Archive for April 21, 2012


`’Any voluntary withdrawal by the RSS from Heglig would depicts and portrays the South Sudan as a military aggressor and illegal intruder of the Sudan’s Sovereignty in the face of the world, and would further emboldens the Sudan regime to dispute the status of Heglig with legal legitimacy before the international community.” `’You cannot withdraw voluntarily from what is rightfully yours under anybody or enemy pressure.” `’There should be a conditional prerequisites prior to submissive admission to the international pressures.” Quotes by Panaruu Community leaders in North America.

The sudden eruption of military hostility which sparked the international discriminatory and biased condemnations of the Republic of South Sudan by the UN, EU, UK, AU & USA, and indiscriminate bombardments of civilian populated towns in Unity State along the South-North border frontiers had become the focal concern and saddening outrage among the Panaruu/Panrieng Community and Unity State citizens across the globe. Panaruu/Panrieng Community across the world is also upset by the RSS’s mishandling of the Heglig/Panthou status and the incoherence of the Juba on the international-diplomacy frontline in the media versus the Khartoum ambassadorial diplomats. These themes had derided the status of Heglig.

Discriminatory & Biased Condemnations.

We, the Panaruu Community of the Ruweng/Panrieng County are vehemently maddened by the discriminatory and biased condemnations uttered by the UN Secretary General, EU, UK, AU & USA diplomatic Representatives and I quote them as follows;

Alarmed by escalating conflict between Sudan and South Sudan — as manifested most recently by the seizure of oil fields in Sudan — the Security Council this afternoon demanded that both sides immediately end cross-border violence and support to armed proxies and redeploy their forces from forward positions.

“The recent violence threatens to return both countries to full-scale war and the period of tragic loss of life and suffering, destroyed infrastructure, and economic devastation, which they have worked so hard and long to overcome”, the Council said in a statement delivered by Susan Rice of the United States.

To defuse the situation, immediate actions demanded by the Council include withdrawal of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) from the oil-rich area of Heglig in Sudan, an end to aerial bombardments by Sudan’s air force and redeployment of the forces of both sides 10 kilometers outside the North-South borderline specified in their agreements of 29 June and 30 July 2011. 

The Council also reiterated its demand that both parties redeploy their forces immediately from the disputed Abyei area. In addition, both sides were urged to take immediate steps to establish a demilitarized border zone and activate the border monitoring mechanism already agreed upon, with the support of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNIFSA).

Towards lasting peace, the Council called on the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan to “urgently and peacefully” resolve issues regarding Southern Kordofan, Blue Nile and Abyei and all other outstanding matters of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which ended their decades-long conflict. For that purpose, the Council called on the leaders of both States to hold a summit, as previously planned, and to work with the related African Union high-level panel.

We, the indigenous natives of Panthou (infamously known as Heglig) condemn and denounce   the discriminatory and unfair condemnations by the UN Secretary General, EU, UK, AU diplomatic Representatives, & USA State Department spokeswoman toward the Republic of South Sudan over the status of Heglig. Moreover, Panaruu/Panrieng citizens categorically reject the UN, EU, UK, AU, USA imperialistic demands in urging the Republic of South Sudan to withdraw its armed forces from the Panthou/Heglig as if it is a legitimate territory of North Sudan. Panthou/Heglig is an indigenous territory of the Panaruu Dinka of Panrieng County. Panthou/Heglig falls under the administrative payam of Aliiny of Kuok section in Northern Panrieng County.

Panthou is located deeply in Unity State, South Sudan in accordance to the colonial map of the January 1st, 1956 national archive of Sudan unless otherwise it is being tempered with and defaced to alter the authentic geography of the colonial map of 1956 borderline by the Khartoum regime for their malicious intention to illegally annex it due to its economic abundant resource in oil reserve and agricultural fertility. Panthou is nationally known as the most productive and rich oil field in Sudan that had been feeding and prospering the economic boost and boom of Sudan before the autonomous secession of South Sudan. The areas of Panthou including Roor de Lou or kool de Lek or Kelek (infamously renamed as Karasana is also part of Panthou, situated north of it) were occupied and annexed militarily by the Khartoum regime following the discovery of the oil deposits in these Panrieng County indigenous areas. Both of these oil producing areas of Panthou & Kelek/Karasana were natively inhabited by the local people of Panaruu Dinka until they were deliberately and intentionally displaced by the Sudan armed forces as a policy mandate by the foreign oil operating companies to depopulate the entire territories of Panaruu/Ruweng Dinka of Panrieng so that they can extensively expand for more spacious areas to carry out the extensive oil exploration in Ruweng/Panrieng County.

We, Panaruu people reserve much of substantial evidences to challenge anyone who dare to annex and claim the ownership of our indigenous territories with pre-emptive malice and rhetoric including the international bodies that are obsessively misled and misguided by the falsified fabrications and diplomatic smear-propaganda of Sudan regime before the UN, EU, AU, UK, & USA and public media. Both Panthou and Kelek/Karasana are the ancestral territories of Ruweng/Panaruu Dinka of Panrieng County in Unity State, South Sudan. Thus, South Sudan is the legitimate, authentic, and indigenous owner of both the Panthou and Karasana/Kelek.

Therefore, the rhetorical demands by the AU, UN, EU, UK, and US that the Republic of South Sudan must withdraw its triumphant and victorious troops over the capture and occupation of her sovereign territory along the South-North border does not make any logical/reasonable sense to the government and patriotic citizens of the South Sudan unless the UN, EU, UK, AU, Russia & USA want to abuse their imperialistic world powers against the belittled nascent South Sudan state for their own economic ambitions in favor of Sudan regime. If these international bodies and nations are actually adhering to the UN Charter of international peace and security mandates, they should instead hold the Sudan regime accountable for the defiant and deliberate violations of the South Sudan territorial integrity and sovereignty and apprehend Khartoum to conform or comply with the implementation of the border demarcation of the South-North Sudan, Abyei , Nuba Mt, and Blue Nile protocols which were legally rectified in the signing of the CPA in 2005 in Kenya.

The same international bodies were the signatory witnesses to the CPA accord, and we South Sudanese are stunned overwhelmingly as a result of the international failures to hold Khartoum accountable over the frequent violations and breaches of numerous CPA protocols and treaties in Addis Ababa occasional negotiations. Juba government has demonstrated a sincere and accountable commitment in the diplomatic negotiations and compliances with the AU and other international mandates and guidance, but all these diplomatic avenues of pursuing peaceful solutions to the status of border demarcation, Abyei, Nuba Mt, and Blue Nile were desperately frustrated with dismissive exhaustion by Khartoum with their usual rhetorical attitude and creed that any agreement signed or not signed is not excerpt of Quran scripture to be violated.

The Khartoum belligerent attitude is that they do not have to obey and comply with any man-made agreement policies other than fearful for their Holy Quran scriptures. Furthermore, Panthou and Karasana/Kelek are never parts of South Kordufan and will never be ones in the near future. The Ruweng/Panaruu Dinka is a traditional neighbor of the Nuba people, who currently inhabit the South Kordufan state. Both Nuba and Panaruu Dinka are peace loving and law-abiding citizens who had lived side by side in peace and harmony and depend on each other economically and socially for a century and would continue to nurture such humanity with a kind and generous compassion. Both Nubian and Panaruu had never had any conflict and mistrust and they understand the traditional boundaries of their indigenous territories.

Ruweng or Panaruu Dinka had no any traditional border with Messiriya/Baggara nomads that are currently being imported by Sudan regime to come and settle in South Kordufan to be exploited as proxy pretext politically to occupy and annex our spacious lands of Ruweng and Abyei on false conspiracy and fabrication along the South-North border frontiers. Messiriya and Baggara are nomadic herders who transhumance/trek from the far North of Kordufan and Darfur to come and graze and water their livestock in South Sudan rich savannah and swampy areas. It is our kind generosity and traditional hospitality that is exploited politically and economically by the Sudan regime to illegally occupy and annex our indigenous territories by indoctrinating and instilling criminal policies in the minds of Messiriya and Baggara to pre-emptively claim the ownership of South Sudan territories with malicious rhetoric and radical aggression.

Messiriya and Baggara are armed and exploited violently by Khartoum regime to destabilize South Sudan. Ruweng had been fighting Baggara/Messiriya historically through traditional warfare up to the present day of modern weapon influx and they never defeat and occupy our territories by violent mean. The Greater people of Nuba are the traditional neighbors of Panaruu/Ruweng Dinka along the Unity State and South Kordufan borderline, yet they never pre-emptively claim any of our South Sudan territories with the exception of the far-north nomads of Messiriya and Baggara that are being armed and exploited by the Sudan regime to commit crimes against humanity and genocidal war crimes in Darfur and South Sudan in political pretext of popular defense forces. Nubian are the neighbors of Ruweng/Panaruu Dinka, and they never claim and classify Panthou, Karasana, and Lake Jau  as parts of South Kordufan other than the malicious conspiracy and rhetorical propaganda of Khartoum regime to lustfully pre-empt military invasion, occupation, and annexation of oil-rich South Sudan territories and swiftly proclaim them falsely as parts of South Kordufan without the traditional knowledge of the indigenous people of South Sudan and Southern Kordufan state in North Sudan.

I would therefore like to bring it to the conclusive attention of the international community and UN and fellow South Sudanese across the world that both Panthou and Karasana locally known as Kelek/roor de Lou are indigenous territories of Ruweng or Panaruu Dinka of Unity State. Thus, it is imperatively advisable and recommendable that the UN, EU, UK, AU, Russian, & US biased condemnations and demands for the withdrawal of our gallant South Sudan Armed Forces from Heglig and Karasana must be defied and dismissed without reservation due to the fact that it is our national sovereign territory and town and must be maintained. Instead of withdrawing from Panthou and Karasana, the South Sudan Armed Forces should be mandated and encouraged by the Presidency and citizens to liberate all our annexed territories by Sudan regime through military conquests so as to ensure the legitimate and legal territorial integrity of South Sudan sovereignty in accordance to the 1956 colonial map.

The international bodies are biased and totally unfair in their remarks and it must be rebuttal with defiant-attitude and be defied at all odds whatsoever the consequences of their actions would be subsequently, we shall endure and bear it collectively as a nation defending its God’s given territories by all means necessary. External forces must not be permitted to influence, interfere, and determine the fate of our national sovereignty. The UN, EU, UK, Russian, AU, & USA ought to be persuaded that South Sudan had not violated any international laws and territorial sovereignty of Sudan, instead, it is the Khartoum regime that had invasively intruded on the territories of South Sudan aggressively and occupied our oil-rich territories with the malicious intent to annex them to North Sudan for their resourceful economic interests and ambitions strategically.

Eventually, the UN, EU, UK, AU, Russia & USA need to be rebuked for permitting the Sudan regime to violate and defies the practical and timely implementation of the South-North border demarcation by delineating the border in accordance to the colonial map of the Sudan 1956 geographical mapping unless otherwise is illegally altered than the original colonial documented archives of Sudan map in UK. Moreover, the international bodies had given the Sudan regime to also violate and breaches the implementations of the other CPA protocols over Abyei plebiscite, Nuba Mt and Blue Nile people popular consultation as stipulated and guaranteed in the CPA. The Sudan regime refused to demarcate the South-North borderline in accordance to the 1956 colonial map because they understand that Panthou and Karasana fall deep inside the South Sudan sovereignty and therefore they fear they would lose it entirely, hence they prefer to use violent force to tactically maneuver and annex South Sudan territories while forging and faking the 1956 colonial map by reshaping and defacing it to suit their malicious interests confidentially.

