exhaustion by Khartoum with their usual rhetorical attitude and creed that any agreement signed or not signed is not excerpt of Quran scripture to be violated.
The Khartoum belligerent attitude is that they do not have to obey and comply with any man-made agreement policies other than fearful for their Holy Quran scriptures. Furthermore, Panthou and Karasana/Kelek are never parts of South Kordufan and will never be ones in the near future. The Ruweng/Panaruu Dinka is a traditional neighbor of the Nuba people, who currently inhabit the South Kordufan state. Both Nuba and Panaruu Dinka are peace loving and law-abiding citizens who had lived side by side in peace and harmony and depend on each other economically and socially for a century and would continue to nurture such humanity with a kind and generous compassion. Both Nubian and Panaruu had never had any conflict and mistrust and they understand the traditional boundaries of their indigenous territories.
Ruweng or Panaruu Dinka had no any traditional border with Messiriya/Baggara nomads that are currently being imported by Sudan regime to come and settle in South Kordufan to be exploited as proxy pretext politically to occupy and annex our spacious lands of Ruweng and Abyei on false conspiracy and fabrication along the South-North border frontiers. Messiriya and Baggara are nomadic herders who transhumance/trek from the far North of Kordufan and Darfur to come and graze and water their livestock in South Sudan rich savannah and swampy areas. It is our kind generosity and traditional hospitality that is exploited politically and economically by the Sudan regime to illegally occupy and annex our indigenous territories by indoctrinating and instilling criminal policies in the minds of Messiriya and Baggara to pre-emptively claim the ownership of South Sudan territories with malicious rhetoric and radical aggression.
Messiriya and Baggara are armed and exploited violently by Khartoum regime to destabilize South Sudan. Ruweng had been fighting Baggara/Messiriya historically through traditional warfare up to the present day of modern weapon influx and they never defeat and occupy our territories by violent mean. The Greater people of Nuba are the traditional neighbors of Panaruu/Ruweng Dinka along the Unity State and South Kordufan borderline, yet they never pre-emptively claim any of our South Sudan territories with the exception of the far-north nomads of Messiriya and Baggara that are being armed and exploited by the Sudan regime to commit crimes against humanity and genocidal war crimes in Darfur and South Sudan in political pretext of popular defense forces. Nubian are the neighbors of Ruweng/Panaruu Dinka, and they never claim and classify Panthou, Karasana, and Lake Jau as parts of South Kordufan other than the malicious conspiracy and rhetorical propaganda of Khartoum regime to lustfully pre-empt military invasion, occupation, and annexation of oil-rich South Sudan territories and swiftly proclaim them falsely as parts of South Kordufan without the traditional knowledge of the indigenous people of South Sudan and Southern Kordufan state in North Sudan.
I would therefore like to bring it to the conclusive attention of the international community and UN and fellow South Sudanese across the world that both Panthou and Karasana locally known as Kelek/roor de Lou are indigenous territories of Ruweng or Panaruu Dinka of Unity State. Thus, it is imperatively advisable and recommendable that the UN, EU, UK, AU, Russian, & US biased condemnations and demands for the withdrawal of our gallant South Sudan Armed Forces from Heglig and Karasana must be defied and dismissed without reservation due to the fact that it is our national sovereign territory and town and must be maintained. Instead of withdrawing from Panthou and Karasana, the South Sudan Armed Forces should be mandated and encouraged by the Presidency and citizens to liberate all our annexed territories by Sudan regime through military conquests so as to ensure the legitimate and legal territorial integrity of South Sudan sovereignty in accordance to the 1956 colonial map.
The international bodies are biased and totally unfair in their remarks and it must be rebuttal with defiant-attitude and be defied at all odds whatsoever the consequences of their actions would be subsequently, we shall endure and bear it collectively as a nation defending its God’s given territories by all means necessary. External forces must not be permitted to influence, interfere, and determine the fate of our national sovereignty. The UN, EU, UK, Russian, AU, & USA ought to be persuaded that South Sudan had not violated any international laws and territorial sovereignty of Sudan, instead, it is the Khartoum regime that had invasively intruded on the territories of South Sudan aggressively and occupied our oil-rich territories with the malicious intent to annex them to North Sudan for their resourceful economic interests and ambitions strategically.
