Is Dr. Lam Akol and his Shilluk MP Anyito Behind the Violent Riot against Jieeng in Malakal?
By Deng Chol Mijak, Juba, South Sudan
February 19, 2016 (SSB) — First and foremost, let me pay homage of tribute and heartfelt condolences to those Padang Jieeng sections whose loved ones were massacred mercilessly and indiscriminately by this politicized and ethnically motivated attack by Shilluk and Nuer IDPs (note carefullt that the IDPs is an acronym for the internally displaced persons) against the indigenous natives of Malakal.
It was not long ago when the prominent politicians of the Shilluk Kingdom were vocally outspoken and crusading for the passionate incitement of the tribal war against the Padang Jieeng in their own Eastern Upper Nile State over what they alleged as the annexation of the Malakal two, the famous indigenous territory of the Padang Jieeng.
Both Dr. Lam Akol and Mp Anyito have been busy and continue to proliferate the same violent rhetoric of fomenting and inciting their own Shilluk kingdom against Padang Jieeng in their own designated State of Eastern Upper Nile.
The violent, political rhetoric spewed by both Dr Lam Akol and Mp Anyito was intelligently interpreted as a provocation for the war against Padang Jieeng. Both Dr Lam Akol and Mp Anyito are intelligently believed to be in veiled political and military coordination with Johnson Olonyo and other Shilluk newly created proxy faction known as the Collo Tiger Battalions meant to wage an ethnic revolution against Padang Jieeng.
In the political perspective, Dr Lam Akol, Mp Anyito including all the Shilluk leaders and their proxy alliances are believed to be coordinating the absolute destabilization of the Eastern Upper Nile by exploiting their IDPs at UNMISS sites in Malakal to create a situational condition of havoc against the Jieeng IDPs inside the UN compound indiscriminately so that the UN, AU, IGAD and Troika who are behind the peace mediation can make a belligerent case against the 28 States whom they are currently opposed to categorically.
Therefore, the political strategy being employed by Dr Lam Akol, Mp Anyito and all Shilluk prominent leaders including their military leaders who are in charges of their armed groups ( Tiger Battalions) fighting the SPLA was to create a war situation contrary to the current peace atmosphere so that the UNMISS would perceive the violent riot which led to the massacre of Jieeng innocent IDPs as a consequence of the creation of the 28 States. This political conspiracy theory by prominent Shilluk leaders was orchestrated strategically to seek a political justification against the creation of the 28 States.
Therefore, the State and national leadership under the Governor of Eastern Upper Nile State and South Sudan should interpret this aggressive act against the innocent IDPs of Jieeng as an act of provocation meant to steer and create the tribal tension and war against Jieeng citizens in their own State.
In addition, this provocation should also be seen as the destabilization of the Eastern Upper Nile State, which could eventually regress and undermine the national security of South Sudan. According to the eyewitnesses on the ground who were there technically, it is reported that the ethnic massacre of Jieeng IDPs in their site within the UNMISS premises was done executed by the armed youths of Shilluk and Nuer IDPs who are believed to have smuggled in the prohibited and dangerous weapons or arms into the UNMISS sites. These Shilluk and Nuer IDPs attackers who mercilessly massacred Jieeng IDPs were believed to have publicly brandished their heavy weapons before they could launch an attack on the Dinka confined site.
How the UNMISS security forces who are deployed on the sites failed to apprehend these Shilluk and Nuer IDPs who smuggled in the weapons to hack the Jieeng IDPs remains to be an interesting development to be investigated against the UNMISS forces. Was the UNMISS ethnically and tribally inclined toward the Shilluk and Nuer to have permitted them to commit such an heinous atrocity holistically under their supervisory watch as they monitor the Jieeng IDPs shot to death without their intervention?
Well, we have to be legally and impartially concerned of this indiscriminate atrocity conspired, sponsored by the Shilluk prominent politicians and later executed under the supervision of the UNMISS. The question which is left lingering in the minds of the conscious and rational thinkers is where on earth would the world neutral forces like UNMISS be so biased and negligent to have permitted the commission of the atrocious crime in their presence when in fact it is their legal mandate to defend and protect innocent IDPs irrespective of their tribal and racial identities.
In the other analytical argument, the Presidency of South Sudan and National Intelligence as well as gubernatorial government of Eastern Upper Nile had failed respectively to apprehend those prominent Shilluk politicians for having plotted and orchestrated this violent riot, which could possibly undermine the national security and stability of the Eastern Upper Nile and South Sudan altogether, should the indigenous natives of Malakal take the laws into their own hands and act unilaterally.
