Sudanese American Voice For Peace and Humanitarian Commission (SAVPHC)
By Simon Tongyik Nguthdell
Contact address:
548 Piccadilly Row Antioch TN 37013
E-mail Nguthdell@ aol.com
Dec 18,2001

Dear fellows Nuer citizens in western world, Europe, Asian, Australia, and African continent, I am here by greeting you in the Name of almighty God the created of earth and universe, and in the name of our beloved nation, the Southern Sudan in general and Nuer or Naath in particular.

It had been my deep concern about the intensification of chaos that occurring among Nuer society - on this critical moment in our nation history of South Sudan. On the bottom of my heart, I would like to express to you that, some where in universe God almighty created Nuer as a nation in South Sudan on purpose. But it seems that we Nuers are diverting that blessing into hostility among ourselves that brought more confusions and hazards to our entirely population of South Sudan. On this regard I would like to mention to you few important fact about Nuers contributions in South Sudan problem.

At the beginning of that entire crisis in Sudan Nuer was the only tribe in title to be blaming by both Northerners and Southerners who are not sincerely care about the freedom of South. The reason behind this was that, since enter of the so call Arabs to Sudan, Nuer was the only tribe which was opposed the Arabization and Islamization of Southerners. During the destruction of Christianity in Sudan in sixteen hundred century, Sudan was known by the name Kush, Kash, Abusseaniaya, Ethiopia, and latey was known by the name Balad El Sudan which is term of Arabic that means Land of Black, the inhabitant of the land among them including Nuers. Nuer was the only tribe which resisted the exploitation of Northern Muslim against Christians in Sudan until they were forceful move toward the South of the Country that became now a permanent home of South through furious fights between Muslim invaders and the Christians Sudanese African.

During the entered of the British colony to Sudan, Nuer also was the tribe which resist the British on her colonies. Nuers fought the British for almost nine consecutive years until they were given their independence by British, unfortunately, because the society was so primitive, Nuers turndown the offer by saying we don’t want the independence - simple we are against the white dominance. After the British successfully control the Nuerland, the British started planning the emerge unification policy between North and South without consent of Southerners where by majority of Southern tribes formal agreed on unification of North and South while Nuers were opposing the opinion. However, Mr. Both Diew was the only one Nuer who opposed the idea of unification among Southern Sudanese politicians which sympathies with the unification. Unfortunately, things turn worst that lead to the Torit mutiny 1955, that arosed before the achievement of the so call Sudanese Independence. South Sudanese first movement exist in Equatoria for almost seven years with no fight, until the Nuers upraising in 1960 which led to the capture of Pinychala district under the command of Nyang Ruondial Chiol and Rot Whicluoth plus the rests, and that was the beginning of recognition of the Any Anya One-Movement war in South Sudan.

As the result of that struggle, Nuers were the victims of Anyanya One, the food that was consumed were Nuer’s cattles, the ladies that was raped were Nuer’s women, and the majority of heroes who sacrificed their lives as a result of the struggle were Nuer people. However, at the end of 1972, forgery accord that denying the right of the Southern Sudan was initiated by the ambitious notorious who did not care obtaining the genuine resolution of the chronic problem that has affected our entirely innocent population for many decade. They signed agreement that did not last long and after two years in agreement, the so call Abel Alier and Joseph Lago together with Niemeri plotted to disarm the Anynya One troops that was station in Akobo in 1975, and immediately Nuers have realized that the accord will not be long in its position, they decided to killed the commander who was designated by Arab known by the name Abdulla Kol, and they finally cross the Pibor River toward Ethiopia border and that resulted to the formation of Anyanya Two which was the continuation of the first movement.

Anyanya Two fought with Khartoum government for almost nine years. On the other hand, in Juba, which was the Headquarters of the so called the Local Autonomy was specifically established to verify the Dinka dominance that favorited the Arab North policy of dividing their role because they knew well that if Southerners remain united, they will successfully achieve their freedom whether by forces or by negotiation or round tables. That local autonomy in Juba was not actually a free democratic process. It was sized by the Dinka Bor as an opportunity to dedicated their oppressors - non Dinka, that brought a dispute among Dinka and Equartorian populations because equartorians assumed that their land was confiscated forcefully by the Dinka, which dominated everything from superior point up to the inferior person. The Abiel administration authorized the Dinka to confiscate the Equartorian Land and rename them Dinka language that totally increased the dispute among the tribes that let to the decentralization of South Sudan in to three States. On those occasions, Nuer politician took opposition against the decentralization which was accepted by both Equartorian and Bahr El Gazhel, D.K. Matthews was one among Nuer politicians that agreeded for the division of South in to three states.