Eventually, the UN, EU, UK, AU, Russia & USA need to be rebuked for permitting the Sudan regime to violate and defies the practical and timely implementation of the South-North border demarcation by delineating the border in accordance to the colonial map of the Sudan 1956 geographical mapping unless otherwise is illegally altered than the original colonial documented archives of Sudan map in UK. Moreover, the international bodies had given the Sudan regime to also violate and breaches the implementations of the other CPA protocols over Abyei plebiscite, Nuba Mt and Blue Nile people popular consultation as stipulated and guaranteed in the CPA. The Sudan regime refused to demarcate the South-North borderline in accordance to the 1956 colonial map because they understand that Panthou and Karasana fall deep inside the South Sudan sovereignty and therefore they fear they would lose it entirely, hence they prefer to use violent force to tactically maneuver and annex South Sudan territories while forging and faking the 1956 colonial map by reshaping and defacing it to suit their malicious interests confidentially.
We believe that South Sudan has no intention to breach and defies any international peace, security and order and adheres to its mandates and laws but when it feels discriminated in term of unfair treatment as is the case with its territorial occupation and annexation by Sudan regime, it deserves a sovereign rights to declare war in self-defense of her sovereignty since the international organization fails to come to the legal implementation of the CPA protocols. In the contrast, the UNSC is not fair and just legally in ensuring the maintenance of the peace, security, and world order by serving the justice to whoever deserves the rightful justice. Panaruu Community condemns and rejects the discriminatory international and regional bodies’ remarks and demands of the SPLA withdrawal from Heglig because Panthou is South Sudan territory and it is ridiculous for the external diplomats to demand RSS to withdraw from what is traditionally their land. In addition to that, the status of Heglig and other annexed areas are legally non-negotiable with Sudan regime.
The Indiscriminate Bombing of the Civilians in Unity State & Humanitarian Appeals.
Panaruu Community in North America condemns the indiscriminate bombardments of the civil installations and residents in Mayom, Bentiu, Rubkona, Abiemnom, Nyiel, Lake Jau, Guit and other sporadic bombing raids that are reported to have taken places across North Bhar el ghazel, Warrap, and South Sudan. These indiscriminate bombing raids had killed many civilians in Unity states and wounded many others according to the reports substantiated with pictorial images so far in some media outlet.
This type of indiscriminate bombardments of the civil populations in South Sudan in their localities is what we want the UN, EU, UK, AU, USA and Russia to hold the Sudan regime legally accountable and apprehend it for the crimes against the humanity instead of forcefully demand the South Sudan armed forces to retreat from their sovereign territories they are liberating militarily from the illegal occupation and annexation of the brutal Sudan regime. The withdrawal of SPLA from Heglig and other liberated territories of South Sudan along the border of South-North is not negotiable and thus any external force appeasing and demanding South Sudan to do it so must be defied at all means and odds dismissively irrespective of subsequent consequences that may ensues our nascent state.
The International Community should instead condemn and demand the Sudan regime to cease the indiscriminate bombardments of South Sudan territories because it is the one violating the aerial and territorial sovereignty of South Sudan through illegal occupation and annexation, South Sudan reserves the sovereign rights to liberate, defend and protect all its annexed territories through military conquest because the International Community and regional body in Ethiopia had failed to hold the Sudan regime accountable for the numerous breaches and violations of the CPA protocols in many occasions, hence it emboldens and encourages the Khartoum elite regime to propagate her malicious intent and economic ambition to rob and vandalize the sovereignty of South Sudan with what appears to be a bullying military attitude by Sudan regime to constantly flex muscle and brandishing its mighty arm with warmongering.
