Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

South Sudan: Khartoum’s Aid to Machar’s Tribal Violence
South Sudan News ^ | December 24, 2013 | South Sudan News Staff

Posted on 12/24/2013 3:32:31 PM PST by IsraelBeach

South Sudan: Khartoum’s Aid to Reik Machar’s Tribal Violence

By South Sudan News Staff

Juba — December 24 … During the weekend of 20-22 December, the Republic of South Sudan underwent a political crisis, an attempted coup and emerged to the next phase of putting down what's become known as the Machar Revolt. The African think-tank, The Fashoda Institute, has published a current analysis of the South Sudan’s crisis.

“Juba entered the weekend having lost control over most of Jonglei State. However, this loss of control was the result of an uneasy cease-fire and tenuous cooperation between the predominantly Nuer ex-SPLA forces of General Peter Gadet Yaak and the Merle forces of the warlord David Yau Yau. It is still not clear just how much of Unity State – Machar’s home – and the vital oil fields remained under Juba’s control and how much were under the rebel control” says the report. “On 22 December, the situation in Juba itself was calm and stable. There was no threat to President Salva Kiir’s hold onto power and to the Government’s functioning”.

“The main Machar-related threats consisted of two South Sudan military units that defected. Despite repeated efforts, Gadet’s and Koang’s forces failed to break out of the Nuer-populated areas” stresses the report. “The Nuer-dominated areas where these forces operate presently are surrounded by Dinka-majority areas and large SPLA forces. President Kiir intends to bring these mutineer forces back to the fold. If reconciliation doesn’t work – the rebel forces will be defeated”.

“To affect a dramatic breakout despite the military stalemate, the Machar camp is pursuing an audacious strategy. On the one hand, they are portraying Machar himself as a world class leader and democrat worthy of the presidency and definitely on par with President Kiir (a theme that is being reinforced by the highlighting and endorsement of Machar’s harsh criticism of President Kiir and his government by the mainstream media in the West)”, explains the report.

“On the other hand, Machar’s forces are escalating their violent, irrational operations – shooting at US Air Force MV-22s trying to evacuate foreign citizens from Bor (and wounding four US military personnel), shooting at UN helicopters trying to deliver emergency humanitarian supplies in both Jongeli and Unity States, attacking a few UNMISS bases (where three Indian UN troops and 33 South Sudanese refugees were killed), and the threats to blow up the oil facilities in Jonglei State”.

“Sudan started exploiting the diversion of SPLA units from the border to surrounding the mutineer units in Jonglei and Unity States in order to push large quantities of small arms and ammunition to both rebel (like Yau Yau’s) and Nuer forces”, asserts the Fashoda Institute.

“A few convoys were interdicted by the SPLA over the weekend. However, the quantities of weapons in hostile hands in sensitive areas are visibly growing. Moreover, the attackers of the UNMISS base used brand-new Sudanese-made ammunition (as determined from the empty cartridges left behind). The SPLA will have to tackle these challenges only after Machar’s coup is brought to an end”.

“Unless Juba is capable of marshaling the country’s military forces quickly, suppressing the revolt in Unity State (as distinct from Jonglei where Juba’s control had been tenuous since independence), and restoring SPLA presence along the Sudanese border – the rebellion will spread and a multitude of smaller foci of violence will join the fray as local leaders will conclude that Juba is vulnerable and will therefore attempt to extract-by-force favors, funds and services for their own constituencies”, advises the analytical Institute.

“The current crisis in South Sudan cannot be comprehended in isolation from the country’s tormented past and challenging current posture. South Sudan has been trying hard to build a nation and a state after the debilitating war of independence, autonomy period, and the post-independence austerity period (caused by Sudan’s blocking of oil exports until very recently). It is a mighty challenge given the diversity of the population and the gravity of the situation.

South Sudan President Kiir was doing as great a job as can be expected under such horrific conditions. For several months now, Machar has tried to further the self-interests of his Nuer tribe by undermining the nation-building effort of the Kiir administration, and by reawakening the sectarian-tribal tensions. When Machar was rejected by the Government and Party establishments – he launched the revolt that is now tearing the nation apart along tribal-national lines”, concludes the report.

