TO: H.E.LT. GENERAL SALVA KIIR MAYARDIT, THE 1ST VICE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SUDAN, THE PRESSIDENT OF GOSS AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF SPLA
CC. GOSS MINISTER OF DEFENCE LT. GENERAL NHIAL DENG NHIAL
CC: SPLA CHIEF OF STAFF LT.GENERAL JAMES HOTH MAI AND HIS DEPUTY FOR OPERATION LT. GENERAL WILSON DENG
CC: H.E. GOSS MINISTER OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT JAMES KOK RUEA
Your excellences:
May 29, 2011 (SSNA) — It is an honour for us, we the citizens of Unity State, particularly, we the citizens of Mayom County, to communicate our view to you about the ongoing killing and displacement of civilian population in the Mayom County. We are so sad for this barbaric act that has been committed recently by the SPLA soldiers, the same army that is mandated to provide security to these civilians.
Your excellences, on May 24th 2011 “South Sudan’s army set fire to over 10,000 homes in Mankien area in Mayom County. http://www.sudantribune.com/SPLA-set-fire-to-over-7-000-homes,39010; Sudan Catholic Radio Network confirmed same report. And a credible report from the ground confirmed that payam of: Watnam, Lony, Loath, Bore, Ruathlual, and the Riak payam” have being burned to the ground by SPLA army deliberately. This indicates to the average Southern Sudanese that SPLA failed to provide basic protection to the Mayom county citizen; instead, the SPLA soldiers are reported to have conducted systematic and targeted serial killing against the Mayom county population.
The killing and the targeting of civilians dwellings in the Mayom County are serious human right violations, and we strongly condemn any violence act against civilians, we denounce both implicitly or explicitly punishment against the people of Unity State and Mayom County in particular. This kind of deliberate targeting of civilians can never and would never be justified anywhere in the world, and we strongly ask the SPLA to take measurable steps to protect civilians and bring these individuals who committed these kinds of acts to justice.
Your excellences, the SPLA soldiers are reported to have raped young girls, and older women and are engaged in wide spread killing of civilians that are perceived or allegedly accused by them as the supporters of the rebels. These kind of actions clearly violated human right laws, the UDHR article 5 say: No one shall be subjected to torture or cruelty, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, this article applies to both civilians and prisoners of war (soldiers), we strongly believe that SPLA has violated this article many times in the Mayom County incident.
The SPLA army is supposed to be conventional army that protects its citizens wherever they reside throughout South Sudan. Your excellences, a report from the ground confirmed that SPLA soldiers burned 65 people into their houses, they also blazed local crops intentionally, and many hundreds of thousands people are displaced as the results of this immoral act. It’s also well documented that Dinka of Warrap State raided over 7 hundred thousand cattle, and over 5 hundred goats from Mayom County within last three weeks, yet the current Governor of Unity State did not utters a word, the SPLA commander for division four obviously failed to provides protection to civilians of Mayom County from Warrap cattle raiders. We the citizens of Unity State, Mayom County in particularly, ask your leadership in this critical time of crisis to set-up a team to investigate these atrocities that are committed against our people by the SPLA; we cannot longer watch our livinghood being destroys by both SPLA army and thugs from the Warrap State, no more. Your excellences under the UN charter, UDHR article 3 says: Everyone has a right to life, liberty and security. And we strongly believe that people of Mayom are being deprived of this basic universal right, both GoSS and SPLA must make every effort to demonstrate that they care about the lives of Mayom County citizens. The citizen of Mayom County deserves peaceful existing like any other citizens of South Sudan who are enjoying their right to life, liberty, and security.
Your excellences, we the citizens of Mayom County need your urgency action in these matters, we still believes that your government (GoSS) values humanity as set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Our long struggle to achieve this freedom from the oppressors in the Northern Sudan should not be denied to the civilians of Mayom County in this modern time.
Mr. President, we want your leadership to investigate and bring accountability, we believes that both current governor of Unity state and the division 4 commanders should be hold accountable for the atrocities committed against the Mayom County civilians under their watch. They both have failed to protect civilians and ignored the rule of laws. Both Division 4 commanders Maj. Gen Koang Chuol Ranley, Maj.Gen James Gatduel Gatluak and Lt.Gen. Governor Taban Deng Gai never comes out to condemn neither the killing of civilians by the SPLA nor the raiding on the civilians by the Warrap thugs. Above all, the atrocities that have been perpetrated by the SPLA soldiers are committed under their watch; they are responsible for all these acts. It’s the responsibility of the GoSS and the SPLA to hold these individuals accountable for the crimes against the citizens of Mayom County.
We also demands that Governor, Taben Deng Gai, and military commander of division four, Maj.Gen James Gatduel Gatluak to publically condemns these acts of violence, their silence suggest that they are glorifying the killing of these innocence civilians. Furthermore, we calls on the Governor Taban Gai and Zonal commander Gatduel to publically condemn violence against civilians population immediately, they must exercise their individual power and responsibility to stop the endless death and destruction that is happening right now in Mayom County.
Your excellences, we want to bring this issue into your attention, that we the citizens of Mayom County in Diaspora are not happy about the ongoing killing and destruction in Unity State. We counted on your leadership to bring this to an end immediately.
We are asking GoSS leadership especially James Kok Ruea to response to his excellence Charles Machieng Kuol and others honourable MPs from Mayom County who has appealed to your ministry for humanitarian aid intervention in the County to assist the affected citizens for their basic wants. Your excellence James Kok, it is already rainy season in the South Sudan, which means that civilians they have no place to turned to, we calls on you to act with sense of urgency to addressed their basic needs. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that over 7 hundred thousand cattle and over 5 hundred goats from Mayom County have being raided within last three weeks by the gangs from the neighbouring Gongrial East and Twic counties of Warrap state. The long term impacts are huge and your ministry must demonstrate to Unity state citizens that GoSS cares about their well-being.
In conclusion, Mr. President, people of Mayom County have been being victimizes long enough; SPLA must act like conventional army and provide enough protection to them. We, the citizens of Mayom County in the Diaspora will also monitor the situation closely. We will continue to collect more evidence through all means possible, including the use of satellite technologies. Our community in Diaspora will continue to collect report on the ground activities that violate the human right. We are in the process of collecting satellite imagery of the area and we plans to compared the two periods, before attack and the after the attack. We hope to analyze these data for more evidence of destruction that is being done against these innocence civilians.
We will work with our international partners, Human right watches, European commission, and U.S special envoy to Sudan, Enough Project, Satellite Sentinel Project, Waging Peace group, and many others peace loving individuals to end this killing and destruction in our State, particularly in Mayom County. We will collect further data from the NGO and personal testimonies, and witnesses from the ground in the County. Your excellences, enough is enough; we cannot tolerate inhuman treatment of our people any more. Your Government must find a way to solve this injustice practices in Unity State. Our ultimate goal is to bring a peaceful resolution to the ongoing barbaric acts in our State, we hope you be our partner on this Mr. President.
Signed by Bul Community Association leadership in North America and Australia.