Our civil population is devastated by these sporadic bombing campaigns over the civilian towns and installations, therefore we are appealing to the UN and South Sudan Civil Society Organizations in Juba and in Diaspora to organize and facilitate the humanitarian reliefs to be delivered to all the affected civilians of Aliiny/Panthou, Panyang, Nyiel, Lake Jau, all payams of Panrieng county as well as Rubkona, Abiemnom, Mayom, and Bentiu to be served with humanitarian needs in timely fashion. We urge the South Sudan Rehabilitation Relief in Juba to advocate the UN directly to initiate humanitarian assistances to the aforementioned areas in the Unity State and other affected parts of South Sudan to coordinate and supervise a speedy deliverance and rescue of the indiscriminate bombing raid victims and the logistical supplies of humanitarian reliefs to the internally displaced persons of the Panthou, Kelek/Karasana, Panyang and Lake Jau in Ruweng North County of Panrieng. The fundamental necessities required in this humanitarian appeal is confined to the medical supplies, foods, clean drinking water and temporary shelters as well as security and safety location for their sanctuary for meantime until the conflict along the border return to normal or come to absolute cessation.
Panaruu Community wants to congratulations all the Panaruu youths, women, and the county commissioner for their nationalistic patriotism in responding to the eruptive military hostility in the Panrieng County with swift and agile emergency response of volunteerism. It is a pride to learn from the ground report that our youths had volunteered voluntarily to fight alongside the South Sudan Armed Forces in the swift liberation of the Heglig/Panthou. You have demonstrated a commendable spirit of bravery and valor as the youths of the Panrieng County who bears the indigenous ownership of Panthou natively with the specificity.
Despite the fact that there are countless number of the Panaruu sons in the South Sudan regular forces across the South Sudan and in Heglig frontline, you still didn’t hesitated to recruit yourselves voluntarily and beat your chests bravely in selfless commitment and devotion of the call to the national duty in defense of our ancestral and sovereign territory. Your selfless and nationalistic patriotism is unquestionable indisputably in the history of the SPLA. We are grateful and thankful to our dear women for sacrificing their services by showing on voluntary basis to cook tea, food and supply water to the SPLA frontline soldiers despite the risk of enemy proximity. We are exceptionally delighted for our women for nursing and treating the wounded SPLA soldiers in Panrieng and the provision of moral and caring supports to our high-moralized troops on the frontline in Heglig.
It is this selfless and generous kind hearts of our women and community in donating hundreds of their bulls to be slaughtered for the SPLA that had boosted and lifted the high spirit of morale among our troops to fight bravely and selflessly in the liberation and defense of the Panthou. Thank to our county commissioner, Miabek de Lang and our clannish chiefs for their swift contribution in donating the hundred bulls to the SPLA as a food despite the fact that it is all the scarce resource they have for their livelihood that they have donated generously. Once again, thank you all for demonstrating your selfless services.
Eventually, we are calling on all the Unity State and South Sudan citizens across the globe to help in the sensitization, mobilization, organization and coordination of the massive demonstrations to protest the UN, EU, AU, UK, USA and Russian biased condemnations and their unfair demands of withdrawal of our armed forces (SPLA) from our liberated territorial sovereignty of South Sudan in Heglig. We must all pour out to the streets in our respective world and regions to tell the UN and other international bodies that they are discriminatorily being biased and unfair to South Sudan and that the status of Heglig is not negotiable with the deceptive regime of Sudan.
It is up to South Sudanese wherever they maybe to rally for the massive demonstrations on the streets of their cities, states, regions, provinces and continents. Since our troops had done a tremendous job and continue to hamper the invading enemy along the borderline, we must play our roles as citizens in Diaspora by repairing and replenishing the damaged and defeated image of the South Sudan government in the diplomatic fronts in the western worlds. It is our solemn duty and obligation to fix the smear propaganda and fabrication by Khartoum regime over the Heglig status. The 7th Front is designated for Sudanese Diaspora to reinforce and strengthen the staggering diplomatic front of the South Sudan and marginalized people of Sudan.