We believe that South Sudan has no intention to breach and defies any international peace, security and order and adheres to its mandates and laws but when it feels discriminated in term of unfair treatment as is the case with its territorial occupation and annexation by Sudan regime, it deserves a sovereign rights to declare war in self-defense of her sovereignty since the international organization fails to come to the legal implementation of the CPA protocols. In the contrast, the UNSC is not fair and just legally in ensuring the maintenance of the peace, security, and world order by serving the justice to whoever deserves the rightful justice. Panaruu Community condemns and rejects the discriminatory international and regional bodies’ remarks and demands of the SPLA withdrawal from Heglig because Panthou is South Sudan territory and it is ridiculous for the external diplomats to demand RSS to withdraw from what is traditionally their land. In addition to that, the status of Heglig and other annexed areas are legally non-negotiable with Sudan regime.

The Indiscriminate Bombing of the Civilians in Unity State & Humanitarian Appeals.

Panaruu Community in North America condemns the indiscriminate bombardments of the civil installations and residents in Mayom, Bentiu, Rubkona, Abiemnom, Nyiel, Lake Jau, Guit and other sporadic bombing raids that are reported to have taken places across North Bhar el ghazel, Warrap, and South Sudan. These indiscriminate bombing raids had killed many civilians in Unity states and wounded many others according to the reports substantiated with pictorial images so far in some media outlet.

This type of indiscriminate bombardments of the civil populations in South Sudan in their localities is what we want the UN, EU, UK, AU, USA and Russia to hold the Sudan regime legally accountable and apprehend it for the crimes against the humanity instead of forcefully demand the South Sudan armed forces to retreat from their sovereign territories they are liberating militarily from the illegal occupation and annexation of the brutal Sudan regime. The withdrawal of SPLA from Heglig and other liberated territories of South Sudan along the border of South-North is not negotiable and thus any external force appeasing and demanding South Sudan to do it so must be defied at all means and odds dismissively irrespective of subsequent consequences that may ensues our nascent state.

The International Community should instead condemn and demand the Sudan regime to cease the indiscriminate bombardments of South Sudan territories because it is the one violating the aerial and territorial sovereignty of South Sudan through illegal occupation and annexation, South Sudan reserves the sovereign rights to liberate, defend and protect all its annexed territories through military conquest because the International Community and regional body in Ethiopia had failed to hold the Sudan regime accountable for the numerous breaches and violations of the CPA protocols in many occasions, hence it emboldens and encourages the Khartoum elite regime to propagate her malicious intent and economic ambition to rob and vandalize the sovereignty of South Sudan with what appears to be a bullying military attitude by Sudan regime to constantly flex muscle and brandishing its mighty arm with warmongering.

Our civil population is devastated by these sporadic bombing campaigns over the civilian towns and installations, therefore we are appealing to the UN and South Sudan Civil Society Organizations in Juba and in Diaspora to organize and facilitate the humanitarian reliefs to be delivered to all the affected civilians of Aliiny/Panthou, Panyang, Nyiel, Lake Jau, all payams of Panrieng county as well as Rubkona, Abiemnom, Mayom, and Bentiu to be served with humanitarian needs in timely fashion. We urge the South Sudan Rehabilitation Relief in Juba to advocate the UN directly to initiate humanitarian assistances to the aforementioned areas in the Unity State and other affected parts of South Sudan to coordinate and supervise a speedy deliverance and rescue of the indiscriminate bombing raid victims and the logistical supplies of humanitarian reliefs to the internally displaced persons of the Panthou, Kelek/Karasana, Panyang and Lake Jau in Ruweng North County of Panrieng. The fundamental necessities required in this humanitarian appeal is confined to the medical supplies, foods, clean drinking water and temporary shelters as well as security and safety location for their sanctuary for meantime until the conflict along the border return to normal or come to absolute cessation.

Panaruu Community wants to congratulations all the Panaruu youths, women, and the county commissioner for their nationalistic patriotism in responding to the eruptive military hostility in the Panrieng County with swift and agile emergency response of volunteerism. It is a pride to learn from the ground report that our youths had volunteered voluntarily to fight alongside the South Sudan Armed Forces in the swift liberation of the Heglig/Panthou. You have demonstrated a commendable spirit of bravery and valor as the youths of the Panrieng County who bears the indigenous ownership of Panthou natively with the specificity.

Despite the fact that there are countless number of the Panaruu sons in the South Sudan regular forces across the South Sudan and in Heglig frontline, you still didn’t hesitated to recruit yourselves voluntarily and beat your chests bravely in selfless commitment and devotion of the call to the national duty in defense of our ancestral and sovereign territory. Your selfless and nationalistic patriotism is unquestionable indisputably in the history of the SPLA. We are grateful and thankful to our dear women for sacrificing their services by showing on voluntary basis to cook tea, food and supply water to the SPLA frontline soldiers despite the risk of enemy proximity. We are exceptionally delighted for our women for nursing and treating the wounded SPLA soldiers in Panrieng and the provision of moral and caring supports to our high-moralized troops on the frontline in Heglig.

It is this selfless and generous kind hearts of our women and community in donating hundreds of their bulls to be slaughtered for the SPLA that had boosted and lifted the high spirit of morale among our troops to fight bravely and selflessly in the liberation and defense of the Panthou. Thank to our county commissioner, Miabek de Lang and our clannish chiefs for their swift contribution in donating the hundred bulls to the SPLA as a food despite the fact that it is all the scarce resource they have for their livelihood that they have donated generously. Once again, thank you all for demonstrating your selfless services.

Eventually, we are calling on all the Unity State and South Sudan citizens across the globe to help in the sensitization, mobilization, organization and coordination of the massive demonstrations to protest the UN, EU, AU, UK, USA and Russian biased condemnations and their unfair demands of withdrawal of our armed forces (SPLA) from our liberated territorial sovereignty of South Sudan in Heglig. We must all pour out to the streets in our respective world and regions to tell the UN and other international bodies that they are discriminatorily being biased and unfair to South Sudan and that the status of Heglig is not negotiable with the deceptive regime of Sudan.

It is up to South Sudanese wherever they maybe to rally for the massive demonstrations on the streets of their cities, states, regions, provinces and continents. Since our troops had done a tremendous job and continue to hamper the invading enemy along the borderline, we must play our roles as citizens in Diaspora by repairing and replenishing the damaged and defeated image of the South Sudan government in the diplomatic fronts in the western worlds. It is our solemn duty and obligation to fix the smear propaganda and fabrication by Khartoum regime over the Heglig status. The 7th Front is designated for Sudanese Diaspora to reinforce and strengthen the staggering diplomatic front of the South Sudan and marginalized people of Sudan.

Therefore, taking the massive demonstration protests to the doors of the UN, EU, UK, AU, USA and Russian doorsteps and streets would amplify and resonate the Juba mishandled diplomacy over the Heglig status to be corrected perfectly for the world mutual understanding because they do not identify the inner deception of the Sudan regime unless we, the diaspora who suffered under his dictatorship previously can expose his deceitful secrecy and arrogant attitude. Street demonstration/protest is the best tool to advocate and awaken the world to pay attention to our territorial plight and illegal intrusion by the Sudan regime. It is this idea that would speed up the implementation of other stalled CPA protocols with hasty. Let us also encourage our gallant forces to maintain Heglig and never withdraw from it despite the imperialistic world demands and economic sanction threats.

Recommendations to the Government of South Sudan in Juba over Panthou Status.

Having discussed the themes of the international condemnation and demand uproars against the government of South Sudan and the indiscriminate bombardments of the civil populations of South Sudan, we find it advisable and recommendable to provide some hinting tips and advices to the Republic of South Sudan on the issue of the ongoing raging military confrontation in Heglig/Panthou and the looming all-out war rhetorical situation that may erupt and escalate to the next level of national threat. It appears that Khartoum regime had outnumbered and defeated the Republic of South Sudan that Heglig is part of South Kordufan region in the diplomatic campaigns before the UN and other world nations. Moreover, South Sudanese officials are redundantly vague and self-contradictory over the status of Heglig.

There are those who presume Heglig as a part of South Sudan while others are spewing it ridiculous remarks out there that SPLA is fighting in Heglig because SAF attacks them frequently from Panthou as a launching base for their military arsenal. All these statements are uttered by the SPLA frontline Generals and officers as if they are not informed that Panthou is the sovereign territory of South Sudan, a well-known oil field that had been enriching and feeding both South and North Sudan during the oil sharing quotas with 50-50 split. If Sudan regime knew Heglig was their sovereign territory in the first place, it won’t have bothered to deny South Sudan an autonomous self-determination.

It is because Khartoum secretly understands that Heglig belongs to the South Sudan, and it is the political motive why it had been holding South Sudan at hostage situation with military provocation and breaching defiance to blockade the demarcation of the South and North Sudan boundary in accordance to the colonial map of 1956 in UK national archive. We call upon the presidency of South Sudan to sensitize our armed forces and the citizens that Heglig is a native territory of South Sudan, and thus they are fighting to liberate and defend it from the malicious and belligerent occupation and annexation of Khartoum regime. It is absolute sovereign land of South Sudan and hence Juba must not allow the UN and other external nations to persuade her to withdraw the SPLA troops from it as if it is illegally occupying and settling in Sudan territory. Juba must persuade the world that Heglig is her territory and that it is evicting the illegal intruders in it forcefully to ensure the integral integrity of her sovereignty. Therefore, no withdrawal of the SPLA is negotiable with anyone.

Briefly speaking, below are some of the few summaries and recommendations that Panaruu Community (the indigenous natives/inhabitants) would like to be observed and considered:

1.      The Republic of South Sudan should dismissively rejects the UN, EU, AU, UK, USA and Russian belligerent remarks and demands for the withdrawal of the SPLA from Heglig.

2.      It is legally recommendable in accordance to the international laws that any sovereign state is entitled legitimately to acquire its territory militarily if invade or intrude aggressively by the external force. In this case, Heglig is ours and annexed forcefully by Khartoum although the world understands it falls within the 1956 colonial map. Furthermore, if South Sudan knows there are other South Sudan territories that are occupied and annexed by Sudan regime illegally along the borderline, they should also liberate them unilaterally without encouraging any further diplomatic negotiations with Khartoum because you have shown the world how sincere and honest you were in following up with the diplomacy in Addis Ababa Ethiopia.

Unfortunately all these amicable and peaceful attempts were sabotaged deceitfully by Khartoum before the AU and the international community with defiance and they never hold Khartoum accountable and pressure her to comply with the CPA protocols and signed treaties. The act of unilateralism would certainly prompt the world to come to their senses to deliver the justice to whom to deserve in the two Sudan nations. Maintain your position and never wane in your sovereignty aspirations as is also guided by the RSS Constitution.

3.      Panaruu Dinka Community would like to reiterate that Panthou/Heglig and Karasana/kelek are the indigenous lands of Panrieng County. It is located in Aliiny payam of Panrieng North County. Our local people inhabited these areas since time immemorial until they were forcefully evicted and displaced by the Sudan armed forces through scorched-earth military campaigns in 1990s up to the 2000s to depopulate the entire areas of Ruweng to enable the oil operating companies to maneuver for the extensive oil exploration. Panrieng Community is holding evidential facts surrounding the status of Heglig and Karasana and many petitions had been forwarded to the office of the presidency and the world but it seems nobody had been paying attention to them.

The ICC ruling over the Heglig was outrageously maddening and saddening to the indigenous natives of Panaruu, we pledge to repeal such an illegal ruling of the ICC in Hague. Therefore, we recommend that the SPLM and government of South Sudan must bears and seek factual consultation and historical research about Heglig and Karasana from the indigenous natives of Panaruu/Ruweng Dinka as the ancestral owner. In case any future legal action or litigation arise again to be trailed to the ICC for re-hearing, we recommend that the Government of South Sudan must appoint the delegates as representatives from Panaruu/Ruweng Dinka to face and challenge the Khartoum regime and the ICC over their biased verdict ruling of the July, 2009 ICC ruling of the Heglig status. Panaruu had been barred by the SPLM but not this time around.

We have the factual documentaries to challenge the ICC illegal ruling verdict of the July, 2009 which awarded Heglig to the Sudan with vague ambiguity. Panaruu knows the sources of the confusions and once we are there to testify before the ICC in Hague, it would be a shock and awe against all the conspiring enemies whose intents is to annex it forcefully.

