34th anniversary of May 16th: Reflection on the contributors through the 34 years of our liberation struggle

By Kur Garang Deng, Nairobi, Kenya

May 16, 2017 (PW) — Thank God for some of us, who have survived to tell this story. It is a story of my fallen comrades who have donated their precious lives for this nation of ours, the Republic of South Sudan.

In this piece, I congratulate my heroes and acknowledge the great work they have accomplished for us. These are our freedom fighters, revolutionaries, compatriots, liberators and other contributors to this great day and nation of the South Sudanese people under the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Army/Movement.

The SPLA/M was started today 34 years ago! As we used to sing: SPLA Noor a Sha’ab Sudan (SPLA the Light to the People of the Sudan).

It was not an easy task. That is why we must always commemorate and celebrate the lives of our great leaders and men and women of history since May 16, 1983. I am proudly humbled to be one of them today. Not me alone but with my other colleagues, both alive and dead. But heroes do not die.

Since I joined the Movement when it was barely 7 months old when I was at the age of 16 years, I have been missing my compatriots every moment I reflect about our country and its bloody journey.

Special acknowledgement

I want to acknowledge and salute my leaders from Axis 1 to Axis 5. Axes were the zones into which the liberation movement was chunked, as aligned here with the ranks of their commanders.

Axis 1 was under the command of Col. Dr. John Garang de Mabior (C-in-C). Axis 2 was under Maj. Kerubino Kuanyin Bol. Axis 3 was under Maj. William Nyuon Bany Machar. Axis 4 was under Maj. Salva Kiir Mayardit (our current President and C-in-C), and Axis 5 was under Maj. Arok Thon Arok.

Only Gen. Salva is alive to tell this story better today.

My other salutation goes to men and women of courage from Battalions 104 and 105; and down to the last battalion of the SPLA. Another goes to Shield 1 down to the last badge of the SPLA.

Of course, I cannot afford to push behind my favourite battalion, The Radio SPLA! SPLA Oyee! Uliliili…! Here we go with Radio SPLA for morale boosting and mobilization. I do not mean the radio as a machine as such, I am talking about the men and women of the voice.

Those journalists and technocrats did us proud, though I may not list all their names here. We all know them in our audio clips that are out there.

Next here are all the gallant SPLA zonal and sectoral commanders, officers, NCOs, men and women of the liberation struggle. Remember, they live in us, they live among us, and they gave us this country!

Proudly, as a member of this great organization, I also invite your attention to the Bright Star Campaign, the BSC, from its Phase 1 down to the last of its several phases. This special force made us great, like our current national football team, the Bright Star. I like the BSC brand, name and contribution like my own!

In addition to BSC, let me mention a sample of other operation units that gave us victories during the liberation campaigns. I can remember OTB (Operation Thunderbolt) that liberated parts of Equatoria, ODN (Operation Deng Nhial) that cleared most of Bahr al Ghazal, OJS (Operation Jungle Storm) that was deployed around Juba, among others.

I am obliged by history to mention these operations because we lost most of our men in command and operations.

There was this intellectual unit, the Political Commissars. They were the ones who instilled in us the doctrines of the SPLM/A, objectives discipline, morale orientation, among others.

Besides, I can recognize those men who fell in the services of CI (Combat Intelligence), later renamed GIS (General Intelligence Service), and other secret information services in the Movement. They were our eyes and ears for our safety and victories in the battles—in short the pathfinder torch of the Movement.

Yes, another important ingredient of the Movement were the Signalists or CQ. They were called ‘the Backbone of the Movement’. Without this negligible unit, we would not be here today. They were the most trusted and intelligent personnel who intercepted the movement of the enemy, kept our secrets secure from the enemy, and guided the operations as well as facilitated communications during the struggle.

I remember how they used to suffer alongside us in the line of fire with manual radio gadgets on their backs and handsets together with triggers in their hands. They would sneak into the enemy line to direct their units’ fire to strategic sites.

Imagine how courageous that young man who would shoot an enemy live with words, while others are using bullets! I honour and salute them.

Every unit was as important as the other, though I may not accommodate all of them here. For example, without the services of the Medical Unit during the wounded evacuation and treatment, some fighters would not gather enough courage lest they were hurt and abandoned.

It was as vital as the Air Defence Unit that provided the roof to the fighters. People like Comrade Garang Akok Adut were a source of comfort and courage when around. I mentioned him as the first ever SAM-7 operator to shoot down a fighter jet at Malual-Gaoth in 1983. I can still say, ‘Mabruk’ like done that day!

Actually, we were not relieved by Garang Adut alone. I can remember of this unit the first group of Tiger and Tumsah battalion who were stationed at Adura, Thiaijak. It gave me a shocking courage as a conscript to witness our Movement had already acquired advanced weapons like that 14.5 two barrel anti-aircraft machine gun.

My encouragement was these young men from secondary school manning such a life-saving machine! Unfortunately, most of these university and secondary school leavers are not alive today. Let us jointly salute them, also.

Last but not the least in my acknowledgement list are the civilians who bore the brunt of the dawn assault in Bor in the morning of today in 1983. The population in Bor, like the host communities in Lou and Jikany areas of Nuer, which extended to Western Ethiopia, did a great deal of the liberation caravans that they hosted and guided to their destinations.

All the waystation communities all the way from Bahr al Ghazal, Equatoria and Upper Nile regions that facilitated our caravans to Western Ethiopia and back to the field for over 30 years, are founders of this nation as well. Their hospitality has now changed into our nationalism.

Among these heroes are our elders of the nation, especially those who were present in Bor and those areas of the inception of the freedom struggle this day 34 years ago. The ranking elders who witnessed this history live are Maulana Abel Alier, John Garang de Mabior, Kerubino Kuanyin, Alier Mangardit, among other men and women of our history and today’s nation.

Not forgetting our women like Katipa Banat and the Red Army, who were in the camps of Bilpam, Tharpam, Panyidu, Itang, Dima, and Palotaka. Nicknamed ‘The Seeds of the Nation’, I encourage them today to continue multiplying as fruitful seeds through education and service providing to our young nation.

This is the vision now realized as set forth by our founding fathers.

Still, as the saying goes, behind a great man is a woman. I say, behind a great nation are women. They took good care of the minors in the camps.

Others went with ‘ambrei’ (dried kisra) to the trenches in the front lines, others offered miraculous prayers for battle victories, whereas others offered physical and psychological courage to the officers and soldiers, others commanded platoons, coys and other units.

We are proud of our mothers. Hats off to them: SPLA Oyee!

By the way, it would be of disservice not to recognize our so-called ‘The Seventh Front’ as codenamed by our chairman, the late Dr. John Garang. This is the diaspora group that supported our movement in various forms.

The last to remember on this page are rare heroes who were in private civil services but helped greatly in the foundation of the Movement. For example, those men of the Jonglei Canal Project, who were based in Panyagor, provided fuel to the car that was used by Dr. John Garang and the family.

These gentlemen of that day are Abdon Agau Jok, Hon. Philip Thon Leek, Amb. Mariano Deng Ngor and Ustaz Atem Biar Diing. Without their nationalistic generosity, imagine what would have happened to the founder of our movement, now our nation, and his crew, who were under the Jallaba forces’ hot pursuit!

Did I tell you how Dr. John Garang acquired that car in Bor? Not yet. The 110 Landrover evacuation car was offered to him by our medical doctors working in Bor Civil Hospital, namely: Dr. Lueth Garang Kuany (who passed away in March this year, 2017) and Uncle Abraham Kuchkoon Pach, who personally handed over the key to Dr. John for the escape.

The car was later abandoned in the River Sobat swampy area of Nyanding, and the wreckage of that piece of history can still be located today at Ulang County (for the benefit of our archives researchers).

Remembering the hardest conditions we endured

As mentioned earlier on, I cannot conclude without showing you the weirdest conditions these men and women of our struggle passed through. Some of those alive may still have the scars of the scabies, jiggers, lice, mosquitoes, bees, wasps, thirst, hunger, disease, homesickness, fatigue from the long distance treks and the real battle injuries and deaths.

Besides, even the bush foodstuffs we used for survival were also as horrible as those conditions. These include wild leaves in their all varieties, wild roots like poisonous cassava; wild meat from weird animals like monkey, python, lizards, etc. which are taboo foods in some of our South Sudanese cultures.

Thank God, by his divine providence, we lived and liberated our people on such foods.

Conclusion

Most importantly, let this history and our bush experiences unite all of us despite the ongoing circumstances. Since time cannot allow the whole of what you may want, let this reminder serves as our point of common reference and comradeship towards the success of our young nation.

I leave you with a special recognition of our SPLA morale boosters (Singers Unit). As a sample, these inspiring songs have touched my heart from:

Amos Ajak: “Ana Sudani, Ana Efrikia…(I am a Sudanese, I am an African)”. So let us all celebrate our being South Sudanese, our being Africans.

We achieved this identity from our gallant singers like Comrade Magiir of Muormuor, who was killed at Mogiri near Juba, singing: “SPLA, let’s brace together in one heart. This country will be inherited by our children one day!”

Passionately, I sign out with this song of hope that we used to sing in Koryom Battalions: “Raan tong ci dong abi cool e rin ke Akuma den de SPLA.” In English, it means: “…Any survivor that remains behind will eventually be called by the name of our Government by the SPLA.”

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FOOTNOTE: Being one of the eyewitnesses alive today, I was touched overnight to rush to the computer with this emotional message. It is not that I am perfection in narrating our history, I was just touched like any citizen. Therefore, I beg to own all the errors therein and urge my comrades alive to join in telling accurate tales of our current history, the only way we can pay back to our fallen heroes whose blood has cemented our national foundation.

The writer, Mr. Kur Garang Deng, Minister Plenipotentiary, is a former freedom fighter from Agreb Battalion of Koryom Division and currently a diplomat in the South Sudan Embassy to Kenya. He can be contacted on: kurgarangdeng@yahoo.com

HISTORY: Kur Garang Deng

Dear Readers,
This picture and the story was supposed to be posted yesterday, but due to network failure it delayed past the date: 09/04/2016.

ENJOY>>>

31ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE FALL OF BOMA TO THE SPLA:

Remembering Cdr. Nyacigak Ngaciluk and Cdr. Manyiel Ayuel

I am grateful to share with the public, especially the generation coming after, the origin of the victories of our liberation movement and army (SPLM/SPLA). Today, April 8, 2016, marks 31 years of the capture of our first and permanent town of Boma (South-eastern Jonglei) in 1985.

In fact, the first assault by the Aggreb Battalion on April 1 whereby ‘Boma Fok’ (Upper Boma) and Karakon were captured; the commander’s headquarters and the garrison station (Pan Kite and Karakon), were overrun at 5.30AM. The first coy (company) of Aggreb (Scorpion) Battalion attacked ‘Pan Kait’ under the command of Capt. Chol Muorwel (a very brave, tall, huge and handsome son of the land who hailed from Tonj, also referred to as Tonj de Geu Anyuon). He was killed immediately in the forefront of the assault command. Kudos to the late Capt. Chol and his blood that cemented our nation’s foundation.
In resistance was Boma Tehet (Haiti) until the 5th day of the operation.

Then came in an abrupt cease fire ordered by Cdr. Dr. John upon the ousting of President Gaafar Mohammed Nimeiri in Khartoum on the said date. Dr. Garang attributed this storm on Boma and the popular uprising in Khartoum as having contributed to the fleeing of Gen. Nimeiri. It was expected that the incoming regime may cooperate.

Unfortunately, the Junta regime that took over made that unilateral cease fire of the SPLA an April Fools’ Day and showed no sign of interest in the so-called ‘Southern Problem’ (SPLM/SPLA war). So Maj. Nyacigak Ngaciluk ordered 1st Lt. Daniel Deng (a son from Aweil), a commander of the Second Coy (Siriya Tahnia), who further dispatched 2nd Lt. Ayuel Garang Deng Khoc of the First Platoon to attack the Lower Boma (Boma Tehet) even without the orders from Col. Garang (the C-in-C) on this day, April 8 (1985).

The capture of ‘Haiti’ was accelerated by heavy shelling by the Artillery group under 2nd Lt. Dhieu Warabek Ayuel (AchotM**). Lt. Dhieu was killed later in 2002 in the battle of Khor-Englisi, 16 miles from Torit on the road to Juba. So the Lower Boma division was cleared of the enemy forces the same day. Hence, Boma Hills town became a permanent symbol of victory there and then.

Before I conclude this section (Part A) of this piece of history, let me congratulate my comrades, both fallen and alive, the Scorpions of the Aggreb Battalion, on this day of our history. My special remembrance, as the then teenager ‘scorpion’ (infantry soldier) of Aggreb, goes to all my commanders namely: Nyacigak, the commander, and his deputy Capt. (now Lt. Gen.) Anthony Bol Madut, known by his codename ‘Rock’.

I can also remember the only surviving officer of the First Coy is 2nd Lt. (now Maj. Gen.) Angelo Jonkuch Jool (Awoijok), who captured Pan Kite (headquarters) as commander of the First Platoon of the First Coy of Aggreb (Fassilah Wulah) of the Scorpion Battalion of the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Army in 1985.

I cannot close without mentioning the few comrades who are still alive today, that include, again Capt. Anthony Bol Madut (Dept. Cdr. of Aggreb), 1st Lt. John Malony Riak, Administrator of Aggreb, 1st Lt. Atem Biar Diing (Ustaz Atem-mayen), Secretary (adjutant) of the Battalion, 2nd Lt. Angelo Jonkuch Jool, 2nd Lt. James Kong Chol (Cdr), who is now Lt. General as the head of the SPLM-IO Advanced Forces in Juba, 2nd Lt. Mawut Wuoi, 2nd Lt. Matthew Aluong Gai Awan, 2nd Lt. Kennedy Gain Ngare, 2nd Lt. Kolor, now in Wild Life Service, 2nd Lt. Chol Abraham Kuchkon Pach, as a few to recognized among others.

Also, I cannot forget the NCOs, especially our signalist Cpl. Nathaniel Guut Thuch, also known as ‘November-Gulf’ in military codes. He is now a Major General. Similarly, for the record, the fallen heroes who fell alongside Commander Capt. Chol Mawel are: Mayen Athiak Kuech, huge and tall gunner for PKM submachine gun. He was a famous singer and wrestling champion in the Pakker Section of Twic East and he died with four of his cousins from Bere Clan. Let us also remember Akuang de Ayuel, who fell with three cousins from Ayuaal section (particularly from Anyang family) of the present Nyuak Payam of Twic East County (Bor subtribe of Dinka).

To my former school mates who started with me at Pawoi Primary School (Aluel-nom village), our pioneer teacher, Aguin Dau Aguin, was wounded in the same attack and later died of internal bleeding after spending two nights alone in the bush. Having been discovered and brought to the garrison by a Murle hunter, despite an attempt to evacuate him in helicopter, Ustaz Aguin succumbed to the wounds in Zink, Western Ethiopia. May his name remain in our memories!

For those who are alive today, ‘Khali na celebrate’ (let’s celebrate as Emmanuel Kembe puts it).

THE ORIGIN OF THE WORD ‘BOMA’ AS THE SMALLEST UNIT OF OUR GOVERNMENT TODAY

Dear reader, there is a big reason for remembering Aggreb. They really laid the foundation of our nation as recognized in one of the lines of our National Anthem of the republic. First, they captured a very strategic town of Boma Hills, which marks the first town to fall to the SPLA in history. As if that was not enough, Boma became the only town that had never been captured by Khartoum forces (SAF/NIF) between 1985 and 2005 of the 21-year struggle, which is the longest civil war in Africa.

For this reason, Dr. John Garang and his colleagues named the nucleus of their political system (last administrative unit) as ‘Boma’. Today a number of ‘bomas’ forms a ‘Payam’…with ‘Payam’ being another local historical coinage by Dr. Garang and the King of Anyuak as ‘New Nation’, or in Dinka and other Nilotic dialects as ‘Pan Yam’ (new home), which denotes the idea of the ‘New Sudan’ (NS).

Now, is there no reason to celebrate ‘Boma Town’ and the fallen and survivor heroes of the ‘Scorpion’ Battalion?

PART B

REMEMBERING CDR. NYACIGAK AND CDR MARTIN MANYIEL

As mentioned in Part A above, it would be a disservice to the sacrifices of our heroes not to briefly talk about the solid characters of our fallen leaders. Shown are the lucky photos of my two great leaders and comrades in the liberation movement, namely: Cdr. Nyacigak Ngaciluk and Cdr. Martin Manyiel Ayuel Akech. These heroes are the first of the high ranking commanders who fell in action on their liberation road to this nation. I am sharing their memories because they died during this season, just like Uncle Lual Diing Wol.

1- NYACIGAK NGACILUK
I met Cde Nyacigak in January 1985 when we graduated from military college at Bonga, in a small village of Anyuak called ‘Abwola’ near Pinyudu. We came upto Raad and rested for a while before attacking Boma on the first day of April 1985 as explained above. Following the fall of Boma, we came again to Kapoeta in 1986 when he was an overall commander for Aggreb, Bee and Neiran battalions, before he was killed this time of the year. I do remember his nickname in Murle language is ‘Nyacigak-Adoi’ or ‘Adoi Kak’, the strongest champion…(check this with any Murle member near you for accuracy).

His strength is seen in action. During SPLA’s long journeys, for example, he would let the whole battalion proceed for like 30 minutes and then started from behind and caught them in no time. We used to make fun that his bodyguards would always suffer from diarrhea due to his fast walking style. I learned later that Nyacigak was a sportsman during his youth.

2- Cdr. Martin Manyiel Ayuel Akech:

I remember Cde Martin when we travelled from Buna, Lomurnyang up the Didinga Hills, and settled in a place called Lokochot, the peak of the Didinga mountain, which was used as a detention centre for the prison departments during the colonial Sudan. As I can remember, it is the coldest place in South Sudan. We proceeded down to Chukudum, then headed for Chakari in Lango area, then to part of Lotuho land in search for the enemy forces.

Manyieldit was a very honest elder, who used to take care of the young soldiers. He loved children and used to refer to them as the ‘New Sudan Leaders’. Manyiel Ayuel died of a natural sickness in Nairobi and was buried in Torit. Mabruk comrade, You have accomplished your part!

He was a fierce commander of ‘Bee Battalion’, which later fell under Ngacigak command. Cdr. Nyacigak was a member of the Alternate Military High Command, and was commanding Agreb Battalion as Tahir Bior Lueth, now a muslim council leader of South Sudan, commanded Neiran Battalion.

Cdr. Manyiel’s passing, like that of his colleague, Cdr. Nyacigak, was a big blow to the movement. However, we continued soldiering on with our objectives of the movement.

THE BEST WAY TO HONOUR OUR HEROES

In line with their martyrdom that has given us the present day Republic of South Sudan, it is my passionate appeal to the government of South Sudan, especially the governors of Boma and Lomurnyang states (of the current 28 states) that they name the highway connecting Pibor to Kapoeta as Ngacigak Road, for he was the first senior officer to die for this country, in 1986 in the Ruweto area, north of Kapoeta town, on the way to Pibor.

• I therefore appeal that a similar road be named after Manyiel Ayuel either in Torit where he was laid to rest or in their region of Bahr al Ghazal or anywhere in South Sudan.
• In conclusion, since we have our new country, I dwell on this heroes because they are not among us today, given the way greedy competition for recognition is the only business today. Also, this is the new season during which they lost their lives. Therefore, let us stand up for them.

NB: Watch this space for the next story and historical pictures.
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The Author, L/Cpl. Kur Garang Deng, was a lance Corporal of the Second Platoon of the Fourth Coy (Wikil Arif fi Fasilla Tahnia betah Siriyah Raba) of Aggreb Battalion under the 2nd Lt. Kon Anyieth Mabil. His coy was deploy as a cover on the road from Boma to Kapoeta.

ENDNOTE:
In case of those who may misinterpret my narratives, my aim is to keep our history alive so that the next and current generations would keep the records. It is also to stimulate our writers and eyewitness, like my fellow participants of such battles, to add their own version of the story of our history. For the fallen heroes that I have mentioned by names and family backgrounds, it is for the benefit of the relatives and their children, who might not know where their loved ones fell during the bush war. This is also to show how deep the war of liberation penetrated and destroyed our communities during the liberation struggle. I hope the majority of my comrades not mentioned therein could also be served by my other comrades, who are still alive.

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