Therefore, taking the massive demonstration protests to the doors of the UN, EU, UK, AU, USA and Russian doorsteps and streets would amplify and resonate the Juba mishandled diplomacy over the Heglig status to be corrected perfectly for the world mutual understanding because they do not identify the inner deception of the Sudan regime unless we, the diaspora who suffered under his dictatorship previously can expose his deceitful secrecy and arrogant attitude. Street demonstration/protest is the best tool to advocate and awaken the world to pay attention to our territorial plight and illegal intrusion by the Sudan regime. It is this idea that would speed up the implementation of other stalled CPA protocols with hasty. Let us also encourage our gallant forces to maintain Heglig and never withdraw from it despite the imperialistic world demands and economic sanction threats.
Recommendations to the Government of South Sudan in Juba over Panthou Status.
Having discussed the themes of the international condemnation and demand uproars against the government of South Sudan and the indiscriminate bombardments of the civil populations of South Sudan, we find it advisable and recommendable to provide some hinting tips and advices to the Republic of South Sudan on the issue of the ongoing raging military confrontation in Heglig/Panthou and the looming all-out war rhetorical situation that may erupt and escalate to the next level of national threat. It appears that Khartoum regime had outnumbered and defeated the Republic of South Sudan that Heglig is part of South Kordufan region in the diplomatic campaigns before the UN and other world nations. Moreover, South Sudanese officials are redundantly vague and self-contradictory over the status of Heglig.
There are those who presume Heglig as a part of South Sudan while others are spewing it ridiculous remarks out there that SPLA is fighting in Heglig because SAF attacks them frequently from Panthou as a launching base for their military arsenal. All these statements are uttered by the SPLA frontline Generals and officers as if they are not informed that Panthou is the sovereign territory of South Sudan, a well-known oil field that had been enriching and feeding both South and North Sudan during the oil sharing quotas with 50-50 split. If Sudan regime knew Heglig was their sovereign territory in the first place, it won’t have bothered to deny South Sudan an autonomous self-determination.
It is because Khartoum secretly understands that Heglig belongs to the South Sudan, and it is the political motive why it had been holding South Sudan at hostage situation with military provocation and breaching defiance to blockade the demarcation of the South and North Sudan boundary in accordance to the colonial map of 1956 in UK national archive. We call upon the presidency of South Sudan to sensitize our armed forces and the citizens that Heglig is a native territory of South Sudan, and thus they are fighting to liberate and defend it from the malicious and belligerent occupation and annexation of Khartoum regime. It is absolute sovereign land of South Sudan and hence Juba must not allow the UN and other external nations to persuade her to withdraw the SPLA troops from it as if it is illegally occupying and settling in Sudan territory. Juba must persuade the world that Heglig is her territory and that it is evicting the illegal intruders in it forcefully to ensure the integral integrity of her sovereignty. Therefore, no withdrawal of the SPLA is negotiable with anyone.
Briefly speaking, below are some of the few summaries and recommendations that Panaruu Community (the indigenous natives/inhabitants) would like to be observed and considered:
1. The Republic of South Sudan should dismissively rejects the UN, EU, AU, UK, USA and Russian belligerent remarks and demands for the withdrawal of the SPLA from Heglig.
2. It is legally recommendable in accordance to the international laws that any sovereign state is entitled legitimately to acquire its territory militarily if invade or intrude aggressively by the external force. In this case, Heglig is ours and annexed forcefully by Khartoum although the world understands it falls within the 1956 colonial map. Furthermore, if South Sudan knows there are other South Sudan territories that are occupied and annexed by Sudan regime illegally along the borderline, they should also liberate them unilaterally without encouraging any further diplomatic negotiations with Khartoum because you have shown the world how sincere and honest you were in following up with the diplomacy in Addis Ababa Ethiopia.