On the issues of Anyanya two was also Nuers who fought for almost nine years until the defection of Samuel Gai Tut, William Choul Deng plus others to joint the second movement in 1983. When those notorious learn against that the Southern movement is materialized, they decided to sent John Garang to go and diverted the movement from the real course into the tribal conflicts. Garang, at the first place, was sent by Abiel Alier and Sahdig El Mahdi in order to go and confuse Southerners from their true objective that calling for the right of Self-determination into Secular United Sudan that has nothing to do with the Southerners. The big hidden secret of Garang is to establish the so call Dinka Kingdom that may enable Dinka to rule either South or Sudan in all if possible. Dictator of Garang started it by saying that is first bullet was target the "forehead of the separatist". The separatist here means those who are calling for the right of Southerners,who are Anyanya Two, however, that was the caused of that naughty war that totally lost the lives of more then two millions people. The war between Anyanya Two and SPLA was not actually between Nuers and Dinka as some people usually put it, I mostly believe if it was between those two tribes, the war could not intensify to that extend, but the war was between all Southern tribes included some Nuers, who fought on behalf of Nuerland with those who composed who resist Dinka invasion for almost four years that weakened the SPLA in battlefield which would have resulted into collapse of the movement foundation. However, with the merciful hearts of Nuers, such as D . K Matthews and others, war ended unexpected. These Nuer politicians decided to reconcile the two movements, and that resulted to the fall of Nasir Town which let into the evacuations of all Southern towns with the exception of Malakal, Wau, and Juba.

If Southerners had a spirit of unity, the freedom of South would have been achieved. Unfortunately, because Garang was awared that the unity of Southerners would given no Dinka a chance to oppressors, he decided to give power to the illiterate Dinkas in order to carry out the assassination of the intellectual whom supposed to carried out the movement into his direction, and Garang sincerely opposing the participation of the educated people on a ground that no one will try to corrected him or his leadership concerning the ruthless genocide he did to the Southern Sudanese. Furthermore, the splited of SPLA movement into two, by Dr. Riek Machar, is initiated the issues and the objectives and the reunification of the movement. But Garang was trying to plot against Riek in order to get rid of him but because he know that killing of Dr. Riek would result into a severe consequences. He decided to send Dr. Riek into western Upper Nile to avoid his threat to unify Southerners. Therefore, Dr. Garang should be accountable for the introduction of the tribal conflict and the mass murders of all Southern Sudanese intellectuals who were murdered in cold bloods just simple because they are not Dinkas.

My point here is to assure you that the strength of the SPLA was surely originated from Nuer tribes. Majority of Southern is blaming Nuers as the sources of destruction, unfortunately, Nuers are not. Nuers are disputing Garang leadership simple because of the way Garang is handling the movement, particularly the random killing of the Southern intellectuals, torturing of innocent population, and the looting of civilian properties that resulted into the emerges of SPLA United. The consecutive violation of human right has reached into unbelievable stage, such as murdering of the innocence people, raping of the women, long detenting, and torturing and these were the options of the SPLA policy. However, the split of South Sudan Independence movement/ Army (SSIM/ A) was a correction of the movement's objectives which is right for Self-determination for the people of South Sudan - to decide their own political destiny, democratization of the movement,where every individual should have a freedom of speeches, the respect of the human right violation, while long detention, torturing, and random killing should be avoided. Yet, dictator Garang never given up his attitude of any single mentioned above that may give people hope to the future of movement. He was waging his war against Riek Machar and committed to the secular united Sudan.

The secret behind Garang's refusal for the right of Self- determination that should eventual became a part of the solution to the south - north crisis was that, Garang knew very if South become independence the oppressors Dinkas will automatically ended, and he will never get the wealth he is getting. Therefore, he choose to delayed the issue of right for Self-determination by amalgamating his movement with the so call NDA and target those who mean to seek for the right of South. During the split of SSIM which become now Sudan People Democratic Front (SPDF), thousands of Nuers who were loyalty to the despotic Garang movement were simply murdered in cold blood just because they were Nuers in nationality, and on the other hand, the Dinkas who was with Nuer was keep fairly up now they are still holding the highest opposition in (SPDF) that could never happen in SPLA, while Nuer are the people who were trying to destroy the legitimate movement, which all Southern Sudanese want were not. We Nuers believed that during the unification of Southerners, SPLA was strong, but when we decided to put the weapons down and split from the SPLA which was dominance of Dinkas, the SPLA has come totally collapse and no other power exist til nowadays. Therefore, a member of Nuers should acknowledge that Nuers were the part of the power in South Sudan and without them nothing could be achieved in the South.

As a matter of fact, all Dinkas communities have design themselves as a unionist to have rights to rule whether South or Sudan, even if Garang is committing sometimes fatal crisis within their communities, they yet have confidence on the Dinkas community that fights for the Dinka future. The example of this is ring leaders of Bahr El Gezhal who was murder in cold blood by Garang leadership, but the Dinkas of Bahr El Gezhal took it as an opportunity to keep their community's principle confident to go head of reaching its goals. Sometimes what really amusing me a lot was the mistreatment of Dinkas against Nuers during the establishment of Itang, Nuers were used to buried the decease that decayed for more than three to four days and building the homes of ordinary Dinka populations who were refugees like Nuers. On the other hand, even if Nuers were fighting that war under the range of SPLA leadership, yet the Dinkas are still considering Nuers as traders. To be honest, Southern Sudanese matched out from the union of North because of the mistreatment that has been impose over Southern as second citizens. The same policies against Garang who also want to impose to the Southern instead to liberating them out of bondage. As my best regard, I do believe that the solution to this entire crisis will come up from the same Nuers who had been categoried as a bad people simple because they are telling the truth about how people should treat themselves. Southern Sudanese does not deserve to be mistreated by the individual born in South, and because those two millions and half who has died in war, Nuers or Dinkas, were not the only tribes It is a combination of all tribes who called themselves South Sudanese. Each tribe deserved to be treated with the respect and have the legal right to express his/her opinion regarding the issues which mattering the South.

It would had been good if you Nuers should change your attitude and have respect to your leaders, it happen that most of the Nuers are bowing their heads down to the others tribes' leaders and show them full respects, for example, the leadership of Garang which mistreated Nuers badly was the most respected leadership by Nuers then any leadership, while one who sincerely devotes his time to find the solution for this chronic problem is not respected. What we think? Do we actually mean to be under oppressing all the times? Is that what you want? If that is what you want, Nuer name as the tribes should not by the people who cannot represent it because you want to be under individual for good of your don’t and your own capability to lead South Sudan as different the strongest tribes is misused by desiring.

Finally, I encouraging you that Nuers are not oppressors, they deserve to lead people because they are pure democratic society that will never tolerate the existing of discrimination. They are a society, which love anybody to have his/her share without any hesitation. They also can distribut wealthies fairly to all Southern Sudanese regardless as to where someone comes. The example of this was the war of Anyanya one all Southern rebels were accommodating in Nuerland, Second movement too was having the similar accommodation without any doubt. Third, the exist of so call SPLA was also accommodation with contributions that were deliberated by Nuers. Without Nuerland, SPLA could never exist. The pain and agony that was done to the Nuers were not even done to any tribes among the entire of Sudan. However, brothers and sister I am urging you to rethinking again for what will be the Nuers future. We are in civilized world, where we could experience a lot of things, there is no place of this world have diversity more than the West, and we have also seen that they do have bunches of dispute, yet they solve them in a peacefully. What about us? Are we not willing to resolve our minor dispute in peaceful manner, too. Therefore, I urge you as a intellectual to think and enact a new way that will restored the old Nuers cultural value that exist for the respect, peace, prosperity, and propriety. And thank God bless you all.

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