Polataka Face Foundation: Dr. John Garang’s Predictable Seeds for New Sudan (Part 9)
By David Matiop Gai, Juba, South Sudan
June 23, 2016 (SSB) —- I dedicated part nine to Polataka leaders, SPLA officers and Soldiers who contributed much of their crucial love for us, they were instead like parents on our welfares, and these very people who sacrificed their lives, time, and energy as they inspired us while in Polataka. It is obvious observes in human history that majority of leaders are made. Truthfully, born and made leaders contribute sacrificially duty to their followers. As I indicated in part eight, I want to mention names of leaders and soldiers who built us in Polataka and if you did not get the name of any persons who had not been with us in Polataka, it is unfortunate because I could not recall in my memory the entire camp of Polataka.
The great leaders who inspired Polataka Red army were: Alternate Commander Sebit William Garang Dut, Polataka Red army Camp commander, Captain Awur Mawel, Polataka camp deputy commander, Captain Bol Dau, Director of agriculture, Captain Bol Deng Kuol, group five leader, 1st Lt Deng Malual, the camp director of health, Captain Ayor Guon, teacher, 1st Lt Lual Ayom Lual, (nickname Ciemperline) teacher, Alier Walla, the grammarian English teacher, 1st Lt Akon Diing, director for security, and teacher, 1st Lt Ayama mathior, the great mathematician , teacher, Chuor Mach, teacher, and the soldiers for the platoon of Koryom were staff sergeant Mawut Kuol Ayom, sergeant Alieth Chol Alieth, Makhor Nhial, Mading Mayom Yuot, Mading Kuol, Chuor Buut, (Chuor Pakap), Dut Arok Dut, Kennedy Khot, Sergeant major Bior Mayen, Mayom Magot, and list is long.
These gentlemen were the Polataka Face Foundation security before the training of Red army in Polataka. Before military training in Polataka, and Ikotos, there were four forces that guarded Polataka that time. One force was located to western part of the camp on the main road in junction of Polataka to Parajok. The second force was at the northern part of the main way of Yieri to Torit. The third force was also placed to southern part of Polataka in Aleia area at junction of Polataka and Parajok. And the fourth force was at the eastern side of Polataka near Poultry station. This eastern force was the Polataka barrack for the whole camp.
The Red army of Polataka were trained in two batches: The first military training was in Ikotos in1993, and they fought the battle of Kapoeta in 1994 where we have lost many comrades. The second military training took place in Polataka in 1993, and our Red army fought different battles around Torit, Magwi, Polataka, Paluer, Kacienga, Lemerti, Upper Talanga, Omeri, Pogei, Parajok, Owinykibul, Opari, Pageri, and Ashwa when Khartoum regime tried to push SPLA at border of Uganda.
In Polataka, the red army were trained to protect themselves, and gave reinforcement in case of immense attack by militias. In Dec 1993, the military insurgencies of LRA, and southern Sudan militias supported by Khartoum to weaken SPLA military strategies and them besieged Polataka. Whenever people tried to moved distance of five to ten kilometres from Polataka, you can heard gun shot, and in this case they killed many children like two red armies of my group in earlier and late 1993. I remembered Wani from Mundari tribe who was transferred to Ashwa hospital and he died there for internal bleeding and bullet poison, and Bol who was killed on the other side of Polataka stream immediately.
On the eastern side Polataka near group five, there was hill on the same stream I mentioned, the groups of militias mixed with Southerners and Ugandan stationed on the hill for some days and they studied Polataka and planned to attack the camp. From that time the Polataka military intelligent headed by 1st Lt Akon Diing decided to rooming around Polataka according to news they heard from the headquarter, and then our forces fall in ambush, they fought the insurgencies, and they were defeated but nobody was injured , and ran back to Polataka. Our forces were increasing to face the enemy and sent back to fight them but the enemy defeated Polataka forces three times in one day.
My group five was facing the direction of the enemy. I was instructed to let people make guarding throughout the night. The Polataka administration was calling High Commander Kuol Manyang Juuk now and then, and Kuol sent Commander Isaac Mamuor with six Platoons: three platoon of wuulek and three platoons of Jamuuth, and Kuol also promised the administration that he is coming within hours only. In the evening, Commander Isaac Mamuor arrived with Soldiers, and on the next morning High Commander Kuol Manyang arrived in Polataka, we felt relieved.
They set down and arranged how to fight the enemy. Kuol asked Lual Ayom Lual whether his tactics on how to bomb the enemy is still in place or not and Lual Ayom said yes, it is still, he promised Kuol to bomb the hill with only three bombs. On the next morning, the platoons including our red army were taken by night near the enemy. Early in morning around 6:30 am Sudan local time, Lual Ayom Lual (Ciemperline), released three bombs on the hill or to the target, and the hill got burning. The enemy ran at that time without heavy assaults.