Unfortunately all these amicable and peaceful attempts were sabotaged deceitfully by Khartoum before the AU and the international community with defiance and they never hold Khartoum accountable and pressure her to comply with the CPA protocols and signed treaties. The act of unilateralism would certainly prompt the world to come to their senses to deliver the justice to whom to deserve in the two Sudan nations. Maintain your position and never wane in your sovereignty aspirations as is also guided by the RSS Constitution.
3. Panaruu Dinka Community would like to reiterate that Panthou/Heglig and Karasana/kelek are the indigenous lands of Panrieng County. It is located in Aliiny payam of Panrieng North County. Our local people inhabited these areas since time immemorial until they were forcefully evicted and displaced by the Sudan armed forces through scorched-earth military campaigns in 1990s up to the 2000s to depopulate the entire areas of Ruweng to enable the oil operating companies to maneuver for the extensive oil exploration. Panrieng Community is holding evidential facts surrounding the status of Heglig and Karasana and many petitions had been forwarded to the office of the presidency and the world but it seems nobody had been paying attention to them.
The ICC ruling over the Heglig was outrageously maddening and saddening to the indigenous natives of Panaruu, we pledge to repeal such an illegal ruling of the ICC in Hague. Therefore, we recommend that the SPLM and government of South Sudan must bears and seek factual consultation and historical research about Heglig and Karasana from the indigenous natives of Panaruu/Ruweng Dinka as the ancestral owner. In case any future legal action or litigation arise again to be trailed to the ICC for re-hearing, we recommend that the Government of South Sudan must appoint the delegates as representatives from Panaruu/Ruweng Dinka to face and challenge the Khartoum regime and the ICC over their biased verdict ruling of the July, 2009 ICC ruling of the Heglig status. Panaruu had been barred by the SPLM but not this time around.
We have the factual documentaries to challenge the ICC illegal ruling verdict of the July, 2009 which awarded Heglig to the Sudan with vague ambiguity. Panaruu knows the sources of the confusions and once we are there to testify before the ICC in Hague, it would be a shock and awe against all the conspiring enemies whose intents is to annex it forcefully.
4. Eventually, given the diplomatic damages Khartoum had done against the Juba in persuading the world to believe that Heglig belongs to them; it is recommendable for the RSS to re-organize and reshape its diplomatic strategy to repair the smeared and tarnished image of the South Sudan over the conflict of Heglig. Panthou belongs to South Sudan and thus, SPLA was fighting to liberate it from the illegal occupation and annexation of the Sudan armed forces. Thus, the notion that some SPLA frontline and government officials and South Sudan journalists assume as if SPLA was fighting in response to Sudan armed forces aggressive invasion does not amplify and resonate a reasonable justification in the international media. Instead, it portrays South Sudan as illegal intruder and occupier of the Sudan territorial sovereignty.
So as a result of this incoherent and inconsistent contradiction of the media communication and chaotic diplomacy, it is advisable that the indigenous intellectuals including the Panrieng county commissioner should be permitted to communicate the facts to the media through the journalistic interviews. The MPs and Representatives of the Panrieng County including the commissioner and other historically and academically informed figures should be allowed to access the media as mean of communicating the facts to the world so that the diplomatic ambassadors who are not informed about South Sudan diversified territories and localities can learn and research from the indigenous intellectuals. Inclusively, it came to our realization that our county commissioner is allegedly censored from accessing the media as he usually does following his interview over the conflict of Lakes Jau.
He is rumored to have been summoned by either Taban Deng Gai or Juba Information Minister. As a community in North America, we believe our commissioner; Miabek Lang de Miading was telling the truth that the SPLA liberated Lake Jau from the SAF. His statement was sensible because there is no reasonable justification why the SPLM and Juba would want to endow the credit of liberation of Jau to be attributed to the Sudan Revolutionary Forces when in fact SPLA had involved in its liberation from SAF. Lakes Jau is also an indigenous land and payam of Panrieng County and so how ridiculous would the SPLM and Juba would want to groom foreign forces as a liberator of Lakes Jau while blatantly denying their involvement? This is a pathetic politics and our commissioner didn’t deserve the censorship from the media for telling the truth as the leader of the Panrieng County and given his knowledge over the administrative jurisdiction of Jau.
