The glory of independent of the Republic of South Sudan should not be hijacked by few individuals

The rise for freedom on South Sudanese struggle against Khartoum governments, its glory should not be hijacked by those who think that they were the ones who brought this freedom about. 

Those wars were collective, since 1940s, 1956, 1972 up to the initial one of 1983—2011 referendum. Those conflicts were well-known as Northern-Islamic ideological problems vs. Southern Communities who have different beliefs plus Christianity as their steering faith.

 Though there were other factors, but different ideologies geared those conflicts up. For the issue of struggle against marginalization, oppress ions and inhumane treatment gave a clear situation that enabled the collective rise for struggle against such mistreatment. And in this context, that struggle was not intended against “who”, but against “what”. 

I believe that South Sudanese cohesiveness was seen clearly which I believe, it will rise again against any crooked governance which would take on itself that they deserve the continuous exploitation of this Country. I personally have this to say, “We all found ourselves herein this world without signing up to it—we will be crossing also to another, without signing in for it. 

Therefore, it is sage advice and convenience truth for us (South Sudanese Citizens) to mingle ourselves for our common good—without hindering one another biased in any personal wishes. For freedom, with all its features is basic rights of humanity, it is inseparable possessions of any humankind living under heaven—that should be respected by perpetrators of all ages.

 I don’t really understand what evil that incites some to go on violating the very basic right of life liberty and pursuits of peace and happiness of others—but whoever costs it, or on whatsoever concern they cost it—is undoubtedly damned by God, such inhumane deeds!”. Abraham Lincoln former president to United States of America quoted almost the same, for when coming into human life phenomena, it is almost similar.

Okay, here we begin; that the civil war for freedom started on 16^th May in Bor,  and then agitated community from different tribes of Southerners thronged into. This freedom struggle stirred up every community accordingly. The collective initiative in their hearts was cohesively fervent for freedom, their within dignity was wildly inspired them with a determined spirit—exactly like this quote,“The government of the people by the people and for the people”—that was the theme from Democratic Party of Americans.

I do not wish to bypass to bring to light a little bit of these people’s eventful movement albeit there are many figures who knew the whole story better than I do. I just wish to touch little events of which I witnessed some though it is a familiar history to everybody yet not clichéd. In a prerequisite, I am going to pave its correlations by retrieving succinct findings thereafter I get to explain its divine otherwise.

 As I said earlier that we passed through hard situations, the year of 1983, was the interval of the heroic revolt of the Southerners against Khartoum government of Sudan. The child SPLA\M was born in that little area called Bor in Jongle. Nursed by Dr. John Garang De Mabior, Kerubino Kuenyin, William Nyoun Bany, from Aweil were Lual Diing and Kawac Makuei who defected with many young compatriots.

In 1983 was the date when the true agitated and stressed men and women ‘South Sudanese’ who were restless from Arabs’ rampant humiliations thronged to Bilpam to get recruited into the movement. The system which is known now to be the third revolution whose real name was not called ‘Anya Nya’ but SPLAL/M.

I called this Movement “God’s Evangelized Movement “and you will believe me as you will read her starting scurries. I believe that this revolution was not organized by man but God Himself inspired all the hearts of His people to begin it from zero level. 

So, the military training center Bilpam’s location fall at the Ethiopian’s western boarder which was also very far from the provinces such as Aweil, Wau, Warrap, Lakes and Equatorians. Going to Bilpam those days was not an easy job; countless problems encountered those comrades on their way to Bilpam such as hunger, thirst and the presence of some aggressive community such as Nuer and Murlei. But still every leg found itself going to Bilpam despite the severe encountering!

Despite the challenges of those aggressive communities’ militias which was terminating lives of many bypassing young people on their way to join their colleagues—such that they could come back consolidated to face their enemy; yet their hearts remained truly un-fluctuating to accomplish their mission. Sincerely speaking, our comrades the SPLA suffered immensely from different mischievous adventures from the Khartoum government, militias andII Anya Nya, which were even the second mutineers after the Anya Nya one.

Despite some of the SPLA/M’s members were from the same mutineers of both Any Nya II and Any Nya I insurgents, yet there were maladjusted bickering over an inborn power rigidly—coupled by those hired by Arabs who fought against the movement vehemently for their own ulterior. Rampant interceptions were immensely faced and lives lost on the way from the other persons who refused to join in but invented their own!

