The RedBelt Controversy: How Political Mongers Endanger Bor Community and Fuel the Slaughter of the Innocents in Jonglei State
David Matiop Gai, PhD Candidate; Christian Life Teaching: A College of Bible, Kenya/USA, October 2024
Headbutting Heroes: A Badly Rivalry Among Bor Community, Political Mongers, and the Government of South Sudan, and the Slaughtering of Women in Werkok and Makuach Payam
By David Matiop Gai, Juba, South Sudan
Saturday, 22 November 2025, (PW) — Bor Community political ethics, long eroded by the same government that claims to protect them, is a dying-heartedness. A hero who rivals another hero becomes an enemy of his own people. Terms like “enemy nation” or “nation enemy,” once reserved for foreign threats, now describe twisted political and military language that has turned community loyalty into rebellion, manufactured by political mongers supported by the government and aimed at innocent people of Bor Community. The meaning of these terms shifts depending on whether they are used during peacetime or wartime.
How do we identify political opportunists? Practically, a “political monger” is a derogatory label for someone who manipulates public sentiment for personal or party gain, often through rumors, conspiracy theories, or propaganda readily absorbed by beneficiaries of chaos. It is not an official title but describes individuals who engage in political intrigue, deliberate disinformation, or conspiracy-driven methods to influence society toward bad politics.
The Government of South Sudan’s involvement in conspiracy narratives to tarnish Bor Community’s loyalty is the worst kind of cheap politics, politics with a foul, rotten smell that many communities in South Sudan have normalized since SPLM’s formation up to the current government of President Salva Kiir Mayardit. Government propaganda is the calculated dissemination of misinformation, often biased or misleading, to manipulate public opinion and behavior toward a particular agenda. It is used to gain support for policies, to promote patriotism, or to demonize opponents. It relies on media, symbolism, emotional manipulation, censorship, and the suppression of dissenting voices.
In fact, the Red Belt group formed in Bor was labeled last month as a threat to public stability after Military Intelligence circulated T-shirts with the rank of Brigadier General on social media, an obviously false image, as military ranks are never displayed on T-shirts by official forces or organized groups. This misinformation triggered a heavy military convoy from Juba to Bor, storming the state capital in search of the Red Belt group as if they were a new rebel movement against the government, a claim openly denied by the Red Belt leadership.
According to the Red Belt leader in a widely circulated video, their group is not political and not against the government. Instead, it was formed to confront the barbaric raids by Murle criminals: child abduction, cattle raiding, and the killing of innocent people across the vast territories of Dinka, Lou Nuer, Mundari, Bari, Lopit, Toposa, and even bordering Ethiopia. Despite this clarity, the government refused to acknowledge their statement and continues to treat them as rebels.
Supported by many community leaders, Bor’s distrust stems from a lack of confidence in government institutions, particularly the military and police, which fail to protect people and their livestock even in full view of the national army. This lack of professionalism forces youths like the Red Belt to pick up arms to defend clan leaders and communities. Distrust grows when communities feel abandoned, misrepresented, or when their values and concerns are ignored. This distrust fuels negative expectations, opposition to government initiatives, and contributes to worsening social and health outcomes.
Rebuilding trust requires transparency, accountability, and genuine community engagement, acknowledging past harms and involving communities in decisions that affect them. When Bor youths say, “we are not against our government,” I believe they mean it. When elders, chiefs, and Members of Parliament say there is no rebellion in Bor, they are speaking truthfully. Yet something strange is unfolding. The Chief of Defense openly declared that “Red Belt groups are threats to national stability” and that “any Red Belt member is an enemy.”
This is a dangerously misleading narrative, indirectly pushing youths toward the bush by branding an innocent community as rebels. It is an insult disguised as security policy. Instead of allowing the community to defend its innocence, only one path remains open.
Perhaps Gen. Dr. Paul Nang Majok understood the real vision behind the struggle against Khartoum. The SPLM’s mission was to build a peaceful nation for all South Sudanese. If the Chief of Defense orders certain areas to disarm while allowing others to remain armed, then he is openly biased. Leadership is responsibility and leaders must live with the weight of their decisions. Instead of harboring grievances, Red Belt members should be trained and absorbed into the South Sudan Defense Forces (SSDF), with the community closely monitoring how the Chief of Defense manages peaceful coexistence in Jonglei State. But tragically, women continue to be slaughtered in Werkok and Makuach Payam of Bor County.
Bor community cannot rebel against a government led by H.E. President Salva Kiir Mayardit for obvious historical reasons. First, General Kiir stood firmly beside Dr. John Garang during the liberation. Bor Community cannot forget his loyalty, patience, and trust. Second, Kiir sacrificed himself like countless heroes and heroines, many from Bor, for the nation’s cause. Third, Kiir was entrusted with the final prophetic message from Dr. Garang in Rumbek: “No one is more qualified than Salva Kiir to lead Southern Sudan.” Fourth, Kiir fulfilled the CPA faithfully, shepherding the nation to independence as the first President of South Sudan. Sixth, Bor Community is undeniably the midwife of South Sudan—politically, morally, mentally, and historically—and President Kiir knows the sacrifices of Bor’s battalions across the 21-year struggle. Reckless arms in the hands of youths nationwide fuel insecurity, but no community that values peace would support instability if genuine disarmament were applied fairly to notorious tribes who terrorize civilians.
For all these reasons, Bor cannot become a rebel center. What is happening today is driven by opportunists seeking positions in opposition movements. Bor Community’s loyalty to the government remains 100 percent. The false rebellion narrative has instead emboldened Murle youths to cross Payams and slaughter women and children, knowing the national army has already dismantled the Bor youths who once protected their people. The same government that deployed tanks to Bor now remains silent.
To conclude, we have many lawyers, human rights defenders, and social activists who bravely speak for the voiceless. No one is above the law. The same law that elevates some to generals, MPs, governors, or commissioners also binds them to accountability. Those leaders, military intelligence officers, commissioners, governors, MPs, who fabricated rebellion in Bor must face justice, just as any Red Belt member proven to have attacked villages or ambushed travelers must also be held accountable. Bor is not a cheap arena for dirty politics. It is a sacred lineage where generations emerge, and generals depart; its heritage deserving utmost respect.
The author, David Matiop Gai, is a concerned citizen who can be reached via his email: David Matiop Gai <[email protected]>
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