We call upon the RSS presidency and the information ministry and Unity State governor to lift the media censorship of our county commissioner, Miabek Lang de Miading, so that he can resumes the interview over the status of Heglig as an administrative leader of the Panrieng territorial jurisdiction. Sanctioning him from accessing the media tantamount to the deprivation of factual truths to the RSS and the world. His suspension over the media air wave is an insult and disgrace to our county. We anticipate the prompt action to lift his media suspension as soon as possible.
Conclusion:
We anticipate the UN, EU, UK, AU, USA and Russia to regret their biased condemnations and demands for the withdrawal of the SPLA forces from our own sovereignty. It is also the expectation of the community to see that humanitarian reliefs is prepared and delivered to the affected victims and internally displaced persons of the border conflicts. We hope the international community won’t hesitate to condemn and denounce the aerial and territorial external aggression and violation of the South Sudan airspace and territorial integrity.
We earnestly ask all our compatriot South Sudan citizens and good friends of South Sudan to take to the streets in their respective world to demonstrate to the globe that we are saddened and maddened by the unfair remarks and demands by the imperialistic nations against South Sudan in favor of the Sudan regime. The initiative of global fundraising drive shall follows later when the massive demonstration protests are executed in the coming weeks. Let us work together in the sensitization, mobilization, organization, and facilitation of this event.
Best Regards,
Approved and Reviewed by The Panaruu Community Leadership in North America.
1. Santino Anuer Haar———The PCA President in USA.
2. Santino Miagak Dau——–The PCA President in Canada.
3. David Piok Wuor———The Chairman of the PBP North America.
4. Samuel Dau Deng——-The President of the P-CHARD Board of Directors.
Please Contact us at PanaruuPanriengCommunity@yahoo.com for comments and concerns.
Panaruu Community in Juba Date: 19th April 2012
Subject: Press Statement on the Current Situation in Panthou (Heglieg) of Panrieng County- Unity State.
Dear Fellow citizens of the Republic of South Sudan as well as International Community including the United Nations, the African Union and the other concerned regional bodies. As you are all aware of the current situation in our country, we the Community of Panaruu of Panrieng County in Juba would like to register our sincere and heart-felt congratulations to our gallant SPLA forces for liberating the areas of Panthou (Heglieg), Pan de kuac (Teshuin) and Mijak de Yith (kilo 23) which were invaded and occupied by the Republic of Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) during thin and thick days of CPA implementation. We would like also to take this golden opportunity to salute and congratulate our President H.E.General Salva Kiir Mayardit for his patriotic, firm and uncompromising decision in which he declared that no conditional withdrawal, no bargaining and no disclaimer on issue of Panthou and its surroundings.
Fellow citizens, the people of Panrieng County in Unity State have defended their beloved motherland for hundreds of years and have fought gallantly a just and heroic liberation war for 17 years of Anyanya I (1955-1972) and 21 solid years (1983-2005) led by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/SPLA) with determination and well-defined objectives. Whereby the Panaruu people have vividly articulated and persistently tolerated all hardships till negotiations between the SPLM/A and the Government of the Sudan concluded a peaceful resolution of the most intractable war ever fought on the continent of Africa finally culminated in the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) on January 9th 2005.
It is with this belief in us that we are presenting the following historical facts to people of the Republic of South Sudan and the entire World in order to correct the misconception created by concocted information spread by Khartoum Government to mislead the International Community:
1. Panthou (Heglieg) is geographically located within the territory of the Republic of South Sudan according to 1st January 1956 border demarcation and the CPA. Panthou is inhabited by Kuok clan of Panaruu Dinka, and it is a Boma within Aliiny Payam (District) of Panrieng County in Unity State. It was supposed to be occupied by the Joint Integrated Units (JIUs) during Interim Period in accordance to the Security Arrangement Matrixes of the CPA. The name Panthou was given by Dinka of Panaruu of Panrieng County in Unity State, which was translated into Heglieg by Northern Sudanese Arabs when the oil was discovered in the area in 1976.To the west of Panthou lies well known villages of Anyuel Nyuel and Gengjok etc.