The Arabs supported the hands of those militias with food and ammunition in order to help fight away her enemy the SPLA\M. The Khartoum government was doing these crooks for they avowedly knew very well that if all the black tribes of Sudan join hands from the very beginning—that it would quickly result into their downfall! So going to Bilpam was all about enduring no rest no fear of death—their journey was only aimed “to reach Bilpam” no matter how severe the consequences might be. They were determined to go and fight for their inborn New Sudan!

The movement was not prepared with the required ammunition and also was without proper military training. There were no ample food rations for the men who were in frontlines. Sometimes whenever the hungers strike severely, the little maize bags those they would have could be distributed to the men though it could not be adequate to go round for all men. A little container was used to constraint the utility of food distribution. Some tried to go hunting but since the bullets were few—there was also a constraint orders issued to control the use of the bullets.

Everything was almost edible to our comrades those days. They ate anything no matter even if it was raw—they just devoured! When thirsts get worst they coerced one another urine to drink! When the number of the recruits grew and there was no food, the late Dr. John gave them such cunning instructions that said,“if you go to your communities’ homes, do not rob them, rather ask them to give you food—but do not let them refuse to give you food”. Those years of 1983 up to 1992 were really perilous to our comrades! Many battalions were inaugurated but many of them died from thirst, hunger and surely through their huge enemy who had military genius.

Despite all these challenges men and women mostly from Bhar el Ghazal and from other places within the South– they kept valiantly on going to Bilpam. All the movement’s gearing mechanism was not discouraged instead they never mind since there was no any other choice but to stay in the bush as gorilla. Everybody was encouraging his or her friends to stay focused and determined to achieve one thing ‘liberation of the entire Sudan’. Myriad number of people perished in the name of achieving their own realm with equal maximum meters of rights with an ample democracy for all the southerners!

This was the vision pitting in every heart of all those comrades who were martyred! Despite that there was no salary; it was not a case to everybody. The poor and weakling movement adopted perseverance, they even encouraged themselves by calling themselves ‘gorilla’. They also perished from the enemy’s an unexpected attacks as a result by the absence of their own colleagues who rampantly escaped from front lines deployment—leaving big gaps to their opportunists. Since the enemy they were fighting was not an easy one, the forces of those enemy could rampantly seized myriad number from SPLA soldiers and murdered them—because the vacuums their colleagues left them in costed lots of fatal losses!

Sometime it would be a negligence from their commanders who would randomly tarry persuading the army saying ‘wait for my way, it is not time yet to attach’ until the army could be seized by their Islamic opportunists who procured a good ground and laid them victim. Because they soldiers were kept waiting with their hands in their triggers! those slight redundancies their opportunists got led to great loss of souls from the sides our dear brothers.

 It was an arbitrary negligence death occurred which allowed their tactics several times overwhelmed and hijacked by their tactful foes! Another arbitrary negligence or mistakes made were the assignments given to some commanders in the operations who would not turn up quickly in giving men the required ammunition and the ample equipment of warfare which could result into soldiers ran short of bullets and the opportunist devoured them as the matter from such negligence! Another worst reluctant habit was that the leadership assigned somebodies who had just been captured from the enemy’s side.

And if the man in their custody happened to be a high-ranking officer, they leadership would just assign him into a high position such as ‘Training Centre’s master-hood or food logistics administratory.’ That currently captured foe officer, would be detected later on that he had secretly smuggled all the system’s secrets to his government. The foe would also execute many new recruits by his severe chastising which he cunningly terminologized as ‘preparing men for higher capacity’.

It was a training through which the new recruits had to run the whole day without eating or drinking and when they cease running, they could drink only a glass of water and boiled maize mixed with sands! They also suffered from long distant issues, everything was very far and there were no Lorries or transportation mechanism. 

There were no artilleries heavy—nothing was helping them except God’s own cradlings! Despite all those severe challengers whilst I have not mentioned some in order to make it more detailed and deeper, the gorilla’s valiant heart stood and remained firm, and never fluctuated or alarmed!

Rev. Malog Baak