The great citizens of Eastern Upper Nile State believe that they can live side by side in peace and harmonious coexistence with their Shilluk and Nuer counterparts as was in the past. It is also in the best interest of the Eastern Nile state to promote the conducive atmosphere to live among each other States without the discrimination of any South Sudan citizen to live anywhere in RSS.
Padang Jieeng had long been at relative peace and harmony with their Shilluk and Nuer neighbors for centuries.
Most of Shilluk fled to eastern Nile of the river long time ago to come and settle in the Jieeng land of Malakal as criminal escapees or dissidents/outlaws fleeing their own traditional kingdom criminal prosecution.
Other factors which also forced Shilluk long time ago to mingle with Jieeng of Padang was when they crossed from the western Nile bank to eastern Nile bank of Jieeng territories to work as the industrious laborers for the British colonial masters and arab merchants who came to established Malakal as a metropolitan center and commercial hubs for the commerce. Malakal was the indigenous territory of Jieeng de Padang in eastern Nile bank.
When Shilluk escapes and laborers came to flock, settle and concentrated in Malakal town under the oppressive and callous employment exploitation and slavery, some of them never returned back to their indigenous villages in the western Nile bank where their ancestors were settled.
Some of these migrants of Shilluk who came to reside in Jieeng land of Malakal later developed the sense of ownership of Malakal as if it was their indigenous land simply because some of them later married there and born children who had never visited their Shilluk indigenous villages in the western Nile bank.
These adopted and adapted Shilluk who were categorically raised in Malakal as escapees and laborers under the British colonial and Arab merchant oppressive enslavement and abuse later developed the sense of being the owners of Malakal as if they are the sons and daughters of the indigenous land over Malakal. Ironically, I do give them the benefit of doubt because nobody had taught them the history of their ancestors and how they migrated to the Dinka land of Malakal.
The whole world ought to understand that those Shilluk who claim the ownership of Malakal were the children of the indigenous Shilluk criminal dissidents/escapees and enslaved laborers, who were attracted to the newly booming economic and metropolitan town in the Dinka land of Malakal under the auspicious development of the Colonial British and Arab merchants.
Malakal had long been the cattle camp for the livestock of Padang Jieeng pastoralists, who were often resistant and sensitive to any foreign enslavement and oppression, unlike Shilluk who embraced and flocked to Malakal from the western Nile bank to Jieeng land in the eastern Nile of the sobat river.
The Padang Jieeng are peaceful and law-abiding people who like to accommodate any migrants into their society without any segregation. With the current massacre of their innocent IDPs in the watch of the UNMISS forces inside their own city of Malakal in Eastern Upper Nile, one is left to wonder as to where in the world would other external strangers and migrants come to kill you in your own house and expect to live in a relative peace and tranquility without evicting them.
This raises the question of whethet the newly appointed Governor of Eastern Upper Nile should takes a unilateral executive order with urgency to urge the UNMISS to expedite the relocation and repatriation of the Shilluk and Nuer IDPs in Malakal to their respective States of Western Upper Nile State and Latjor State to avoid the escalation of violence within his State. Lieutenant General, Gov. Chol Thon should acts now as he deems appropriate in the best interest of his citizens and national security of South Sudan.
Solutions and Recommendations to this crisis:
With sense of urgency, Lt. Gen. Gov Chol Thon must launch an expeditious investigation into the use of illegal and prohibited arms by the Shilluk and Nuer IDPs against Jieeng IDPs inside UN sites. How did did the arms got into the hands of these criminals must be interrogated.
In order to ensure the stability, peace, and cessation of retaliatory cycle of revenge as well as guaranteeing the safety of those IDPs of Shilluk and Nuer inside Malakal from the Eastern Upper Nile citizens whose loved ones were slain in this indiscriminate attack and massacre, it would be advisory wise and appropriate for the UNMISS to expedite the relocation and repatriation process of the Shilluk and Nuer IDPs inside Malakal to their respective States of Latjor and Western Nile State with an jmmediate effect.
It is the responsibility of the Governor of Eastern Upper Nile State to communicate his concern to the national security and presidency of South Sudan to reign in apprehending the prominent Shilluk politician who are politically responsible for the incitement of war against the sovereignty and stability of Eastern Upper Nile State ever since. You cannot continue to allow politicians of this ethnic tribe to continue propagate war while the nation is at the verge of implementing the peace currently in south Sudan.
Conclusively, the people of Eastern Upper Nile State and their newly appointed and designated governor, Chol are being put to trial at this interim transition, and it is time they should act now to secure and defend and protect their territorial integrity and legal jurisdiction of their State by urging your governor to evict those IDPs who had inflicted massacre against your own citizens. It is your collective will to act mutually as a team in self-defense and protection of your State.
Sorrowfully yours,
Deng Chol Mijak is a concerned citizen, reachable at dengcholmijak@gmail.com
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