Will the Southerners be in peace after the Referendum?

BY: Noor Manyang, MALAKAL

JULY 17/2010, SSN; To this question, the answer is definitely no! Because all the region is facing similar problems which are created by ethnic violence. The violence is fueled by some elements.

Since the signing of the CPA, people of Southern Sudan have never got any rest because of tribal tensions. Unfortunately, the government has done nothing about such hostilities in the region.

But the one who should be particularly blamed is not the government alone. MPS, ministers and the Army leadership must be blamed also, because they are supposed to build the vital coherence among the communities so as to live in harmony.

The so-called hunting of Gen- George Athor and militias in Pigi County plus in Shilluk area by SPLA forces is the disaster which turned into the current murderous hunting of civilians. Residents in these mentioned areas are badly humiliated by SPLA soldiers as they carried out serious atrocities.

Appallingly, it has infused into all lives in those areas and has erased any hope that the people have with the government.

Moreover, civilians are totally in bad shape and hopeless because they are suffering a lot at the hands of those forces under the command of especially two major-generals, Peter Bol Koang and Jok Riak, whose forces have carried out disastrous atrocities such as sexual assaults, killings, arresting and torturing of innocent civilians very severely.

They carried out sexual assaults even on men, as it regretfully happened in Atar/Khorfulus, Pigi County, where three men allegedly were threatened by soldiers with guns and raped which led to the death of one person and other two are now under treatment in Malakal teaching hospital.

At the moment many civilians have fled to Malakal and northern Upper Nile town of RENK, to seek for safety. Reportedly, some people who were caught by SPLA were killed in their custody because they're alleged to be Gen- George Athor's men.

Nevertheless, it is important that Southerners by themselves are humiliated their own people rather than Arabs. Hence, those whose forces committed such crimes are supposed to be accountable and brought to justice for their crimes they have committed.

I strongly condemned such activities which confined the residents and not allowed them to cultivate this year and severely restricted their free movement in the area.

Those forces have turned the good image of the government to an unforgettable and unforgivable bad image to the world. They've disillusioned people of Southern Sudan in particular because such behavior will not stop there alone. They badly lack of discipline and respect of human rights law.

Dear readers, I want to ask you, is Gen. George Athor hiding inside women of his County? Or did SPLA hear that Athor was hiding inside their ladies?

It's absolutely traumatized the residents, and it a shameful act on the SPLA forces of Peter Bol and Jok Riak. they have spoiled the good names of the SPLA.

In addition to this, there are some people who have hidden agendas which they used to advise the government wrongly to let them achieve their own aims they are focus on.

Lastly, Southern Sudan won't be at peace even after the Referendum unless the atrocities committed at this time are pursued through legal means, whether internally or externally, and the suspects made to answer in the court of law for their crimes that they have committed.

Noor Manyang- Southern Sudan- Malakal; Email: nmanyang@yahoo.com