4.      Eventually, given the diplomatic damages Khartoum had done against the Juba in persuading the world to believe that Heglig belongs to them; it is recommendable for the RSS to re-organize and reshape its diplomatic strategy to repair the smeared and tarnished image of the South Sudan over the conflict of Heglig. Panthou belongs to South Sudan and thus, SPLA was fighting to liberate it from the illegal occupation and annexation of the Sudan armed forces. Thus, the notion that some SPLA frontline and government officials and South Sudan journalists assume as if SPLA was fighting in response to Sudan armed forces aggressive invasion does not amplify and resonate a reasonable justification in the international media. Instead, it portrays South Sudan as illegal intruder and occupier of the Sudan territorial sovereignty.

So as a result of this incoherent and inconsistent contradiction of the media communication and chaotic diplomacy, it is advisable that the indigenous intellectuals including the Panrieng county commissioner should be permitted to communicate the facts to the media through the journalistic interviews. The MPs and Representatives of the Panrieng County including the commissioner and other historically and academically informed figures should be allowed to access the media as mean of communicating the facts to the world so that the diplomatic ambassadors who are not informed about South Sudan diversified territories and localities can learn and research from the indigenous intellectuals. Inclusively, it came to our realization that our county commissioner is allegedly censored from accessing the media as he usually does following his interview over the conflict of Lakes Jau.

He is rumored to have been summoned by either Taban Deng Gai or Juba Information Minister. As a community in North America, we believe our commissioner; Miabek Lang de Miading was telling the truth that the SPLA liberated Lake Jau from the SAF. His statement was sensible because there is no reasonable justification why the SPLM and Juba would want to endow the credit of liberation of Jau to be attributed to the Sudan Revolutionary Forces when in fact SPLA had involved in its liberation from SAF. Lakes Jau is also an indigenous land and payam of Panrieng County and so how ridiculous would the SPLM and Juba would want to groom foreign forces as a liberator of Lakes Jau while blatantly denying their involvement? This is a pathetic politics and our commissioner didn’t deserve the censorship from the media for telling the truth as the leader of the Panrieng County and given his knowledge over the administrative jurisdiction of Jau.

We call upon the RSS presidency and the information ministry and Unity State governor to lift the media censorship of our county commissioner, Miabek Lang de Miading, so that he can resumes the interview over the status of Heglig as an administrative leader of the Panrieng territorial jurisdiction. Sanctioning him from accessing the media tantamount to the deprivation of factual truths to the RSS and the world. His suspension over the media air wave is an insult and disgrace to our county. We anticipate the prompt action to lift his media suspension as soon as possible.

Conclusion:

We anticipate the UN, EU, UK, AU, USA and Russia to regret their biased condemnations and demands for the withdrawal of the SPLA forces from our own sovereignty. It is also the expectation of the community to see that humanitarian reliefs is prepared and delivered to the affected victims and internally displaced persons of the border conflicts. We hope the international community won’t hesitate to condemn and denounce the aerial and territorial external aggression and violation of the South Sudan airspace and territorial integrity.

We earnestly ask all our compatriot South Sudan citizens and good friends of South Sudan to take to the streets in their respective world to demonstrate to the globe that we are saddened and maddened by the unfair remarks and demands by the imperialistic nations against South Sudan in favor of the Sudan regime. The initiative of global fundraising drive shall follows later when the massive demonstration protests are executed in the coming weeks. Let us work together in the sensitization, mobilization, organization, and facilitation of this event.

Best Regards,

Approved and Reviewed by The Panaruu Community Leadership in North America.

1.      Santino Anuer Haar———The PCA President in USA.

2.      Santino Miagak Dau——–The PCA President in Canada.

3.      David Piok Wuor———The Chairman of the PBP North America.

4.      Samuel Dau Deng——-The President of the P-CHARD Board of Directors.

Please Contact us at PanaruuPanriengCommunity@yahoo.com for comments and concerns. 

Panaruu Community in Juba                                                                      Date: 19th April 2012                  

Subject: Press Statement on the Current Situation in Panthou (Heglieg) of Panrieng County- Unity State.

 Dear Fellow citizens of the Republic of South Sudan as well as International Community including the United Nations, the African Union and the other concerned regional bodies. As you are all aware of the current situation in our country, we the Community of Panaruu of Panrieng County in Juba would like to register our sincere and heart-felt congratulations to our gallant SPLA forces for liberating the areas of Panthou (Heglieg), Pan de kuac (Teshuin) and Mijak de Yith (kilo 23) which were invaded and occupied by the Republic of Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) during thin and thick days of CPA implementation. We would like also to take this golden opportunity to salute and congratulate our President H.E.General Salva Kiir Mayardit for his patriotic, firm and uncompromising decision in which he declared that no conditional withdrawal, no bargaining and no disclaimer on issue of Panthou and its surroundings.

Fellow citizens, the people of Panrieng County in Unity State have defended their beloved motherland for hundreds of years and have fought gallantly a just and heroic liberation war for 17 years of Anyanya I  (1955-1972) and 21 solid years (1983-2005) led by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/SPLA) with determination and well-defined objectives. Whereby the Panaruu people have vividly articulated and persistently tolerated all hardships till negotiations between the SPLM/A and the Government of the Sudan concluded a peaceful resolution of  the  most intractable war ever fought on the continent of Africa finally culminated in the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) on January 9th  2005.

It is with this belief in us that we are presenting the following historical facts to people of the Republic of South Sudan and the entire World in order to correct the misconception created by concocted information spread by Khartoum Government to mislead the International Community:

1.      Panthou (Heglieg) is geographically located within the territory of the Republic of South Sudan according to 1st January 1956 border demarcation and the CPA.  Panthou is inhabited by Kuok clan of Panaruu Dinka, and it is a Boma within Aliiny Payam (District) of Panrieng County in Unity State. It was supposed to be occupied by the Joint Integrated Units (JIUs) during Interim Period in accordance to the Security Arrangement Matrixes of the CPA. The name Panthou was given by Dinka of Panaruu of Panrieng County in Unity State, which was translated into Heglieg by Northern Sudanese Arabs when the oil was discovered in the area in 1976.To the west of Panthou lies well known villages of Anyuel Nyuel and Gengjok etc.

2.      When the oil exploration operations was launched in Ngol Valley Basin(Rageba El Zarga) in 1974 by the late President of Sudan Jaafer Mohammed Nimeiri (May Revolution 1969-1985) the Government ordered the oil companies to be bias on the side of the Arab nomads( Misseriya pastoralists ) and to ignore the indigenous people of the area(Panaruu Dinka). Hence, Panthou (Heglieg) oil field in Unity province by then was connected to Muglad town (245km) through inland road. Meanwhile, Panrieng (61km) which is the nearest town to this oil field was neglected.

Also the Sudan government media deliberate insistence in hiding the fact regarding the location of oil discovery by misleading the public opinion locally and internationally that the oil has been discovered at a distance of about 450 miles southwest of Khartoum, something which the South Sudanese disputed and protested against that decision forcing former President Jaafer Mohammed Nimeiri to form a committee chaired by former Chief Justice Khalafalla El-Rashid and other members. The committee ruled that Panthou (Heglieg) falls within Upper Nile province territory.

3.       Also the May regime have formed a proxy militia(Murahileen) who were  mainly Arab nomads whose functions were to exterminate the Dinka people of Panaruu, rob their properties, burn their villages and force them into compulsory displacement in order to create a buffer zone for Chevron oil company operations, as it had occurred during the periods between (1977-1982) and (1983-1988).

4.      The central government in Khartoum had attempted to annex Panthou and other areas to Northern Sudan during the enactment of the Regional Government Act in 1980. The Southerners protested and the map which was annexed was dropped, subsequently the President Jaafer Nimeiri reverted to 1st of January 1956 boundary. Again in 1982, President Nimeiri had tried to amend the Sudan border map of 1st January 1956 by annexing the richest areas of oil production, grazing and farming from Panrieng County in Unity State to be part of South Kordofan State.

5.      With the introduction of Arabicization policy of oil fields by Sudan Government (replacement of Dinka Names)  for instance : Panthou oil wells  in Aliiny Payam was renamed as Heglieg oil  field, Gok de Yak oil wells ( Bamboo oil field ) Athony  and Nyonglith oil wells ( Tor oil field) , Doulango West oil wells( Toma South oil field), Pankuac oil wells ( Nar wa Harr oil field) and Maper, Yaar and Nyiel oil wells( Manga oil field). Furthermore, in early 1950s Panaruu towns, villages, streams and valleys were given Arab concocted names for instance: Panrieng (Abbas) Panyang (Nabagaya), Wun Koi (Kharassana) Pakuem( Bir Balail), Yoi (Gerdoud), Lake Jau (Lake Abaid ) Kol Delek(Keilak), Alel Valley (Abu Likera) and Ngol Valley (Ragaba El Zarga ).

6.      In 1996 and 1998 when General and Presidential Elections were conducted in the Sudan, the ballot boxes were taken from Panrieng town to Panthou (Heglieg) because it was part of Panrieng Geographical Constituency, therefore Panrieng Citizens voted and were represented in the National Legislative Assembly in Khartoum. Furthermore, some of the development projects were carried out by Unity State and Panrieng County Administrations in Panthou (Heglieg) and Wun Koi (Kharassana) such as Administrative Units, Schools and Health Centers.

7.      It is to be recalled that in 2002 the Panaruu Community sued in New York Federal Court in the United State of America the Canadian Talisman Oil Company which was operating in Panthou and other areas of Unity State for its role in the displacement of civil population from the area, because the SAF was using their airstrips for aerial bombardment of the indigenous people. In addition to that Panrieng citizens were prohibited from employment, compensation and development projects rendered by the company as part of its social commitments. Eventually the company was defeated in the Court and Talisman was forced to closed down it operations in the Sudan. This shows clearly to the world that the Panaruu Community is the owner of Panthou area.

8.      The processes of annexation of Panthou oil field to the North intensified during Ingaz Regime (the Salvation regime). When President Omer El Bashir made an official visit to Panthou (Heglieg) in 1999 to attend the inauguration of the oil pipeline, Western Kordofan State government organized an opening ceremony on the ground that Panthou (Heglieg) is part of Western Kordofan State. The then Government of Unity State was not aware of this conspiracy. When Mr. Michael Mayiel Chuol the (then) Governor of Unity State arrived to the place of ceremony with his cabinet members, he found that the occasion was totally hijacked by western Kordofan government officials. He was denied speech in the opening ceremony. Mr. Michael Mayiel reacted immediately and objected to the programme and clashed with Governor of Western Kordofan in front of President El Bashir.

9.      The conspiracy of annexation of Panthou to the North became clearer during Annual Report Presentation of Unity State Government to the National Council of Ministers meeting (No 25) on 30thof May 2004 in Khartoum by the then Governor Dr. Joseph Monytuil Wijang, the Council of Ministers witnessed a serious debate whether Panthou (Heglieg) was part of Unity State or Western Kordofan. The Southern Ministers in the Cabinet strongly supported the Governor of Unity State report but the northern Ministers objected and as the result Dr. Nafie Ali Nafie the then Minister of Federal Government Chamber wrote and directed the Governor Dr. Joseph Monytuil Wijang to relinquish the administration of Panthou(Heglieg) referring to the alteration of the map of 1956 as amended in 1994( Letter of Dr.Nafie Ali Nafie is hereby attached).

10.  In the late 2006, after long and bitter border confrontations about tax collection at Wun Koi (Kharassana) between Unity and South Kordofan States, the two Governors were summoned to Khartoum by President El Bashir and were ordered to cease hostilities as the issue of border between the two states is going to be resolved by the Borders Demarcation Committee which was formed by the Presidency that will determine the between border the North and the South. During the  conduct of National Census in April 2008 the SAF/Misseriya  mobilized themselves and besieged Wun Koi Boma( Kharassana) and Mijak de Yith Boma( Kilo 23 ) of  Aliiny Payam  for one week  as a provocative action  to derail smooth  implementation  of the CPA. As a result of that incident the two Governors of Unity and South Kordofan States signed a Security Agreement on 28th April 2008 to full out the SPLA contingent and evacuate the civil population from Wun Koi (Kharassana). This withdrawal of our forces did not negate our ownership to the land but was administrative and security measures taken by the two states administration.

