The president call to resolve this haunting conflict through military pursuit is more devastating and disastrous to both the civil populations of the entire Greater Upper Nile states ( Unity State, Upper Nile and Jonglei) as well as it is also destructive and demoralizing to the morale of the South Sudan Armed forces.
PIFU Communities are outrageously saddened and upset by this violent call by the president of GOSS. As citizens of PIFU Communities and South Sudan, we denounce and decry the declaration of all-out war against Lt. General George Athor Deng, and we appeal that this conflict be settled peacefully and amicably without further reservation as is genuinely called for by Dr. Riek Machar Teny.
Resolving this conflict through military confrontation is much more destructive and devastating to the lives of the civil populations in Greater Upper Nile States and our patriotic military personnel in the SPLA uniforms as well as destructions of the civilians’ properties and military equipment/installations are also greater liabilities.
Our civil populations in Unity state, Upper Nile and Jonglei are not only vulnerable to crossfire but they are also susceptible to the raping, harassment, brutal murder while hold at gun points , and their properties are confiscated and vandalized recklessly by SPLA soldiers who either act under the orders of their military commanders or at their own discretionary choices.
These indiscriminate acts of the SPLA Forces against the civil populations are pure violations of human rights, dignity and crimes against humanity at its peak. We urge complete restraint of military hostility and cessation of war to be perpetuated as is issued by the Salva Kiir Mayardit and Telar Deng Ring.
Again, PIFU Community would like to take this opportunity to express our sorrowful grievance to publicly condemn the SPLA Forces for heinously massacring 169 civilians in Khorflus villages of Amanyangdit, Amanyangthii, Kolang, Koliet and Korwai as well as the scorching of their residential villages and destructions of their properties were no exception. Mr. President, Salva Kiir Mayardit and Telar Deng Ring, is that what you declared a war for to commit criminal homicide against the civil population of Khorflus in the name of George Athor? Mr. President, Salva Kiir, Telar Deng Ring and other warmongers out there, was that what you endorsed last Friday in president Kiir’s address to the SPLA military generals, sarcastically as a military mission to protection civilians or was it a secret plot within the SPLA Command to avenge for alleged Fangak civilians? Mr. President, your officers are suspicious and must be incriminated.
Now it is crystal clear that this SPLA mission has turned out evidently to be an ironic mission to massacre 169 civilians of Khorflus and burned down their residents to ashes. Is this what you call a mission to protect civilians or massacre them? Last month, the same SPLA forces were falsely accusing and alleging Lt. General George Athor Deng to have massacred the Fangak civilians but today, the same SPLA is caught red-handed to be massacring the Khorflus innocent civilians.
There are alleged evidences that the same SPLA who massacred the Khorflus civilians could also be linked to the murder of Fangak civilians because GOSS did militarized Fangak town and used it as a launching-pad to carry out an offensive attack against Athor ‘s forces. The killings of major general of the SPLA Deputy of Division 8 and corpses of SPLA officers/soldiers in Fangak indicated that the scene of the battlefield was preoccupied by the SPLA military contingent forces.
Some testimonies by the wounded SPLA soldiers in hospital beds were also recorded to serve as future evidential references. Most of these wounded SPLA soldiers testified through an independent investigator that they were responsible for having attacked George Athor ‘s forces from Fangak areas and admitted that most of the Fangak civilians died in crossfire while some SPLA soldiers and Fangak policemen were ducking among the civilians’ residents to flee the advancing forces of George Athor.
As a result of the SPLA soldiers mingling with the civilians and shoot from their strongholds, Athor’s forces thought it was a military presence and so they exchanged fire powers and this is how civilians got caught in the middle of flying bullets and most died in river while fleeing the firepower.
All these atrocities are counted as the consequences of the warring parties in the armed conflict, and we are still in regretful and saddened mood by it, and that is why military confrontation must cease in order to avoid more civilian casualties and avert this conflict to germinate into an ethnic mayhem of retaliation. Which we believe could tear apart the South Sudan national army forces on tribal/ethnic lines, as each tribe or ethnic group might want to seek revenge for the deaths of their civilians. This scenario must be avoided Mr. President if we really want to build an integral and cohesive and stable state.
Moreover, constraining the use of military force is also vital for the reservation of the SPLA manpower. Each one of us as an individual or community has sons in the SPLA Forces, and for that strategic concern, we care more about their survivals not to die in this selfish war against George Athor’s forces. We prefer that this conflict be resolved peacefully so that we can reserve the SPLA military power to fight an external aggression from intrusive enemies against the Republic of South Sudan. We have a lot of national security threats at stake and that is why we must not waste the precious lives of our dear and selfless soldiers in the South Sudan Armed Forces to be exploited in this selfish war orchestrated and fueled by egocentric egoist in both Juba and Jonglei-Bor. We urge sincerely that lives of our sons in the armed forces be saved for the sake of the strategic national interests, and that is future war at stake.
Recommendations to be considered:
Redeployment of the SPLA Forces to the South-North borders to safeguard and defend the borderlines from external and intrusive aggression from the neighboring countries instead of amassing troops against George Athor in Jonglei.
- Demilitarization of the affected areas of Fangak, Khorflus and Shilluk areas and seek peaceful settlement of this armed conflict between Athor’s forces through amicable approach.
- We recommend provisions of humanitarian aides to Abyei, Fangak and Khorflus civilians to be facilitated by the GOSS department of Humanitarian and Disaster Management in Juba.
- We call upon the GOSS to deploy massive SPLA forces and security apparatus in Abyei areas to deter further invasive incursion on innocent Abyei civilians and ensure them enduring safety.
- We strongly recommend the cessation of the military pursuit against George Athor‘s forces and we pledge to play a major role in brokering peace and reconciliation as is echoed by Dr. Riek.
- PIFU Communities lauds the vice president, Dr. Riek Machar‘s call for peaceful settlement of the conflict and reconciliatory approach. We fully endorse Dr. Riek Machar with mutual solidarity.
- We call upon the GOSS Presidency to provide humanitarian assistances and aides to the displaced citizens of Fangak, Abyei and Khorflus as well as compensating them in monetary terms if not material supplies. Whichever may be the case.
- We call on all the peace-loving South Sudanese citizens, faith-based groups, civil societies , political parties of South Sudan and leaders to broker everlasting peace and reconciliation.
Best Regards,
By: PIFU Community Representatives.
John Abui Chol
General Bith Abui
Stephen Mijok Dongwei
Thirik Lang Mijak.
Contact: General Coordinator for Information at thiriklmijak@yahoo.com