The conspiracy behind Khartoum’s alleged leaked memo
By Mapuor Malual Manguen
In August this year Riek Machar and his entourage visited Khartoum to drum up support for Addis Ababa peace talks between his rebel movement and the government of South Sudan. About two months later, it is emerging that his visit was not a peace tour as reported in the media but, in fact a soliciting drive for military support from the archenemy of his country, the republic of Sudan. On 24 September, Prof. Eric Reeves, a distinguished analyst of South Sudan and Sudan published a secret memo on Sudan Tribune from a meeting of top military and security officials in Khartoum that took place on August 31 this year. This was three weeks after Riek visit. In the memo, senior Sudanese officials allegedly agreed to support the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLM-IO) with advanced weapons and trainings to change balance of power in South Sudan.
Sudan 1st Vice President Bakri Hassan Saleh is quoted that his regime “Recognizes Dr. Riek Machar Liaison office and all organs are required to provide protection and security to them. “I met Riak Machar, Dhieu Mathok and Taban Deng Gai and they are regretting the decision to separate the South and we decided to return his house to him. He [Riek Machar] requested us to assist him and that he, has shortage in the M.I. personnel, operations command and tank technicians. We must use the many cards we have against the South in order to give them unforgettable lesson.”
But inevitably Prof. Reeves raised questions about the authenticity of this document, marked internally as “secret, confidential, and restricted.” Most of the reasons for believing the document to be authentic, on Reeves’ reading, have to do with the extremely close resemblance of much of what is said by officials in this meeting and what has been said and done publicly by the National Congress Party/National Islamic Front regime, but in the minutes with more detail, specificity, and nuance of expression.
Nevertheless, this purported memo is not far from reality on the battlefields in Upper Nile and Unity States. After acquiring trainings and weapons from Sudan, the rebels of SPLM-IO recently crossed borders into the country and launched attacks on government controlled areas. The Chief of Joint General Staff of the Sudan Armed Forces, 1st Lt. General Hashim Abdalla Mohammed, adds his voice in this conspiracy theory and I quote,
“We must change the balance of forces in South Sudan. Riak, Taban and Dhieu Mathok came and requested support in the areas of training in M.I. and especially in tanks and artillery. They requested armament also. They want to be given advanced weapons. Our reply was that we have no objection, provided that we agree on a common objective. Then we train and supply with the required weapons,” end quote.
But what is that “common objective” that Khartoum regime is forging with South Sudan rebels? Is it a common objective for regime change in Juba? Or is it for reunification of Sudan with South Sudan? Just as I mentioned in my previous article, the recent rebels activities in Renk is strong evidence to Khartoum’s leaked memo.
The objective of Sudan may not necessarily intend to re-occupy the whole South Sudan but aims to take up contested areas along the border. Rebels on their part are desperate to capture or destroy operating oil facilities through Sudan’s help to starve Juba with oil proceeds which it depends for running state institutions. This is bitter pill for Sudan to swallow because it also relies on oil infrastructure fees that Juba pays per every barrel of crude that passes through Sudan’s territory.
This article was first published by The Juba Telegraph on Tuesday 30, September 2014. The author is journalist, blogger and political commentator based in Juba. mapuormanguen85@gmail.com
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