11.  The situation became complicated after arbitration award of International Court of Arbitration in The Hague in 2009, which dismissed the claim that Panthou (Heglieg) is part of Abyei. The Sudan Government misinterpreted the ruling that the Court confirmed their claim over Panthou (Heglieg) without knowing that Heglieg was left out as has nothing to do with Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) mandate. it was the mandate North/South Border Demarcate Committee.

12.  In this regard, we the Panaruu Community in Juba denounce and condemn in the strongest term possible, all barbaric acts of indiscriminate ariel bombardment  and other  atrocities inflicted by SAF on innocent non- combatant population of Unity State in their respective Counties of Mayom, Rubkona, Biemnhom and other areas in and around Panthou( Heglieg). This acts are contravene international rules of engagement in war.

Finally, we the indigenous citizens of Panthou would like to assure our people and the World at large that the issue of Panthou is totally different from that of Abyei and should not be connected as a bargain in any way, because Panthou is deeply located inside the territory of the Republic of South Sudan according to CPA.

We also, reiterate our unwavering support and stand firm behind the wise leadership of our President General Salva Kiir Mayardit for his courageous decision that no withdrawal from Panthou even if it cost many lives, because the Panaruu Community do strongly belief that withdrawal from Panthou against guarantees of none aggression will be betrayal to our fallen heroes and martyrs who gave their lives for centuries to defend and maintain this land and its boundaries.

Thanks and Almighty God Bless you all,

Long live President Salva Kiir Mayardit,

Long live Republic of South Sudan,

Panthou Oyee, SPLA Gallant Forces Oyee.

                                          Ruweng Biemnom Community in Diaspora Condemn Biemnom (Abiemnom) Air Strike by Sudan arm forces
Ruweng Biemnom Community in Diaspora calls the government of South Sudan, the United Nations, and the International Community to protect South Sudanese civilians from Sudan air strike. We congratulate the Sudan peoples’ Liberation Army/Movement for defending South Sudanese civilians and territories. We are indebted to our martyrs and veterans for their sacrifice to bring freedom and justice to the people of South Sudan. On April 10, 2012, Sudan military aircraft bombed civilians in Abiemnom County in Unity State. The air strike targeted civilians and most victims are children and women. The Sudanes president Omar Al- Bashir has been violating the comprehensive Peace Agreement signed between North and South in 2005. However, the government of the Republic of South Sudan remained unresponsive to countless military aggressions perpetrated by the blood-thirsty SAF. South Sudan prefers peaceful resolution to outstanding issues of border demarcation, Abyei referendum and popular consultation for Southern Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains.
The Khartoum’s bombing of civilians infringes the Geneva Convention, which reveres the protection of civilians from inhumane treatment. Sudan’s continuing aggressions against South Sudan are portrayed by the recently aerial bombardment on the oil facilities and civilians in Panrieng County, and the invasion of Abyei which resulted in massive civilian casualties in 2011.Sudan must stop air strike against civilians in South Sudan. Therefore, on behave of the Ruweng people in Biemnom (Abiemnom) County of the Unity State, we the Ruweng Biemnom Community in Diaspora; applaud the government of South Sudan for its military triumph: the capturing of Heglig town from the infamous Sudan Arm Forces (SAF). We urge the government of South Sudan to maintain its military presence in the town of Heglig as well as in other border-towns, since these territories are significant to recognizing the sovereignty of the Republic of South Sudan.
The Khartoum regime under the leadership of President Al-Bashir in particular proved to Africa and the world that it is incapable of meeting the expectations of its citizenry in the North: president Al-Bashir is a wanted-war criminal. Since he ascended to throne through military coup in 1989, President Al-bashir, like his predecessors, incessantly wages war on the Sudanese citizens, who demand social, economic, and political change. As a result, the southern region of the country, through referendum with nearly 99% turnout, seceded and became an autonomous state known today as the Republic of South Sudan. The rest of the country continues to resist the regime, particularly in Darfur, Nuba Mountains, and Blue Nile. Bashir must end his aggravated attack against South Sudan, and must withdraw in South Sudan territories. For more details, see the Unity State’s (Biemnom) Abiemnom County map below to prove South Sudan’s territories which have been annexed to Northern Sudan’s Southern Kordofan:
President Al-Bashir confirms his criminal status by intervening militarily into the sovereign state of the Republic of South Sudan. Sudan air force bombed Biemnom County, injured and killed children and women. Ruweng Biemnom Community in Diaspora condemned this criminal act against our civilians in South Sudan. The UN Security Council should order President Omar Al-Bashir to withdraw their troops immediately in South Sudan territories to 1956 border.  Apparently, Al-Bashir becomes the enemy of two states, Sudan and South Sudan.
Concluding remarks, we urge the United Nations’ Security Council, IGAD and all the CPA partners to advise Sudan government to implement the following:
1.  Acceptance of peaceful resolutions of border demarcation between North and South.
2. Complete withdrawal of Sudan arm forces in South Sudan’s territories of Parudeng, Karassana, Ding Thon, Rubajuch, Aniin, Thuba, Bar, Puth, Ajach, Kol lek (kellek), Abangwuot, Manajonga Payam, Tor Aliny, Ror Lou and Boak Alei and must not claim Hegilig, otherwise South Sudan would protect her boundary with the North.
1. Abyei referendum.
2. Popular consultations for the following areas:
·         Nuba Mountains
·         Southern Blue Nile
The International community should refrain from blaming the Government of South Sudan for current fighting in Hegilig because the government of South Sudan has the right to protect her citizens and territories. International community witnessed the bombing of Biemnom County which resulted in the deaths of children and women in Unity State, South Sudan.
We wish speedy recovery not only to the victims of Abiemnom air attack, but to all victims of SAF both in Sudan and South Sudan. Ruweng Biemnom Community encourages the government of South Sudan to protect its citizenry and sovereignty. SAF has led numerous military interventions in South Sudanese territories, and it is likely going to provoke more attacks in the unforeseeable future. Thus, the government of South Sudan should deploy more troops on the border areas to protect South Sudanese’s civilians.
Signed by: The Chairman of Ruweng Biemnom Community in North America, Canada and USA:
Lal Mabil Achuil, Chairman lalmabil@hotmail.com
 
Shangath Miaker Ador, Secretary
 
Biem Gook Nuan, Treasurer

South Sudan says troops bombed during flashpoint pullout

Posted: April 21, 2012 by PaanLuel Wël Media Ltd. in Junub Sudan
Tags:

S.Sudan says troops bombed during flashpoint pullout

By Hereward Holland

BENTIU, South Sudan, April 21 (Reuters) – South Sudan accused its neighbour Sudan of bombing its troops as they pulled out of the disputed oil region of Heglig on Saturday, dampening already faint hopes of any imminent settlement between the bitter foes.
The newly-independent South seized Heglig last week, raising fears of an all-out war with Sudan, then announced it had started withdrawing on Friday, following sharp criticism from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

“The Sudan armed forced bombed our positions last night …and this morning with Antonovs,” South Sudan’s army spokesman Philip Aguer told Reuters.

“Last night we were in full control of Heglig and now we have almost completed our orderly withdrawal,” he added.

There was no immediate response from Sudan’s army which said on Friday it had “liberated” Heglig by force.

Tensions have been rising since South Sudan split away from Sudan as an independent country in July, under the terms of a 2005 deal, taking with it most of the country’s known oil reserves.

The countries are still at loggerheads over the position of their shared border and other disputes have already halted nearly all the oil production that underpins both economies.

In Bentiu, a major town on the South’s side of the border, about two hours’ drive away from Heglig, a long queue of military trucks could be seen. A group of wounded soldiers sat on beds outside a hospital packed with patients.

South Sudan secured its independence in a referendum promised in the 2005 peace accord that ended decades of civil war between Khartoum and the south. Religion, ethnicity and oil fuelled that conflict that killed about 2 million people.

The recent tensions between Sudan and South Sudan have been fuelled by a dispute over how much the landlocked South should pay to export oil via pipelines and other infrastructure in Sudan.

Juba shut down its roughly 350,000 barrel-a-day output in January, accusing Sudan of seizing some of its crude. Oil accounted for about 98 percent of the South’s state revenues.

Limited access to the remote border conflict areas makes it difficult to verify the often contradicting statements from both sides.

(Reporting by Hereward Holland, Alexander Dziadosz and Ulf
Laessing; Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-rt-sudan-south-pixl5e8fl033-20120421,0,2107467,full.story

Obama urges Sudan, South Sudan to resolve issues through dialogue
CNN
By the CNN Wire Staff (CNN) — US President Barack Obama urged Sudan and South Sudan to resolve their outstanding issues through dialogue and avoid a return to war amid soaring tensions between the neighboring nations. Clashes have escalated between 
South Korea Deploys New Missle in Reposte to North
Town Hall
He also said South Sudan is defending its territory and considers Sudan a friendly nation. South Sudan seized the contested oil-producing Heglig region last week, prompting Sudan’s parliament to brand its former civil war foe an “enemy” on Monday and 
South Sudanese join hunt for LRA leader
Aljazeera.com
Kony is believed to be operating in either the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo or South Sudan. But as Nazanine Moshiri reports from Yambio in South Sudan, people there are also taking matters into their own hands.
South Sudanese leaders act like ‘guerrillas’: envoy
SBS
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir addresses people in front of the Sudanese Ministry of Defence. (AAP) The rival Sudans kept up a diplomatic battle over the disputed oil town of Heglig, even asSouth Sudan said it would withdraw its troops.
US President Makes Appeal For Peace to People in South Sudan, Sudan
Voice of America
April 21, 2012 US President Makes Appeal For Peace to People in South Sudan, Sudan VOA News US President Barack Obama made a videotaped message to the people of Sudan and South Sudanthat aired Saturday, saying “conflict is not inevitable,” and their 

Unity State Govenor Denies Coordinating With Sudan Rebels in Heglig
AllAfrica.com
By Bonifacio Taban Kuich, 20 April 2012 Bentiu — The governor of South Sudan’s Unity State, Taban Deng Gai, denied on Friday an allegation from Sudan’s security services that they intercepted him having a phone conversation with Sudanese rebels groups 

South Sudan’s Lakes state offers salary to frontline troops
Sudan Tribune
April 20, 2012 (RUMBEK) – The governor of Lakes state, Chol Tong Mayay, announced to a group of new South Sudan army (SPLA) recruits that he will give his salary for one month and a portion of the salaries of the state’s constitutional post holders, 

Obama urges talks between Sudan, South Sudan to avoid war
Chicago Tribune
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – US President Barack Obama urged the leaders of Sudan and South Sudan on Saturday to stop the fighting between their countries and begin negotiations to settle their disputes, saying there was still a chance to avoid war.

South Sudan says troops bombed during flashpoint pullout
WXEL
By Hereward Holland BENTIU, South Sudan (Reuters) – South Sudan accused its neighbor Sudan of bombing its troops as they pulled out of the disputed oil region of Heglig on Saturday, dampening already faint hopes of any imminent settlement between the 

Sudan and S. Sudan claim control of oil town
Jamestown Sun
Sudan and South Sudan both claimed to be in control of a contested oil town near the countries’ ill-defined border on Friday after the south said it was withdrawing its troops to avert a return to war. JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — Sudan and South Sudan 

Four Togo peacekeepers wounded in Darfur
AFP
The attacks occurred on Friday, the same day the head of the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), Ibrahim Gambari, expressed concern that rebels were exploiting a deadly stand-off between Sudan and South Sudan.