2. When the oil exploration operations was launched in Ngol Valley Basin(Rageba El Zarga) in 1974 by the late President of Sudan Jaafer Mohammed Nimeiri (May Revolution 1969-1985) the Government ordered the oil companies to be bias on the side of the Arab nomads( Misseriya pastoralists ) and to ignore the indigenous people of the area(Panaruu Dinka). Hence, Panthou (Heglieg) oil field in Unity province by then was connected to Muglad town (245km) through inland road. Meanwhile, Panrieng (61km) which is the nearest town to this oil field was neglected.
Also the Sudan government media deliberate insistence in hiding the fact regarding the location of oil discovery by misleading the public opinion locally and internationally that the oil has been discovered at a distance of about 450 miles southwest of Khartoum, something which the South Sudanese disputed and protested against that decision forcing former President Jaafer Mohammed Nimeiri to form a committee chaired by former Chief Justice Khalafalla El-Rashid and other members. The committee ruled that Panthou (Heglieg) falls within Upper Nile province territory.
3. Also the May regime have formed a proxy militia(Murahileen) who were mainly Arab nomads whose functions were to exterminate the Dinka people of Panaruu, rob their properties, burn their villages and force them into compulsory displacement in order to create a buffer zone for Chevron oil company operations, as it had occurred during the periods between (1977-1982) and (1983-1988).
4. The central government in Khartoum had attempted to annex Panthou and other areas to Northern Sudan during the enactment of the Regional Government Act in 1980. The Southerners protested and the map which was annexed was dropped, subsequently the President Jaafer Nimeiri reverted to 1st of January 1956 boundary. Again in 1982, President Nimeiri had tried to amend the Sudan border map of 1st January 1956 by annexing the richest areas of oil production, grazing and farming from Panrieng County in Unity State to be part of South Kordofan State.
5. With the introduction of Arabicization policy of oil fields by Sudan Government (replacement of Dinka Names) for instance : Panthou oil wells in Aliiny Payam was renamed as Heglieg oil field, Gok de Yak oil wells ( Bamboo oil field ) Athony and Nyonglith oil wells ( Tor oil field) , Doulango West oil wells( Toma South oil field), Pankuac oil wells ( Nar wa Harr oil field) and Maper, Yaar and Nyiel oil wells( Manga oil field). Furthermore, in early 1950s Panaruu towns, villages, streams and valleys were given Arab concocted names for instance: Panrieng (Abbas) Panyang (Nabagaya), Wun Koi (Kharassana) Pakuem( Bir Balail), Yoi (Gerdoud), Lake Jau (Lake Abaid ) Kol Delek(Keilak), Alel Valley (Abu Likera) and Ngol Valley (Ragaba El Zarga ).
6. In 1996 and 1998 when General and Presidential Elections were conducted in the Sudan, the ballot boxes were taken from Panrieng town to Panthou (Heglieg) because it was part of Panrieng Geographical Constituency, therefore Panrieng Citizens voted and were represented in the National Legislative Assembly in Khartoum. Furthermore, some of the development projects were carried out by Unity State and Panrieng County Administrations in Panthou (Heglieg) and Wun Koi (Kharassana) such as Administrative Units, Schools and Health Centers.
7. It is to be recalled that in 2002 the Panaruu Community sued in New York Federal Court in the United State of America the Canadian Talisman Oil Company which was operating in Panthou and other areas of Unity State for its role in the displacement of civil population from the area, because the SAF was using their airstrips for aerial bombardment of the indigenous people. In addition to that Panrieng citizens were prohibited from employment, compensation and development projects rendered by the company as part of its social commitments. Eventually the company was defeated in the Court and Talisman was forced to closed down it operations in the Sudan. This shows clearly to the world that the Panaruu Community is the owner of Panthou area.
