Red Army name and cause have been hijacked by opportunistic and sympathy-seeking individuals
4 min read“Tell the truth, live by truth and the truth shall you set you free,” Jesus said.
By Isaac Akuoch Chol Akuoch, Juba South Sudan
March 18, 2016 (SSB) —- The last quarter of the year 1987 is one of the most emotional and memorable time in the history of our struggle against Arab chauvinism.in this year thousands of unaccompanied children were taken from the areas of greater Bor to Ethiopia, supposedly to be taken to school. These helpless children who were dubbed as teraf, meaning seeds braved unimaginable odds to reach to their destination. They were to become the future to which the adults (fathers) were fighting for.
I remembered vividly when three of my brothers left to join other boys in Pawel for their journey. One of them unfortunately was later killed in Domdolla Ethiopia fighting for Mengistu Haile survival. Others remained in the army until the CPA was signed.
Most of these minors were later relocated to Kenya owing to the fall of a friendly regime in Ethiopia. They went to school there and some of them later on migrated or were resettled to the USA.
Some have not had the chance to see their parents and some the relatives alive again, other met their parents at almost dying times.
It is worth mentioning that most of these children were trained as soldiers while attending schools. They were periodically harvested as they grow up to be taken to the frontline. They had a number of battalions notably the intifadha, ingas,commando etc.
Life wasn’t easy for these kids. They had to build tukuls for themselves and their teachers as well as officers in the army. They had to live a strictly soldierly life despite their ages. There was bullying, mistreatment and life threatening experiences.
Nevertheless, they man their way out and became more successful than their elderly counterparts, the jesh asoud, which include Koryiom,Mormor,Jamus.
This is briefly the origin of the famous name; the red army.it is a history of suffering and hopelessness to the present celebratory status.
Disappointingly now, almost every youth now is red army. This is disgusting. I see this as reaping what other people have sown.
Everyone now was once a child soldier. Everyone now was made to escape death narrowly at some point in time. Everyone now was at the frontline fighting.
It is especially worst because even some of those who are now comfortably called lost boys have never left their parents before their resettlement to USA.
Some are in Australia and the history is the same! I was in army when I was only six! I was made to carry a gun three times my size!
Honestly are we really doing well for the memory of the dead red army compatriots? Why do we rob them of their pride?
To the real and original red army please am appealing to all of you to jealously own and guard your hard earn reputation from the scavengers. They are misusing your name. They are spoiling your well-deserved dignity. They are writing false history. They are abusing your fallen comrades, those you witnessed dying from malnutrition in your groups in Ethiopia, those you witnessed dying while crossing river Gilo, and those who were killed in Kapoeta in 1994.
The red army foundation must keenly take note of this appropriately. Because the very core of the foundation is to highlight and represent the red army achievements during the war and the subsequent contributions to the development of our independent nation.
In conclusion I sympathize with the unlucky remnants of the red army who have not had chance to tell their story. Those who are never mentioned yet they contributed enormously towards our course. Those who are still in the army and are not progressing. Those who lost parts of their bodies.
One day the truth about the red army shall surface and the maimed will smile with satisfaction.
Email: akuochishakho@yahoo.com
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