Polataka Face Foundation: Dr. John Garang’s Predictable Seeds for New Sudan (part 2)
7 min readOn our way from home to bush, joining SPLA/M in 1987-1989 was a voluntarily devotion, love, and loyalty for our land but it had reached at the level of chiefs contributed food, and human being for SPLA manpower, which had happened in many parts of Southern Sudan during the years of liberation.
By David Matiop Gai, Juba South, Sudan
May 19, 2016 (SSB) — In 1987-1989, massive mobilization for Red Army took place all over three regions of Southern Sudan of Upper Nile, Bhar Al-ghazal, and Equatoria, but it was seriously oversized in homeland of Dr. John Garang de Mabior, the Chairman and commander in-chief of SPLA/M. You cannot imagine even if two or three children were in one family at the age of 12 upward, they were taken to Ethiopia or within Southern Sudan. In the late 1987, registration of children was carried out under chief supervision. All the chiefs in the areas of their control feared and scared by orders and braveness of Commander Kuol Manyang and Kuol was too principle and chiefs registered everybody including the sick children, because they feared being arrested and so forth.
The first group went to Ethiopia through Pibor and Pouchalla and finally they settled in Panyudu, while other groups camped in Gilo, Itang, and Dimo. In 1989, the SPLA captured Bor Town, and the schools were opened in all payams. Within the same year, another order was issued to register the final group. Commander Kuol Manyang ordered chiefs to bring children again to go to school but these children should be taken up to where? Nobody knows. We were included at this time since in the first place chiefs left some of us for serious issues of families concerns.
In November 1989, we moved on our way to Bor Town from the villages but when we reached Baidit especially children from Jalle payam and beyond, Commander Kuol Manyang called 2nd Lt. John Kur Anyang Adim to escorting us to Bor Town. In Bor Town, children from other 13 payams of greater Bor Community were gathered there but the worst thing which I can remember is the Antinov bombardments. We were innocent children from the villages and we don’t know how Khartoum regime bombarded towns captured by SPLA. We were told and being instructed by commander in Bor town Aru Maan Chot that when you heard Antinov throwing bombs down from the sky, lay down immediately. He said, rashes quickly to Candack, (the ground dug hole for hiding). Some of us were ignorant; we were still asking inquires of what Antinov is? Those who understood the name of Antinov, tell others it is a warplane. And the town was so crowded with thousands of children, because we were told to wait for other colleagues from Twic payams, and Duke payams.
Few hours later on in the morning, the Antinov came with torturing sound hovering over us. Those who were living in the town were also heard saying, “taiyaara, taiyaara”, and the plane lowering bombs on us from the sky in the middle of the town, we lay down, and some of us ran to candacks or ground holes. The bombs fall down and nobody was injured. In the evening, the Antinov came back again, we did the same run and hiding, and 2nd Lt Awur Mawel and 2nd Lt John Kur were reporting to Kuol now and then in Baidit about us, because town was too small for us to hide. We spent three bad days in Bor town and the two SPLA young officers were ordered by commander Kuol to take us to our final destination. We were thinking that we are going to Ethiopia, but it is within Southern Sudan. Thank God John Kur and Awur Mawel are still alive. Col. John Kur is now in Wau as SPLA Officer, and Col. Awur Mawel is currently a Director of Nyachigak Military training Centre in Owinychibul.
We came along Juba road, when we identified Malek, Pariak, Game, Jemetha, we realized it was not Ethiopia road because direction to Ethiopia started in Anyidi, and it was a long way because some of us stayed since birth within our territories without moving along journey. We spent some days and we reached Mangalla at night on the third day. Earlier on the next morning, commander Kuol called our leaders from Bor town that there are twenty eight UN tracks with trailers which are going back to Kenya by Bor – Torit road, let them take some of children who are tired and could not walk their way. Immediately, 2nd Lt Awur Mawel and 2nd Lt John Kur talked to convoy leader, and he accepted the quest, all the twenty eight tracks took the children, and few who remained were also taken by SPLA tracks too. In the afternoon at 3:30 pm, we arrived in Torit, the headquarter of SPLM/A in 1989.
In Torit, we were taken to Mission, the last area near the road to Katery, the beginning of range of Imatong Mountain. We stayed there for seven days but the same story of Antinov bombardments dominated human stress and mental disorder in the areas controlled by the SPLA. Two – five days in Torit, Commander Kuol came back from Bor town and he went with Deputy Chairman and C-in C of SPLM/A William Nyuon Buany, the most respected commander in years of our struggle. Friends, Commander William Nyuon Buany Machar, and Commander Kuol Manyang Juuk went and addressed us in outskirt of Torit in a place called mission. The two giant SPLA commanders went with 28 army vehicles, and many bodyguards escorted them. Buany Machar saluted and briefed us about SPLA/M victory over Khartoum and what we are going do in the future. He also passed his Chairman greetings to us and he assured us of immanent presence of Dr. John Garang among us. He said, Commander Kuol knows where you will be taken to and soon, he is going take you to there. He was so much happy with his chairman plans and he assured us once again that other groups of Red Army will soon come and join you there from Nuer, Nuba Mountains, and Mundari areas respectively. During the bush movement, Kuol and Nyuon were too friendly. They walked together. And Commander Kuol did not talk at that time, but William Nyuon gave 12 cows to Red Army in his capacity, and they went to back.
As young children we don’t know where we are heading to, but among us we have grown up comrades, and they were lobbying around platoon of Koryom to get the right information, because there were many places, and some of the Red Army training was in Kapoeta. That was logic of our military desires. Well before I concluded this part, we were been escorting by two platoons of Koryom from Bor town up to Polataka. The platoon was led by late Mawut Kuol Ayom from Biong community, and among other leaders were Aliet Chol Aliet, late Makuch Anyang, Makhor Nhial, Chuor Pakap, (chuor Buut), Chuor Mach, Mading dit, and Mading thii and many others.
The journey was not an easy journey. Some children become worried, while others never mind of the situation. One evening in Torit, we were told not moved rampantly because of Antinov. We Say, Antinov again like in Bor! But at around 10 Am in the morning, the Antinov came abruptly, and flown over Torit. Its threw 13 bombardments all over Torit. By God’s grace, the bombs jumped our area and threw them into a valley nearby us. In few minutes, commander Kuol came and sees us after bombs stopped, but we were all well. He thanks God and on the next day, he ordered again 2nd Lt Awur Mawel to begin taking the Red Army to Polataka group by group, and 2nd Lt John Kur was taken back by to Bor Town. Now the next reading will be our way to polataka in part 3.
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