8. The processes of annexation of Panthou oil field to the North intensified during Ingaz Regime (the Salvation regime). When President Omer El Bashir made an official visit to Panthou (Heglieg) in 1999 to attend the inauguration of the oil pipeline, Western Kordofan State government organized an opening ceremony on the ground that Panthou (Heglieg) is part of Western Kordofan State. The then Government of Unity State was not aware of this conspiracy. When Mr. Michael Mayiel Chuol the (then) Governor of Unity State arrived to the place of ceremony with his cabinet members, he found that the occasion was totally hijacked by western Kordofan government officials. He was denied speech in the opening ceremony. Mr. Michael Mayiel reacted immediately and objected to the programme and clashed with Governor of Western Kordofan in front of President El Bashir.
9. The conspiracy of annexation of Panthou to the North became clearer during Annual Report Presentation of Unity State Government to the National Council of Ministers meeting (No 25) on 30thof May 2004 in Khartoum by the then Governor Dr. Joseph Monytuil Wijang, the Council of Ministers witnessed a serious debate whether Panthou (Heglieg) was part of Unity State or Western Kordofan. The Southern Ministers in the Cabinet strongly supported the Governor of Unity State report but the northern Ministers objected and as the result Dr. Nafie Ali Nafie the then Minister of Federal Government Chamber wrote and directed the Governor Dr. Joseph Monytuil Wijang to relinquish the administration of Panthou(Heglieg) referring to the alteration of the map of 1956 as amended in 1994( Letter of Dr.Nafie Ali Nafie is hereby attached).
10. In the late 2006, after long and bitter border confrontations about tax collection at Wun Koi (Kharassana) between Unity and South Kordofan States, the two Governors were summoned to Khartoum by President El Bashir and were ordered to cease hostilities as the issue of border between the two states is going to be resolved by the Borders Demarcation Committee which was formed by the Presidency that will determine the between border the North and the South. During the conduct of National Census in April 2008 the SAF/Misseriya mobilized themselves and besieged Wun Koi Boma( Kharassana) and Mijak de Yith Boma( Kilo 23 ) of Aliiny Payam for one week as a provocative action to derail smooth implementation of the CPA. As a result of that incident the two Governors of Unity and South Kordofan States signed a Security Agreement on 28th April 2008 to full out the SPLA contingent and evacuate the civil population from Wun Koi (Kharassana). This withdrawal of our forces did not negate our ownership to the land but was administrative and security measures taken by the two states administration.
11. The situation became complicated after arbitration award of International Court of Arbitration in The Hague in 2009, which dismissed the claim that Panthou (Heglieg) is part of Abyei. The Sudan Government misinterpreted the ruling that the Court confirmed their claim over Panthou (Heglieg) without knowing that Heglieg was left out as has nothing to do with Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) mandate. it was the mandate North/South Border Demarcate Committee.
12. In this regard, we the Panaruu Community in Juba denounce and condemn in the strongest term possible, all barbaric acts of indiscriminate ariel bombardment and other atrocities inflicted by SAF on innocent non- combatant population of Unity State in their respective Counties of Mayom, Rubkona, Biemnhom and other areas in and around Panthou( Heglieg). This acts are contravene international rules of engagement in war.
Finally, we the indigenous citizens of Panthou would like to assure our people and the World at large that the issue of Panthou is totally different from that of Abyei and should not be connected as a bargain in any way, because Panthou is deeply located inside the territory of the Republic of South Sudan according to CPA.
We also, reiterate our unwavering support and stand firm behind the wise leadership of our President General Salva Kiir Mayardit for his courageous decision that no withdrawal from Panthou even if it cost many lives, because the Panaruu Community do strongly belief that withdrawal from Panthou against guarantees of none aggression will be betrayal to our fallen heroes and martyrs who gave their lives for centuries to defend and maintain this land and its boundaries.
Thanks and Almighty God Bless you all,
Long live President Salva Kiir Mayardit,
Long live Republic of South Sudan,
Panthou Oyee, SPLA Gallant Forces Oyee.
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