South Sudan struggles to consolidate peace

By Anthony Kamba  (Juba, South Sudan). Views expressed are the author’s own.

Colonel James Gatluak Gai, the rebel leader of South Sudan Liberation Army was killed last week. Gatluak Gai was one of the top military officers who defected from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) (now South Sudan Armed Forces) soon after the April 2010 general elections in South Sudan.

After Gatluak Gai was killed conflicting reports were out on who was responsible. This week his deputy, Marko Chuol Ruei came out to claim responsibility for the murder of his boss in the name of peace. Earlier fingers had pointed to South Sudan Armed Force raising questions on how the new government was going to deal with dissent especially those that have taken up arms.

Gatluak Gai took up arms in the northern Unity State after his candidate Angelina Teny lost the governor race to Taban Deng Gai. Many believe Gatluak Gai expected to get a top job in the State under Teny. Then Gatluak Gai took up arms against the state claiming elections had been rigged. His militia had operated only in Unity State. Three days before his killing the rebels had signed a ceasefire agreement with the army and his deputy said the killing came after disagreements within the group on the ceasefire. The group was supposed to start disarmament and to be integrated in the national army. Gatluak Gai’s death might allow other commanders to go ahead with the ceasefire implementation but it might take time to convince his loyalists within the group.

On July 9, the day South Sudan declared its independence President Salva Kiir said he was committed to extending amnesty to the rebel groups in a move to pacify the new republic. Currently South Sudan is facing at least four active militia groups including those led by General George Athor in Jonglei State, east of the country, another group under Peter Gatdet is still in Unity State.  In Northern Bahr el Ghazal a different group led by Abdel Bagi Ayi is also up in arms.

Athor just like Gatluak Gai took to the bush after last year’s general elections also citing rigging of the elections while Peter Gatdet and Abdel Bagi Ayi both have in common a feeling that there is corruption and injustice within the government, though both lead different groups of rebels. Ayi has also demanded for a 30 percent representation of Muslims in the South Sudan government.

The South Sudan army has continued to battle with these rebels. Athor’s group has been silenced for some months thanks to a massive operation that dislodged him from his base early this year. Clashes with Peter Gatdet’s forces in Unity State between April and May were quelled but after a long battle that led to loss of many lives.  Earlier reports indicated that these splinter groups had wanted to join forces to fight the government of the new republic but failed to agree because of different interests.

By the time of independence, the Government of South Sudan had managed to have two rebel militia leaders cease hostilities.  General Gabriel Tanginya from volatile oil producing Upper Nile state had earlier reached an agreement with the government but as his forces were being integrated he went back to fight. He was later arrested by the South Sudan Army and he is now in jail. Only General David Yau Yau and his fighters peacefully laid down their arms.

The continued detention of Tanginya has been used by militia leaders to justify their continued fighting; saying that it shows the South Sudan government is not keeping its word on amnesty. The SPLM- the governing party- still feels that rebel groups have the support of Khartoum, a claim that Omar al Bashir’s government has denied. South Sudan is also faced with the Ugandan rebel group, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) who make several attacks in Western Equatoria State.

While many South Sudanese back the government’s efforts to pursue its military strategy against errant groups, and say these groups must join the “peace train”, they are worried about the increasing number of civilians killed as the government battles these armed groups. On the whole the government of South Sudan is yet to succeed in efforts to secure their newly recognized territory.