Obama Gives Special Message to Sudan, S. Sudan
The Associated Press
President Barack Obama has told South Sudan and Sudan to stop all millitary actions against each other and resolve their disputes through negotiations to avoid going back to war. (April 21)

Obama urges talks between Sudan, South Sudan to avoid war

Posted: April 21, 2012 by PaanLuel Wël Media Ltd. in World
Tags: ,

Map showing position of oilfileds in Sudan, source: Drilling info international

Both Sudan and the South are reliant on their oil revenues, which account for 98% of South Sudan’s budget. But the two countries cannot agree how to divide the oil wealth of the former united state. Some 75% of the oil lies in the South but all the pipelines run north. It is feared that disputes over oil could lead the two neighbours to return to war.

Obama urges Sudan talks after Heglig ‘withdrawal’

The presidents of Sudan and South Sudan “must have the courage” to return to the negotiating table and resolve their differences peacefully, says US President Barack Obama.

He was speaking after South Sudan said it had ordered its troops to withdraw from the Heglig oil field in Sudan.

Within hours of Friday’s announcement, Sudan said it had retaken Heglig town.

South Sudanese forces captured the area last week, accusing Khartoum of using it as a base to launch attacks.

“We know what needs to happen,” said President Obama. “The government of Sudan must stop its military actions including aerial bombardments.

“It must give aid workers the access they need to save lives. And it must end its support for armed groups inside the South.”

Turning to the government of the newly independent South Sudan, Mr Obama said: “Likewise, the government of South Sudan must end its support for armed groups inside Sudan and it must cease its military actions across the border.

Analysis

Did they jump or were they pushed?

It may take a while to establish which version of events – Sudan’s glorious victory or South Sudan’s strategic withdrawal – is closest to the truth.

President Omar al-Bashir will certainly portray this as a triumph – and for him it is.

Even Sudanese who do not like him feel strongly Heglig is Sudanese, and regaining it will boost his popularity at a difficult economic time.

South Sudan has been able to push its point that Heglig – or Panthou as the South Sudanese call it – belongs to it. But that message has fallen on deaf ears.

The US, AU and the UN all condemned South Sudan’s takeover of the oilfields. On Thursday Ban Ki-moon called it “illegal”.

Both countries have been energised by the fighting – and perhaps pushed closer to economic ruin.

But the big question now is whether Heglig marks the high watermark of the fighting – or the start of a new war.

The escalating fighting and rhetoric between the two sides over the past week has led to fears of all-out war.

It is not clear whether Khartoum regained the area by force or whether South Sudanese troops withdrew, under intense international pressure.

South Sudan said its forces were still in the process of withdrawal; Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin told AFP it would take three days to complete the operations.

President Omar al-Bashir on Friday told supporters at a victory rally in Khartoum: “We thank God that he made successful your sons; and the security forces and the police force and the defence forces – he has made them victorious on this Friday.”

South Sudan seceded last July following a 2005 peace deal that ended a two-decade civil war in which more than 1.5 million people died.

On Thursday, South Sudan issued a statement saying it was not interested in war with its northern neighbour and that it would only withdraw from Heglig if the UN deployed monitors there.

Main disputes between Sudans

  • Transit fees the South should pay Sudan to use its oil pipelines
  • Demarcating the border
  • Both sides claim Abyei
  • The rights of each other’s citizens now in a foreign country – there are estimated to be 500,000 southerners in Sudan and 80,000 Sudanese in the South
  • Each accuses the other of supporting rebel groups on its territory

President Bashir had earlier threatened to bring down the government in Juba following the loss of Heglig, which provided more than half of Sudan’s oil.

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir said the South still believed that Heglig was a part of South Sudan and that its final status should be determined by international arbitration, Associated Press reported.

Heglig is internationally accepted to be part of Sudanese territory – although the precise border is yet to be demarcated.

Other issues dividing the two countries are the transit fees the South should pay Sudan to use its oil pipelines and the status of the province of Abyei.

Obama urges talks between Sudan, South Sudan to avoid war

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama urged the leaders of Sudanand South Sudan on Saturday to stop the fighting between their countries and begin negotiations to settle their disputes, saying there was still a chance to avoid war.
In a videotaped message to the two bitter foes, Obama sought to prevent further escalation of border hostilities that have raised tensions to the highest level since South Sudan split away as an independent country in July, taking with it most of the country’s known oil reserves.

“You still have a chance to avoid being dragged back into war, which only leads to one place – more suffering, more refugees, more death,” Obama said.

He called Sudan to stop its military actions against its neighbor, including aerial bombardments, and said South Sudan must end its support for armed groups inside Sudan and also halt cross-border military operations.

South Sudan said on Friday it would withdraw its troops from the disputed Heglig oil region more than a week after seizing it from Sudan, pulling the countries back from the brink of a full-blown war.

Sudan quickly declared victory, saying its armed forces had “liberated” the area by force as thousands of people poured onto the streets of Khartoum cheering, dancing, honking car horns and waving flags.

But South Sudan on Saturday accused Sudan of bombing its troops as they pulled out of Heglig, dampening already faint hopes of any imminent settlement.

South Sudan’s seizure of the territory had raised the prospect of two sovereign African states waging war against each other openly for the first time since Ethiopia fought newly independent Eritrea in 1998-2000.

Since South Sudan’s secession last year under a 2005 peace deal, the countries have also remained at loggerheads over the position of their shared border and other disputes have already halted nearly all the oil production that underpins both economies.

Obama said the leaders of Sudan and South Sudan “must have the courage to return to the table and negotiate and resolve these issues peacefully.”

(Reporting By Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Vicki Allen)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-sudan-south-obamabre83k0d0-20120421,0,1698146.story

Sudan Conflict: Obama Warns War Is Not Inevitable

NAIROBI, Kenya — South Sudan and Sudan must stop all military actions against each other and resolve their disputes through negotiations to avoid going back to war, U.S. President Barack Obama said, as he outlined what needs to be done to prevent the conflict from escalating further.

Addressing the people of Sudan and South Sudan in a videotaped message released Friday, Obama said that the heated rhetoric from the two countries has raised the risk of war, but conflict is not inevitable.

“It doesn’t have to be this way…You still have a choice. You still have a chance to avoid being dragged back into war, which only leads to one place – more suffering; more refugees; more death; more lost dreams for you and your children,” he said.

Obama said the government of Sudan must stop its military actions, including aerial bombardments in the South and it must give aid workers the access they need to save lives. Sudan must also end its support for armed groups inside the South, he said.

Likewise, he said the government of South Sudan must end its support for armed groups inside Sudan and it must cease its military actions across the border.

“And all those who are fighting including in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile must recognize that there is no military solution. The only way to achieve real and lasting security is to resolve your differences through negotiation,” Obama said.

Sudan and South Sudan have been drawing closer to a full scale war in recent months over the unresolved issues of sharing oil revenues and a disputed border. The disputes began even before the south seceded from the north in July 2011. The South’s secession was part of a 2005 peace treaty which ended decades of war that killed 2 million people.

Sudan and South Sudan both claimed Friday to be in control of a contested oil town near the countries’ ill-defined border after the south said it was withdrawing its troops to avert a return to war.

Last week, South Sudanese troops took over the border town of Heglig, which they call Panthou, sending Sudanese troops fleeing and sparking condemnation from the U.N., America and Britain.

Sudan’s President Omar Al-Bashir on Wednesday threatened to topple the South Sudan government after accusing the south of trying to take down his Khartoum-based government. Al-Bashir continued his hardline rhetoric on Thursday in an address to a “popular defense” brigade headed to the Heglig area.

Negotiations between the two countries over the unresolved disputes that were being mediated by the African Union, broke down in Ethiopia earlier this month.

Obama said the presidents of Sudan and South Sudan must have the courage to resume negotiations and resolve the disputes peacefully.

“You will never be at peace if your neighbor feels threatened. You will never see development and progress if your neighbor refuses to be your partner in trade and commerce. It’s easier to start wars than to end them,” he said.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/21/sudan-conflict-obama_n_1442832.html

Obama Urges South Sudan and Sudan to End Strife

By , April 21, 2012

WASHINGTON — President Obama urged Sudan and South Sudanto end their fighting and begin negotiations to settle the intensifying conflict between the newly separated countries.

In a video message recorded in the White House and released late Friday, Mr. Obama put part of the onus on the government of Sudan, which he said “must stop its military actions, including aerial bombardments.” He said the heated words between the countries had raised the risk of war at a time when neither side can afford continued conflict.

Mr. Obama did not let South Sudan off the hook either. “Likewise, the government of South Sudan must end its support for armed groups inside Sudan, and it must cease its military actions across the border,” Mr. Obama said.

The two countries have been edging toward full-scale war in a dispute over sharing oil revenue. They also continue to fight over their disputed border. South Sudan seceded from Sudan last year, part of a peace treaty in 2005 that was supposed to end the long-running conflict there.

“The presidents of Sudan and South Sudan must have the courage to return to the table,” Mr. Obama said.

His message, released by the State Department, was broadcast in both Arabic and English.

“Today I want to speak directly to you, the people of Sudan and the people of South Sudan,” Mr. Obama said in the video. “In recent years, against great odds, you’ve made remarkable progress.” He warned that “now all that progress is at risk of unraveling.”

Mr. Obama described the situation as a choice. “You still have a chance to avoid being dragged back to war,” he said.

His appeal came after Sudan said its military had chased South Sudanese troops out of a contested region. In a speech at a rally in the capital, President Omar Hassan al-Bashir called South Sudanese leaders “insects” and dismissed their statements that they were voluntarily withdrawing troops from the disputed Heglig oil field.

The United States, the United Nations and the African Union condemned South Sudan for sending troops into Heglig last week and bringing the two countries to the brink of war. But South Sudan, which calls the area Pantho, said it considered the area part of the south.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration, an international organization, ruled in 2009 that Heglig was outside the borders of the contested area of Abyei that lies between Sudan and South Sudan, and thus belonged to the government in Khartoum.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/world/africa/obama-urges-sudan-and-south-sudan-to-end-fighting.html

Obama to Sudan, South Sudan: Conflict Is Not Inevitable

Kent Klein

President Barack Obama is appealing to the governments and people of Sudan and South Sudan to avoid a return to war. The president called for peaceful negotiations, in a video message posted Friday on the Internet site YouTube.
After more than a week of military skirmishes along the border between the two Sudans, President Obama called on the people of both nations to turn away from further armed conflict.

“It does not have to be this way.  Conflict is not inevitable.  You still have a choice,” he said.  “You still have a chance to avoid being dragged back into war, which only leads to one place: more suffering, more refugees, more death, more lost dreams for you and your children.”

Obama said there is no military solution to the conflict.  He called on the presidents of the two countries to have the courage to return to the negotiating table.

“The government of Sudan must stop its military actions, including aerial bombardments.  It must give aid workers the access they need to save lives.  And it must end its support for armed groups inside the South,” he said. “Likewise, the government of South Sudan must end its support for armed groups inside Sudan, and it must cease its military actions across the border.”

Sudan’s government says its military has now taken control of oil fields in the disputed area of Heglig.

South Sudan seized the oil fields on April 10, sparking fears of an all-out war.  The government in Juba says its forces will soon be completely out of Heglig, but the status of the area, and of other contested regions, should be determined by international arbitration.

President Obama warned that the constant threat of war is hampering development in both countries.

“You will never be at peace if your neighbor feels threatened.  You will never see development and progress if your neighbor refuses to be your partner in trade and commerce,” he said.

Sudan and South Sudan have disagreed over borders, oil and citizenship since the South became an independent nation last July.

North and south Sudan fought a 21-year civil war, in which about two million people were killed.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/US-President-Makes-Appeal-For-Peace-to-People-in-South-Sudan-Sudan-148369795.html


Does the cabinet’s decision to halt oil production require us to tighten our belts once more?
Atok Dan Baguoot.
As a matter of brute facts, the decision taken by the cabinet to halt production of oil though it’s executive decisions, it is indeed a right step which would have gone far earlier than this given the magnitude of mistrusts and breaches of several accords by the NCP in partnership with the SPLM.

It goes without remembering a saying that goes “if a man deceives me once, shame on him, if twice shame on me”. At the onset of everything SPLM was quite aware of political dishonesty of its partner NCP and how sluggish it was to execute national projects relating to CPA and unity of the country. Theft of oil is as old as the life time of the CPA started when Global Witness gave a tip on differing figures in the share between the two antagonists.

NCP had excelled in political molestation. It had teased several political parties in the arena and quite handsomely won the battle. SPLM was the litmus test to it also failed in the same tricks. It had denied SPLM the portfolios of Energy and Finance at the very beginning of the accord. They giants of the NCP only persuaded SPLM to settle for Foreign Affairs, a position which almost set SPLM on ablaze. Protecting and rejuvenating the image of a country ruined for decades became a daunting task to the SPLM especially standing as a representative of a president known for war crimes internationally. Of course, a minister is an employee of the boss Mr. President.

Now that the cabinet of South Sudan has pulled off the lid on the Pandora box on the economy of Sudan and South Sudan, something touchy nervous to both nations. This late decision means a lot to Sudan likewise South Sudan whose daily livelihood depends on oil. To Sudan of course the only exit is to mobilize the north against the South especially in areas of still shared interests, Heglig and Abyei oil fields. It is the only applicable strategy in healing this economic septic wound the South has inflicted upon it. Mobilizing ragtag militias at along chaotic borders seems to be immediate on its table, while South Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan states rebellions are sacrificial lambs in the economic mess.

For our case here in the South, the decision means tightening our belts harder, reducing daily volumes of our baskets on the market especially amongst the use to be well off families. Reduction of executives and legislators benefits with their aimless foreign daily travelling on public expenses. The decision would mean strengthening and boosting the roles of foreign diplomats representing us in foreign countries. This is curtailing the number of staffs accompanying them on foreign trips.

This could be summarized into a very serious austerity measure where the government would be forced to reduce the number of redundant workforce leading to automatic reduction of cost of maintenance. In this round, the resourceful loose hand government will embark on tough measures in controlling its worthless daily expenditures. The already government on piped projects would be withheld in order to preserve cash in areas of imminent threats like border security.

If we are to survive with less economic pressure, taxes on goods and commodities would also follow the same trend of reduction so as to impact market exorbitant prices. GoSS needs not to be told this time round that importation of worthless “V 8” cars are of less important to public. In other parallel security sectors , like the army, police, wildlife and fire brigade, it is a sure deal that capable, manageable and sizeable force is what we are going for. If up to now SPLA has not sort its poor money management of carry money in boxes by the cashiers, this is a late call to refrain from that. SPLA general headquarters also needs to give accurate numbers of their soldiers who shall be payable through the issuance of service identity cards to avoid paying none existing officers. In regard to this former minister of Labour, Hon Awut Deng Acuil had belted hard on civil servants sometime back. Fictitious names on payrolls were weeded off.

To our brothers still engage in the battle of cattle in Jonglei, we either bury our hatchets earlier because the season would be a bad season of where no neighbor minds of his neighborhoods. Already the government has got enough problems in its basket to solve with money. Maintaining huge displaced persons with together with our luxurious foreign houses or families would amount to conflicting decisions. Remember that cost of building pipeline to rescue our potbellied stomachs is a serious bottleneck that the government would never afford to go without, likewise feeding our auxiliary machines (the auto machines and mobiles) needs the government to be on its toes.

Another area where the government needs a serious curtailment is foreign trainings in the name of capacity building. The government should be keen enough to shut that corridor down completely unless it is of great immediacy or unless it is sponsored by our development partners. Huge amount of money has gone to training that are fruitless at the end of the day. Example paying on scholarship and costly foreign examinations which do not have benefits even to people that they are meant for.

Questionable quality workforce assigned in registration of persons

By Atok Dan Baguoot

It was earlier this month when the president of the republic Gen Salva Kiir Mayardit together with minister of Interior Hon Gen Alison Manani Magaya officially inaugurated processes of registration of persons in which citizens are issued varieties of national documents ranging from age assessment certificate, national Identity card to passport. It is ongoing very neatly. What remains questionable is how the workforce assigned to is handling this work.

Having scanned through the forms and the nature of information needed from respondents, they are well detailed in a simple and clear language. The design and format is also professional in standard. Now the awkward part that I saw when I glanced through the forms after being filled especially part hand written is that, quite a good number of personnel assigned to fill these forms don’t write legibly and interpreting questions to respondents is also questionable.

Inasmuch as majority of them come from Arabic education background, understanding the questions to interpret the application is a bug. When I glanced through several forms already filled, my eyes met with a lot of mistakes. Of these mistakes are usage of surname, state of origin, ethnicity, place of residence and many others.

The handwritings on papers is as illegible as that of a child in primary two class.
It is this very misinterpreted information which the experts seated on computers will definitely key into the system as data leading to a distorted facts. A cousin of mine sharing the same name with me had his first name written as surname and each of his dependents had a different surname. Imagine all these dependents are his kids and the wife and each had a delink parentage association judged by their names. I thought my kids can have the same surname with me except the wife who might have retained her parental names in our South Sudanese Africa way.

In such a case, there is no way a graduate from English education background can fail to differentiate between surname, place of birth, place of parents’ origin as well as current residence. These people making all these simple mistakes are Arabic graduates because I don’t think whether migration staff who recruited them had also recruited primary school kids.

In fact, majority of people who graduated in the North do pretend to be literate in both Arabic and English languages but in reality they are not. Indeed there are those who had gone to good schools in the north to warrant them such qualification. This number is meager compared to huge chunk who had only mastered English alphabets neatly.

Mr. Maduot Parek, the gentleman in charge is a person who likes to go for professional work. Nobody has notified his office of all these messes that are taking place. Let our Arabic language learned brothers and sisters first polish their English language before they take up crucial positions which need occupants to be linguistically literate enough so as to minimize errors. Of course forms were designed in English language to conform with constitutional requirement, and there is no way you can be denied that inalienable right to work in this republic but you have to do some dos before you apply in such public scrutinized position.

Our passports and national ID cards have to spell our names correctly. Time has gone expired for when Arabs use to tell us that Africa names are difficult to pronounce and write. Besides that there should be reduction in those northern practices of standing with a witness before one qualifies for issuance of any of the national documents. Am sick of being asked to present birth certificate or its equivalent before I can apply for any other documents. First of all did our lawmakers really passed such foreign procedures of doing things. It is absolutely not and where did we find it, it was acquired from the North.

If up to now there still only one health clinic in my county of over hundred thousand inhabitants, no single hospital, where do you logically think I was born in or if I had passed the whole of my childhood age without a single sign of immunization or vaccination, do you reasonably really expect my mother to produce a birth certificate for herself and me.

In addition to that I might be the only person from my family residing in Juba, probably the other person is in Wau or serving in the army in Torit, can lack of a relative to witness in the procession of my documents be a barrier. Yes there could be few of us who really need cross examination to establish their true identities or foreign persons of origins wanted to capitalize on legal lapse to get register, such are rare cases and they can be handled by the experts assigned in the process.

Issuance of national documents is my birth right that needs nobody to represent me in any case. Am truly in objection of all the rigorous processes that do not have legal bases or even culturally in the context of South Sudan as a nation. We need to do simple thing in South Sudan and that is to desist from northern way of doing things unless it is legally anchored in our law. Representing me to acquire my nationality right is not a legal affidavit at all. Laws of every country or land are derived from their customs, cultures and practices.

Atok Dan is a media expert residing in Juba. He can be reached at atokbaguoot@gmail.com

Graveyard of Truth

Posted: April 21, 2012 by PaanLuel Wël Media Ltd. in Poems.

Graveyard of truth 
By Atok Dan Baguoot 
In the graveyard of truth
I dare not to tell it
It is trampled upon by powers of the world
It is slain
It is killed and buried in its graveyard
It is the graveyard of truthReign in the kingdom of lies,
is reign in the kingdom of falsehood
It is where truth is a fiction
It is where truth remains a fallacy of poor
The powerful and the rich buy it
The poor rears it
The sycophant adores it
And the innocent are the subjects
It is the graveyard of truth

In the funeral of truth, liars become the heroes and heroines of the day
The truth in its graveyard becomes a valiant
Even in the court of law, truth could still suffer the blames
For none tends to liaise with weak

Truth from a weak mouth tends to become a subject of a muscular
Graveyard of a truth becomes a scene of genocide
Scene of lie becomes shrine of martyrs murdered in the battle of lies
It is concocted by few, but enjoys support of many blinds
Lie becomes truth of strong and truth become lie of the weak
It is a truth in the graveyard

In the graveyard of truth,
even a tongue of a liar becomes piece of a gospel
Even a liar becomes a spokesperson of truth
After truth is being trampled upon by the powerful
It is the reign of lie
It is the kingdom of none other than lie but a lie sugarcoated
It is the kingdom where witchdoctors do the preaching of four gospels
Less live the kingdom of lie
Long live the graveyard of truth.

Meditation without exception
 
By Atok Dan BaguootWhen I lie on my back,
bed tends to lie on my back
We all lie on our backs
Both the bed and I all lie on our backs
I enjoy being on my back,
my bed enjoys the warmness of my back
We are back to back
We enjoy being on our backs
Sleeping has no exception

Even when I sip a tea,
a cup of tea tends to sip my saliva
We all sip each other
My wide mouth touches edge of a glass,
likewise a glass touches my wider mouth
We all widen our mouths by several openings
Eating has no exception

Even when cooking, fire lights a wood
and the wood keeps the fire lighting
Both the fire and the wood light each other
Both function in lighting each other
They are lighting and cooking company
They companion well in lighting
Candle has no exception

Even when caressing touches of an opposite sex send a signal to a sensory
Your nerves relay a signal
A signal sends signal the nerve to send it
You do not know who sends who
They all send each other
They are sensory family of sending and receiving
Our other communication gadgets have no exception

When rays of a sun radiates on a surface,
our eyes are able to see
But even a sun cannot force our eyes to see,
nor does the radiation of rays shine without the sun
The sun, the ray, the radiation and the eye all forma union of possibility
All are dictating of one possibility
The seeing
With mediation, all are made possible
Remember not to dictate on my mediation
But meditate over your dictation
Your meditation has never had exception                                                                  

Bundle of joy
By Atok Dan Baguoot

With your alluring feature,
You bring a bundle of joy,
With your elegant stature and physique,
You bring hope closer to heart,
Your amplitudes of hoarse voice
Brings vanity to the city merchants

With what their monies and cookies could not afford
Your natural alms irk and etch elastic arteries of heart
I wish I could customize the pitch of your voice
Whenever I hear the buzzes of your dress
My adrenal hormones boil up,
beyond boiling point of water

Your presence next to me
faints a boon of abundance in destitute
In you I find peace
In you I find solace
In you, I’m on the shores of joy

Because of you, heavenly bodies seem traverse their orbit late but faster
Your caring attitudes reign upon me in aloofness
Appearance of your lip dilates corneas of
my eyes like the eyes of a night owl on tree in neighborhood
When I have seen you,
choruses of my voice fluctuates like,
strings of a guitar stricken by an Ethiopian lyric Bob Marley
When I have touched numbness of your tender hands,
Roars of my throat bellows like that of a bull
Struggling to exchange the cud and fresh in takes

Life past the glimpse of hope
By Atok Dan Baguoot

For the first time in score of years,
when the sun, the moon and the galaxies of stars
turned away from the orbit.
It was a day doomed to end life, soul and oxygen
Life past the glimpse of hope,

For the first time in score of reasoning,
smile, frown and laughter of happiness
turned into a mere cries of babies
life and soul mesmerized by the events of the day
a day doomed to an end of breathing oxygen
it was when abdomen of pregnant mothers aches
but no neighborhood helps
It was when no glimpse of hope seems guiding tomorrow