“Irrespective of President Kiir’s actions – Machar must not be rewarded for awakening and capitalizing on sectarian-tribal hostilities and enmities (as he did in the 1990s and caused several Nuer massacres of Dinka).

President Salva Kiir should be helped to restore stability and unity to South Sudan, and then should be helped to improve both good governance and the economy. Hopefully, South Sudan will quiet down and stabilize well before election time in 2015”.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Israel; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: africa; china; coup; darfur; iran; salvakiirmayardit; southsudan; sudan

1 posted on 12/24/2013 3:32:31 PM PST by IsraelBeach
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: IsraelBeach

Sacrificing some American lives to their war should fix things right up.


2 posted on 12/24/2013 3:35:18 PM PST by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cripplecreek
On this Christmas Eve we should remember that South Sudan is the only Christian nation in Africa. South Sudan is under attack by Islamic Jihad (Iran supporting Islamic Sudan). If South Sudan, a tiny Christian democracy, should fall, all of Africa will fall to Islamic Jihad. What would that mean for the US, Europe and West?

Merry, Safe Christmas to all our troops around the globe - thank you for defending and protecting the freedoms we enjoy and cherish.

3 posted on 12/24/2013 3:42:44 PM PST by IsraelBeach
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: IsraelBeach

Nice try but sacrificing Americans to animals is no way to celebrate Christmas.

You want to celebrate, be my guest on your own dime.


4 posted on 12/24/2013 3:45:09 PM PST by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: cripplecreek
The Christian children of South Sudan are "animals"?

Can you be a bit more racist - we don't quite hear you loud enough!

5 posted on 12/24/2013 3:53:50 PM PST by IsraelBeach
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: IsraelBeach

Nobody said anything about race but its nice to see that someone is ready to the Al Sharpton slot when he withers away.


6 posted on 12/24/2013 3:58:23 PM PST by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: IsraelBeach

Ethiopia is a Christian nation too.


7 posted on 12/24/2013 3:58:54 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist (Governor Sarah Heath Palin for President of the United States in 2016)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: IsraelBeach

Who gives a Rat’s ass?

These prehistoric animals have created their own cesspool and we should not do anything to help them.

Let it run it’s course for in 10 years a new crisis will overtake the winner of this year’s crisis.


8 posted on 12/24/2013 4:05:00 PM PST by DH (Once the tainted finger of government touches anything the rot begins)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DH

Every sub Saharan war devolves into brutality on an unimaginable scale. The last thing we need to do is subject American soldiers to fighting 8 and 9 year old soldiers or forced cannibalism if captured.

Robert Mugabe claims to be a Catholic and he’s nothing but a thug.


9 posted on 12/24/2013 4:19:06 PM PST by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: DH
Who gives a Rat’s ass?

It is incumbent on every "race" to join the "race" to modernity or perish.

Who finishes second is a moot point.

10 posted on 12/24/2013 5:17:03 PM PST by Aevery_Freeman (Remember who the real enemy is!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; ...

Thanks IsraelBeach.

Islamofascist Sudan with the help of Islamofascist Iran has resumed its shredding of the Christian/Animist/Moslem south.


11 posted on 12/24/2013 5:45:16 PM PST by SunkenCiv (http://www.freerepublic.com/~mestamachine/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: IsraelBeach

This is what I suspected.

South Sudan is independent after decades of war and genocide.

Khartoum isn’t about to sit on its hands, though, especially since the oil is in the south. They have been plotting jihad, and it looks like they are exploiting divisions among the tribes making up the South.

If the South Sudanese don’t get their collective heads out of their hindquarters, they will be reabsorbed by the muslims with all the savagery that follows.


12 posted on 12/24/2013 10:15:50 PM PST by marron
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: IsraelBeach

While the renewed fighting has been blamed on tribal tensions, the feud between Kiir and Machar was driven more by a quest for power than ethnicity.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/12/24/how_the_us_triumph_in_south_sudan_came_undone#sthash.6ypZ5FFe.bhpVXOZq.dpuf
power => money


13 posted on 12/25/2013 12:53:13 AM PST by AdmSmith (GCTGATATGTCTATGATTACTCAT)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson