A call for solidarity: Red Army Fraternity ask to support Mangok Panan (Mangok Africa)
6 min readA call for solidarity: the Red Army Fraternity asked to support a veteran member, Mangok Thuc Aguer (Mangok Panan or Mangok Africa)
By Garang Kuot Kuot, Aweil, South Sudan
Friday, September 28, 2018 (PW) — This message serves to inform the members of the Red Army Fraternity that there must always come a time when our revolutionary ideals and spirit are invoked to stand in solidarity with one of our own during his or her hour of greatest need. Needless to say, now is one of those times to invoke that revolutionary zeal.
Let it be known that our veteran member of the Red Army, Panan Mangok Thuc Aguer, requires our urgent intervention to support his efforts to secure immediate medical attention. Panan Mangok, indeed, is sick and he is nearly going blind. His image in the video clips provided herein underscores the essence and urgency of this solidarity call. Without immediate medical attention, Panan Mangok may lose his sight permanently.
This can’t happen at a time when his comrades in the Red Army, through their collective efforts, can easily cover his medical cost and turn his situation around. Let us chip in a little into a contribution pool to uplift his spirit and turn his condition around. Support our comrade whose personal contribution towards our long and painful war of liberation and the wellbeing of the Red Army is above and beyond reservation: he was a military trainer of thousands of revolutionists, composer and singer of revolutionary songs and a frontline soldier. Panan Mangok counts on your solid support during this trying moment in his life!
Who is Mangok Thuc aka Mangok Africa?
Mangok Thuc is a person who needs no introduction to the Red Army Fraternity and living veterans of the SPLA Proper. However, for the sake of the wider public, we wish to add this brief biography about him in the context of our successful armed revolutionary struggle.
Born in present-day Aweil State, Mangok Thuc went to Ethiopia in 1986 along with SPLA force that later constituted Zalzal II Division. He was trained, as a Red Army, with Petrol Battalion of Zalzal II Division in 1987. They were graduated in the same year, but Mangok was removed from his battalion along with a few other comrades when the rest of Zalzal II battalions were deployed to front lines in various SPLA war zones in Sudan. Mangok and his comrades, who remained behind, were given military trainers’ (Talimgiin in Arabic) training.
After completing the second training, he, along with his comrades, were commissioned as military trainers and posted to various military training Centers of the SPLA, including Bunga, Bilpam, Tharpam, Dima, and Marketh. Marketh Military Training Center was located a few kilometers away from Pinyudo.
Mangok was posted to Bilpham where he participated in training Infigar Division in 1988. When Infigar was graduated in that same year, Mangok was sent back for further military training with Nganyin Battalion, literally making him an elite soldier and trainer. After Nganyin was graduated, Mangok was sent to Pinyudo’s Marketh Military Training Center where he participated in training Makalib battalion, Daam (blood) battalion, Ujuum battalion, manyangdit (Elders) Battalion, Teachers Task Force and the Red Army or Teraf (Seeds) Division which comprised of ten (10) battalions in 1989.
While training the Red Army in 1989, he established a Music Band, which he modeled along the concept of a Military Band. When the Red Army completed their training, Mangok was posted to Pinyudo where he became more of a mentor to the entire Red Army. His revolutionary songs of encouragement and valor kept the spirit of the Red Army upbeat despite their difficult circumstances at the time. We must add that his revolutionary songs also became a morale booster for the fighting SPLA forces in various front lines.
When Mengistu Haile Mariam’s regime in Ethiopia fell, leading to the departure of the SPLA from Ethiopia in 1991, Mangok went to Pochala along with the Red Army. Yet as an active combat man, he left the Red Army in 1991 and joined the Task Force of Commander, Martin Manyiel Ayuel, where he ended up deployed in Boma and surrounding areas. In the same year, he was redeployed to Equatoria, where he was integrated into SPLA forces in the Bright Star Campaign (BSC), which battled the enemy around Juba and many parts of Equatoria Region.
As part of BSC forces, Mangok sustained many enemy bullet wounds in distinct battles. The first bullet he sustained was in 1992 in Kiyala and he was wounded severally later in the course of Bright Star Campaign operations. But for the sake of brevity of this letter, we are not going to dwell on all the battles he participated in during the BSC and his background history including his brief stay in Kakuma, Kenya, we will leave it for another writing. Panan Mangok will be given live interviews by members of Red Army including Ajak Chiengkou of SBS Radio, he will be able to shed more light on his biography.
Concluding this summary historical background, Mangok rose to the rank of Captain in the SPLA and he is currently in active military service in Lion Division or 3rd Division of the SPLA, Headquartered in Wunyiik, Aweil.
The Purpose of The Message:
The purpose of this letter, as highlighted in the introduction, is to plead with the members of Red Army Fraternity, and their friends to mobilize funds in support of their veteran member, Mangok Thuc, who is in urgent need of medical attention. This fund mobilization is designed in a very simple way. Any member of the Red Army or their friends wishing to contribute towards this effort is asked to contact any of the Red Army Volunteers whose names are provided below and remit his or her contribution to the person nearer to him/her.
For the purpose of transparency and accountability, the money contributed will be reported on the media and the list of all contributors along with their respective contributions will be published. This is important so that if one does not find his or her name on the list of contributors, such a person will notify the coordinating team immediately so that we ask the person whom such person had sent his or her contribution for prompt clarification.
As soon as the fundraiser is closed and a report of the entire contribution is published, the amount of money contributed will be transmitted to South Sudan. Once the money is safely remitted to Panan Mangok Thuc, he will release a signed statement acknowledging the receipt of the money in accordance with the report already published and he will update the Red Army on the progress of his treatment. We thank everyone in advance for his or her contribution and solidarity and we also thank and appreciate members of the Red Army in Aweil who recorded the videos provided here.
For those wishing to contribute to this fundraiser effort, kindly send your contribution to any of the following Red Army Volunteers who will be collecting the contributions on behalf of all of us:
UNITED STATES:
Isaac Mabior Ngang: +1(619)-627-3386
Mawein Mawein: (Kerwak): 3155528616
Yel Atem: +1(203)-507-1398
Moses Monynhail Dut: +1(206)-451-3373
AUSTRALIA:
Garang Pioth: +(614)-224-43568
Majok Achol: +(614)-693-27621
Johk Atuer: +(614)-0374-2781
Anthony Chut: +(614)-666-63747
CANADA:
Machar Barmil: +1(306)-351-1938
SOUTH SUDAN AND EAST:
Stephen Mayuen Mou: +211926500088/+2110926500077
(The following people have thankfully contributed to the drafting of this message: Akol Aguek, Santino Ayuel Longar, James Alic Garang, and Tong Deng)
Video Clips featuring Mangok Panan
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