For the first time in score of years,
a bride and groom tend apart in anguish.
It was a day when twelve hours of the night add up in imagination
It was a night when couples drop duty of caressing touches
Bitterness of no glimpse of hope
Life and hope were yoked under the merciless burden of time
Life past the glimpse of no hope

For the first time ever,
fathers and mothers began abandoning their loved angels
in the quest for new hope.
Life was doomed to an end
Ordinary oxygen tends into hot carbon dioxide,
seas of waters melted into swarm of fires,
mirages of savannah lands eroded into ashes,
and the soft germinating buds protruded into thorns
It was day of curses and regrets, unforgettable day
Life was with no glimpse of hope

For the first time the traditional astronomers
failed to name seasons,
to differentiate between January and December,
June and July.
It was a season of no harvest, no planting.
Men and women of high integrity bent their traditional norms
in survival.
They tried unexpected; they steal on others’ farms
Life was doomed to an awkward ending,
mothers cry the cries of babies
and babies sing their own lullabies like wallabies
It was life short of hope, no glimpse of hope

For the first time in life,
peaceful tribes locked horns in bitterness,
for the first time sound of horn of dangers locked doors of peace.
It was time of no mercy but mercilessness reigns the region
It was a region in ruinous shape.
Silence reigns the confusion
It was time for an end to hope, not even a glimpse of hope

A little journey of learning
 
By Atok Dan Baguoot

Mine is as little as any other little journey,
A soul searching journey,
Started on the foot of a tall house of pride
As a lonely little boy herding cattle in the swarm of Upper Nile,
Squarely faced by realities of the long struggle,
Disciplined by a bitter sense of death

The core concept of every struggle,
seen and taste the nastiness of war
What did I learn in that little costly journey?
It is none other than bitterness,

A remorse-fulness of losing love ones,
moving barefooted on thorny and rocky grounds,
walking distances taller than my childhood ambition
nodding and napping while trekking
trans-nights like nocturnal

It is a life rashly spent aching,
life spent etching with lice and lies,
echoing on the egos of gilts-edge,
full with boyish recklessness

Doomed to death,
but on the mercy of nature,
we emerged alive well

                                                           Atok Dan is a media specialist operating in Juba, South Sudan. He is reached at atokbaguot@gmail.com


Atok Dan Baguoot

April, 2010: It would sound naïve and surprising for somebody to start asserting across political predictions of a certain organized ethnic community based on their historical and political adherence to an ideology that they perceived rewarding but ended up disgracing their contributions as things are awarded on how noisy and chaotic one is instead of loyalty.

Panaruu-Dinka is one of the Dinka clans situated in oil rich Unity state dominated by the Nuer ethnic and it shares some cultural ties and believes with other Dinkas across Southern Sudan. It is a section under greater Padang Dinka historically described as the North Eastern frontier Dinka of Abyei, Alor commonly known as Ruweng in Unity state, Paweny of Atar, Luach, Rut, Thoi, in Jongeli state and other groups of Eastern Ngok of Baliet, Dongjol, Abialiang, Nyiel and Ageer in Upper Nile state. In the context, Panaruu shares common features with other Dinkas more likely with those Dinkas in greater Bor, Lakes and Warrap and Northern Bahr el Ghazal states apart from the groups in description.

The kind of Dinka dialect spoken in Panaruu phonetically sounds like that of Twic East and West though they share some noun similarities with the Agar Dinka of lakes, however, pronunciation differentiates their accent in one way or the other. Panaruu hardly pronounce “R” at the end of a word like in Koor (lion), they say koo which distinguishes them from the rest of the Dinkas even their Padang class.
Their historical disadvantage of being less educated came about during the colonial era when the British government declared all the Nuer lands and areas adjacent to them ungovernable and up to now level of formal education still less among these Padang communities in Greater Upper Nile minus Padang section of Abyei whose Southern Kordofan administration had an influence over their political status. As now, getting educated old men in 70s in Panaruu community is uncommon thing to talk about.

Back to their political and social organisation where the emphasis is, their historical contributions in the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army SPLM/A dated back to earlier hours of the inception of the Movement in 1983 when thousands of young men from the community flocked to Ethiopia after armed Murahaleen (Misseriya) raided the Panaruu-Dinka homestead and went away with millions head of cattle living around thousand people dead in defense of their cattle, a economic and cultural prestige of the Dinka people.

The first wave of the Movement they attended in large numbers was Koryom Division followed by other subsequent divisions and battalions. Thousands of them fall in Jekou around Gatjaak territories when SPLA launched offensive attacks on areas controlled by the Sudan Armed Forces SAF to open up routes to Bilpam for new recruits from all over the South and other marginalised areas of Abyei, Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile. Their food stuffs were not spared as it was the daily ration to SPLA new recruits and foot soldiers to Greater Barh el Ghazal, Bentiu areas and Nuba Mountains.

Where their historical political naivety makes sense came in 1991 during the political split of the Movement along the Nasir group and the mainstream headed by late, Dr. John Garang De Mabior. Panaruu as an area bordering Misseriya northwest and the Nuer whose aggregates formed the Nasir faction in southern part, waged series of attacks and raids on Panaruu after they showed adherence to the SPLM/A. As the word naïve implies, their stance was not a political motivated move but on the fact that they are Dinkas hence, identifying themselves as Dinkas and objected what the Nuer whom they inhabited the state proposed. Since they were encircled in, they became bullets porters from Greater Barh el Ghazal to reinforce the area up to late 1990s.
In defense of the SPLM/A political ideology, they area suffered a great deal of war consequences from their neighbors of the Nuer and Shilluk whereas; Misseriya on the other hand got something to revenge. In the Dinka power class, they had no representation at the highest organ of the Movement to make them feel a direct stakeholder of the concept up to the current GoSS not even a senior director heading the department is from this political naive community.
This is where the equation and question of political naivety works because you cannot be a diehard of a system that does not recognize your contributions yet basis of rewarding benefits is on the basis of what one did even former detractors of the Movement got their shares unopposed. Sometimes people say that they who opposed the system were the one awarded much more than those who defended the system.
In the same context of political naivety, Panaruu still defended the SPLM/A to the amalgamation of different militia forces after the signing of comprehensive peace accord in 2005. When forces were joined and GoSS was to be formed, they stood with one of the commanders to become the first governor of oil rich state of Unity, comrade Taban Deng Gai as SPLM proposed governor and Gai succeeded and eventually formed the government.
In the first Gai’s government where he was the chairman of the SPLM and other Nuer tribesmen as deputy and secretary of the party in the state, Panaruu felt marginalised in the party they protected in absentia of the group which they saw to have hijacked the system. State government was also formed in the same nature without putting into consideration the mathematical proposal brought about by the CPA of ethnicity, region and geographical representation.
In that state, nutritional positions in the government were awarded to Taban loyalists whom they saw as Nuer kin. But until in 2008 when the SPLM launched grassroots’ primaries, Governor Gai made a political about turn to seek support from this political unfortunate community which indeed supported him to teeth though he lost the chairmanship of the party to current GoSS Caretaker Minister of Health, Dr. Joseph Monytuil.
On the eve of those grassroots elections, a lucrative border check point town of Karsana in Panaruu territory in northern frontier was annexed to Southern Kordofan under an agreement signed by Mr. Gai which almost detracted most of Panaruu intellectuals from supporting him, however, they connived and voted for him. Subsequently, most of Panaruu deemed it that another reason of not supporting governor Deng was his encroachment into Panaruu territory of Mango, another busy inland port without their prior consent and up to now it is being inhabited by Mr. Deng.
In the same name of the SPLM and in regard to their political marginalisation both within the state and at Southern level, Panaruu still registered their adherence to the SPLM unknowingly that whatever one does in politics, rewards politically, economically and prestigiously. Have they benefitted no why because of their political naivety?
As it wasn’t enough, the same political adherence was transcended to recent concluded elections in which they supported the SPLM nominated candidate for the post of governor, Mr. Taban Deng Gai. 74,000 was alleged to have voted for Mr. Taban, a vote that springboard him back to post which he almost lost to his immediate rival Independent candidate, Mrs. Angelina Jany Teny, wife of GoSS Vice president and deputy chairperson of the SPLM, Dr. Riek Machar Teny. Area of contention was on the fact that Parieng County had more than 82,000 as a population recorded in the Sudan Fifth Household Population Census an exercise which was later disputed by the SPLM. Southern Sudan went to elections without knowing the exactly numbers in constituencies.
The area recorded 89,000 in voters’ registration, something that dismayed NEC officials in Khartoum. Demographic statisticians estimated the area population to be around 100,000 which probably places the suffrage age to 45,000 if correctly asserted because there is no logical viewpoint where registered voters can exceed the population how much that fact is distorted. However, supporting evidence was there that 89,000 voters were recorded and that also justifies the means although logic remains in dispute with that timely fact and falsehood based on the outcome from the court. There are strong evidences versus weak evidences in all directions. Parieng County emerged to be the only county out of 79 counties in Southern Sudan whose elections results were negatively questioned.
Allegations were aired on media that Panaruu/Parieng county voting was flawed as agents belonged to other political parties were intimidated and dismissed from polls. National Elections Commission NEC suspended Parieng votes temporarily but later revoked and Taban Deng was declared as a winner of that highly contested post. If there was anyone with justifiable reason of not voting for Brig. Taban Deng as a candidate of the SPLM, it was a Panaruu-Dinka whom he marginalised in both the party and in the state government and if there could be also reason for rejecting an SPLM proposed candidate then Panaruu would have had a reason.
Their political leniency towards the SPLM and naivety come when one questions why do this community always opted in support of the SPLM yet they don’t formed the nucleus of the party neither are they found in any set of the SPLM nor government of Southern Sudan to show that they are protecting an interest in return. This community is doing empty political work.
As they are they always proud to be Padang Dinka or Dinka for that matter, another political calculation is that states political structure system outweighed either tribal or cultural ties which they always wish to rely on as an alternative if things become tough as Southern politics still an ethnical tribal showcase. Because they are really political neophytes in the electoral systems, the extemporized elections results extrapolated the political survival of this community as extinct among their Nuer community whom they have shown immature political mobility by supporting one candidate without calculating future political repercussions if any of them wish to stand as a governor later let alone other highly contested seat where one would wish to resort home first.
It is a weak move because their neighboring Dinkas will never come and support them in their political bid despite the fact that Dinka formed the lion share of the Southern population. You have to try it first in the house before reaching out as English old adage says, “Charity begins at home and it ends where it started”. Identifying themselves more loyal citizens of state than branding themselves as tribal political instruments of pleasing far Dinka never have been a preferred option as most Nuers do see Mr. Taban Deng as Dinka candidate imposed on them.
Frankly speaking, the recent voting initiative taken by Panaruu if indeed they voted that way, would have long negative political effect on them as their Nuer state mates are never happy with the way they portrayed themselves yet they are minority in the state. A political move and survival of a minority in a democratic society should not always be seen as spearheading or overriding the majority because you might never know what that strong muscle political class would think about you. It is it to determine your political happiness. Mark the word happiness.
Their political submissiveness and docility led to that rigid one way choice without proper evaluation on political seasonality and objectivity, thus resulted into that questionable behavior, however, as new wave of generation is emerging, that political tooled community would either choose to cease from being used as political propellers or remain quake to foreign ideas without defining their destiny.
The issue is not the SPLM but to have a cordial political relationship with your elder brother so that next time he feels lenient on you like the way they liaise with the seasonal political parties. Political parties go but communities remain as what God molded them so it is upon you to determine the kind of relationship you wish to have with your neighbours and this is where political philosophies meander around. It is none other than game of preserved interest.
This is actually what kills tribal politics in any given society. People don’t strive to kill tribal politics but associations in realization of who your next voter does it automatically. Any political miscalculation normally results into political miscarriage, thus creating euphoria of envy along tribal lines without giving notice to why it happened and this is where politicians fail to define the root cause of a situation.
When the current GoSS president elect, H.E. General Salva Kiir Mayardit visited Parieng County the home county of Panaruu for the first time, he made some promises after personally accessing the deplorable conditions in which that isolated Dinka community was in and none of the pledges materialized but persistently they continue voting for the SPLM without questioning the authenticity of messages given to them knowing very well that heavy pregnant promises could still be ahead especially when one talks of referendum. Hope H.E. president Kiir will remember his long awaited promises.
Lastly, in any political makeup, there is always an interest which defines why somebody or certain element supports an ideology to either death or live depending on the chance or possibility but if it is somewhere violated by one of the partners, this is where you see political divorce taking place in regard to its doctrines of allegiance. It is only he/she who is politically immature that paid a blind allegiance to a political system without defining what belongs to him and the other party.
This was where Southern Sudanese and the rest of oppressed Sudanese felt cheated by their northern brothers on an account that they fought colonial government together and after half independence was granted to all, Arabs came and started grinding an ax on Africans to further neo-colonialism. That was due to lack of fulfillment of political allegiance which I think is probably happening in unity state as soon as the well-informed Panaruu group is assuming political head way of the community.