Unfortunately, the enemy was militarily commanded to be shelling or bombardment with shells for 60 heavy bombs. To make it first better, there is no single injured in the beginning of the war. The SPLA bombarded the direction where the enemy ran to until almost 58 bullets got finished, and the 2 bullets exploded and tired 82 millilitre machine gun into pieces, and killed soldiers including 1st Lt. Lual Ayom Lual and his bodyguard Chol Ayuen Jok and seriously injured more than 18 soldiers. When SPLA came back to Polataka, the incident was even seen on their face.
High Commander Kuol jump up on his chair, and he asked some of alternate commanders in the battle field, where is Ciemperline? They kept quiet. He asked for second time and one of the red army replied, “Beny, he is dead, what? Kuol moved away, and he ordered his bodyguards to leave Polataka at night to Pageri SPLA/M headquarter. Ciemperline, or Lual Ayom Lual was very important person even Dr. John questioned people about his death. He asked, “Who sent him for fighting?” A question I think, Kuol answered it properly with care.
We were so sorry and disappointed for the death of Ciemperline, not because he is our clan member but he is a very humble person, who dares always to solve most of our problems. Although we have lost very important person Lual Ayom Lual, we took courage and comforted ourselves, and continued with military activities in the red army. In Polataka, the insurgencies were so tough on us, they came close and closer to Polataka, and movement outside was restricted. There was nowhere to turn ourselves. The Khartoum National Islamic forces of President Bashir were advancing toward SPLA remaining bases. The NIF targeted Morovbo, and Kaya with heavy convoy organized from Khartoum, Juba, and Yei, and they captured the two areas.
The next step was another heavy convoy from Juba to Jebelein toward Aru junction, Kit, Moli, Pageri, and Ashwa to Nimule. The Arabs mobilized 30 thousands of Mojhedeens to pushed SPLA contention in Jebelein and defeated them to Kit. The displace camp of Omee, (Amer), and Entebbe were moved to Loboni Displace camp in 1994 and Displace camp in Ashwa, was relocated to Magali Displace camp in the same year. The SPLA was still in Magwi and Polataka, but enemy with its insurgencies were so much closed to us from Torit and around Polataka.
The SPLA/M authority decided to move us from Polataka to Omeri near Agatta and Loboni. These areas were still Acholi home land. Some of the Polataka red army remained in Polataka. We spent two days on the way to Omeri, and we settled there. That is why you always see photos of Omeri and some of our red sitting besides cooking their food by John Ngong Aluong, (Jon pen de Ngong0.
In order for Khartoum to captured Nimule border like Kaya, and its took long for them to captured it, President Bashir himself landed in Pageri with Warcraft’s, Antinovs, gunships in 1994, and SPLA fought the well-known battle of Ashwa Bridge for four days and Bashir was defeated with his army. He asked (President Bashir), who was the field commander of SPLA battle in Ashwa? SPLA information replied, “Oyei Deng Ajak”. He also asked his people closed to him, “who was Oyei Deng in the Sudan? People replied, “Student”, he said, (naladin thalip), and in 2000, he ordered students in Juba and Khartoum to fight in the war fields for two years before joining university.
The Khartoum again mobilized 33 thousands to fight holy war, and the convoy moved from Torit, Juba, Kaya, Yei, Ashwa, as another strategy to captured Nimule. The pushed militias ahead to Magwi, and captured it. They also sent militias to Polataka, and fought the Red army there for the whole night until ammunitions got finished at 9: 00 am and Arabs with their supporters defeated our Red army to Parajok. They followed SPLA to Parajok and captured it, and our army, (SPLA), ran to Pogei, the last contention until 1996.
This is how Polataka red army contributed to the struggle until we gain back our gears to victory in 1996. A long the border of Uganda and Kenya, the only high and commanders in the field were High Commander Salva Kiir Mayardit, High Commander Kuol Manyang Juuk, Commander Oyei Deng Ajak, Commander Isaac Obute Mamuor, Commander Wilson Deng Kuerot, Alternate commander Dhieu Warabek Ayuel, Alternate commander Akuei deng Akuei, Alternate commander Machok Atem, Alternate commander James Koang Chol (CDR), Alternate commander Ajak Yen, Alternate commander Machar Geu, Alternate commander Atem Angang Atem, Alternate Jong Akuany, Alternate commander David Dhual, Alternate commander Jok Riak, Alternate commander Deng Lual Anyang and the list is long.
Polataka red army fought different battles, and they were fearless soldiers. If a field commander has five or ten red army of Polataka, there is no more problem, because they fought without turning side. After fighting in Kacienga with militias or insurgencies, the red army were again taken from Omeri to Agatta Bridge. They stayed there and back to Omeri but militias and Tong tong, (LRA), disturbed the area, they were taken to Loboni near the Anya-Anya I Airport close to Jebel as their camp.
In that camp in Loboni, some began to leave to Kakuma refugees camp in Kenya, and others studied there until they finished primary and secondary education, while other got opportunities to studied in Uganda, and around border. Most of the Face Foundation students are today government officials.
The next reading will be Dr. John meaning Polataka Face Foundation.
You can reach the author via his email: David Gai <tonggaid551@yahoo.com>
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