This long historical political naivety towards the SPLM is being forged by a certain class of people in the community to foster their self ambitions without rewarding the community for their tough stand in protecting their interest. It would be upon this community to rise against this ill inculcated selfish messages by telling themselves enough is enough as their deeds tend to defame the cultural integrity without a return benefit.

Atok Dan is a member of the community in description and a journalist working for Southern Sudan radio & TV and can be reached at atokbaguot@gmail.com, 0917221411/0955410005.

Agony of love and hatred

Posted: April 21, 2012 by PaanLuel Wël Media Ltd. in Poems.

By Atok Dan Baguoot

In loneliness, you seek love

For it perfectly mends broken arteries in the heart

For it lessens pressured veins in the heart

For love is an unseen jeweler of a loving eye

It is the ornament beauty

It is a dissuading mediator in hatred

Love and hatred all dwell in the agonies of despair

Love mends, hatred tears it down

Love stitches in disheartened mood

Love is an orator that leaves its audiences in stitches

Love cajoles parallel parties to compromise indifference

In the agony of love is in the broken love

In an agony of love and hatred, a fierce and pair hearted

Duo need no cagey, for it slays love

For love flairs and germinates even on rocky heart

Love is tenet, likewise hatred titters it

In dale, love still towers, whereas hatred withers

Even in discourse of hate, the grimy face of anger

Love still glitters with flourishing blossoms

We love and hate and still sail without compass but never get lost

Love stirs greasy wheels

Atok Dan is a media Specialist based in Juba and he is reached at atokbaguot


Juba in full control of Heglig area, dismisses Khartoum’s claim of takeover – Kiir

April 20, 2012 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit on Friday said his forces were still in full control of the disputed oil-rich area of Heglig and dismissed claims by the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) that it recaptured the town.

In a televised address to the nation on Friday evening, Kiir said Khartoum was fooling itself by celebrating the imaginary recapture of Heglig, adding that the SPLA will only voluntarily withdraw from the area over the next three days according to the plan laid out by Juba earlier in the day.

On Friday Salva Kiir ordered for the withdrawal of the SPLA forces from the area, saying he was responding to the pressure exerted on his government by the international community including South Sudan’s friends who had been calling for withdrawal of his army from Heglig.

Khartoum on Friday following the news of decision by Juba to withdraw its forces from Heglig announced the recapture of the town and organised street celebrations that were broadcast on state television.

Sudan’s Defence Minister Abdel Raheem Muhammad Hussein said in a speech also broadcast on state television that the Sudan Armed Forces had “liberated” Heglig.

But Kiir challenged Khartoum to prove to the world that they have recaptured Heglig town by showing live fresh pictures of its forces inside the disputed town. He said as of Friday, the SPLA was still in full control of the area, and held positions 24 miles north of Heglig town and that SAF was still in retreat northwards.

He said the withdrawal will take three days to complete, but warned that should SAF resort to attacking SPLA forces and bombarding South Sudan’s territory, South Sudan army will hit back hard.

He said Khartoum was doing empty fool the world with propaganda about Heglig, saying SAF has lost badly in their several attempts to recapture the town.

He urged South Sudanese citizens of the country to remain calm and vigilant, warning that the SPLA is ready to hit back should SAF attempt to advance after the decision to withdraw.

He said his country was ready to go for international arbitration over all the disputed border areas with Sudan.

The minister of information in South Sudan, Barnaba Marial, also speaking on South Sudan TV on Friday evening mocked the announcement of Heglig’s takeover by Sudan’s Defense Minister, saying he wondered why such a senior official would lie to his people that they had recaptured the town.

Marial said the South Sudan army was in full control of Heglig and will withdraw at will in three days in implementing the resolution of the UN Security Council.

A reporter for Sudan Tribune based in Unity State said that according to his sources SPLA forces were still inside Heglig town on Friday and that there had not been any fresh clash with SAF forces during the day.

INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION

Earlier on Friday Kiir release statement saying his country would still claim ownership of Heglig – known as Panthou in South Sudan – at the International Court of Arbitration if diplomatic and bilateral efforts fail.

“The decision to pull out troops from Panthou (Heglig) without prejudice to our stance that Panthou remains an integral part of the Republic of South Sudan is in the interest of this nation,” the statement from office of the president said.

“We expect that the final status of Panthou (Heglig) and other disputed borders areas will be referred for international arbitration on the final determination of their status”, the release adds.

Highly placed sources in the office of president told Sudan Tribune on Friday that president Kiir did not sleep the whole night of Thursday due to telephone calls from world leaders and diplomats.

The source said he can remember president receiving seven international one after the other from world leaders including, US President Obama, Japan, China, UN Security Council president Susan Rice, UK prime minister David Cameron, the AU, all of them advising Kiir to withdraw. Sudan Tribune was not able to reach the countries mentioned to verify the calls on Friday evening.

The SPLA troops would remain on the ground in the key oil area for a further three days, the source said.

The country’s minister of information and broadcast, Barnaba Marial Benjamin, while reading out presidential statement, said president Kiir still believes that Panthou remains a part of the new nation but allow its final status to be determined by the International Court of Arbitration.

“The decision of the president to order withdrawal of the troops from the area does not deny us the right we have on this area. Panthou”, he said.

Juba contests that Heglig was administratively transferred to the north only after oil was discovered in the 1970s.

Colonel Philip Aguer, spokesman of the country’s army said the army will respect decision of the president to withdraw from the area and that withdrawal processes would be completed within three days.

Aguer, however, added that withdrawal of the forces from the does not mean the army was not able to defend it or that it was defeated by the Sudan Armed Forces but were obeying orders from the president whom he said is South Sudan’s commander in chief.

“The withdrawal of the troops is not that we were defeated and it doesn’t also mean that we are abandoning the area. No. we are accepting it because we do not want to contradict decision of the president. If our territory is being occupied we will not wait for the international community,” Aguer said.

He said SPLA troops “will remain around the area to react to any incursions and react” is SAF’s “bombardment” of Unity State “doesn’t stop.”

Source: Sudan Tribune.

Sudanese forces ‘liberate Heglig town’

Posted: April 21, 2012 by PaanLuel Wël Media Ltd. in Sudan

Sudanese forces ‘liberate Heglig town’
Main town in Heglig region retaken by Sudan’s army, after South Sudan troops seized it, President Omar al-Bashir says.
Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir has said his troops have defeated South Sudanese forces who occupied his country’s main oilfield, but added that the battle was not over.”They started the fighting and we will announce when it will end, and our advance will never stop,” Bashir told a rally attended by thousands in Khartoum on Friday.He dismissed a statement by his Southern counterpart Salva Kiir that the occupying troops had withdrawn.

“There is no withdrawal. We beat them by force… Until now, their people are running,” Bashir, wearing an olive army uniform, said at military headquarters.

Bashir also threatened to keep Sudan’s oil pipelines closed to the South’s crude exports.

“We don’t want fees from the oil of South Sudan and we will not open the pipeline. There is no oil from South Sudan that will pass through our pure land, so that not one dollar goes to these criminals,” Bashir told the crowd at the  rally.

Defence Minister Abdelrahim Mohammed Hussein earlier announced on state television that his soldiers “were able to liberate Heglig town by force” after a 10-day occupation by South Sudan.

Our enemy suffered heavy losses in people and equipment,” Hussein said.

Border clashes between Sudan and South Sudan escalated last week with waves of air strikes hitting the South, and Juba seizing the Heglig oil hub on April 10.

While religious leaders in the north were calling during Friday prayers for a holy war to reclaim the territory, South Sudan’s Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin gave the first word that the crisis, which had sparked fierce international diplomacy to avert a wider war, was easing.

“An orderly withdrawal will commence immediately and shall be completed within three days,” he said, reading a presidential statement.

Benjamin said the ownership of the region would be decided by the court of arbitration.

Arab League meeting

Jonathan Temin, the director of the Sudan Programme for the US Institute of Peace, told Al Jazeera that “this is the highest level of violence that we have seen between Sudan and South Sudan in recent years”.

“The news that South Sudan is withdrawing from Heglig is encouraging. But in Khartoum in the north, they are saying they have taken Heglig militarily. So it remains to be seen what the real story is.”

The confusion about the fate of Heglig comes as the Arab League said it would hold an emergency meeting over renewed violence between Sudan and South Sudan.

Ahmed bin Helli, deputy secretary-general, said on Thursday that the meeting, requested by Sudan, would bring together the regional bloc’s foreign ministers and would be held next week in Cairo, the Egyptian capital.

Sudan and South Sudan have clashed over Heglig, an oil-rich region that accounts for about 50 per cent of Sudan’s oil production and is currently occupied by troops from the south.

South Sudan, which gained independence last July after voting in a referendum to secede from Sudan, claims it occupied Heglig after it was attacked by the Sudanese army.

It has so far ignored calls by the international community to pull its troops out, saying it is defending its territorial integrity.

Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, has called the south’s seizure of Heglig an “illegal act” and urged the two nations to negotiate to avoid all-out war.

Colonel Philip Aguer, the spokesperson of the South Sudan army, said the Sudanese army had carried out attacks on the south on Wednesday and on Thursday in the latest clashes.

The two the sides have never fully agreed where their shared border lies nor have they reached agreement on how to share oil wealth that is pumped from the border region.

Hague court ruling

A ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in 2009 appears to put Heglig in the Sudan state of Southern Kordofan, which the South now disputes.

Sudan’s president, meanwhile, has said he will “cut” the hand of aggressors and retake the contested Heglig region.


Omar al-Bashir, Sudan’s president, told a rally in Sudan’s North Kordofan state on Thursday he would not surrender “an inch” of the country and that he would firmly deal with its enemies.

“We will not give them an inch of our country, and whoever extends his hand on Sudan, we will cut it,” Bashir told thousands of people in El-Obeid, North Kordofan’s capital.

“Heglig is in Kordofan,” he said in the speech broadcast on state television, dancing and waving his walking stick.

Al Jazeera’s Peter Greste, reporting from Bentiu in South Sudan, said neither side was willing to give way.

He said military sources inside South Sudan spoke of a “renewed outbreak of very heavy fighting at town some distance north of Heglig”.

The developments come as a US envoy said on Thursday that Sudan had agreed “in principle” to allow assistance into South Kordofan, where aid workers say that hundreds of thousands could go hungry.

Princeton Lyman, US special envoy on the two Sudans, said he called on authorities in Khartoum to show that they were serious about putting an aid proposal into action, amid fears it will soon be too late due to rain.

“I pressed again for the government to prove this and prove it rapidly because the rainy season is nearly upon us. They have said yes in principle but they’ve got questions about its implementation,” Lyman said.

Speaking by telephone from Khartoum, Lyman said that the situation “is getting worse and people are in real basic need for both food, medicines”.

http://www.aljazeera.com/video/africa/2012/04/2012420121142587117.html#.T5IofUsIZ0I.facebook