CHAPTER 3. Survival Mode Stories: Sudan’s Civil Wars

Anya-Anya I time period (1956-1972) could be categorized as ‘a pastoralist life’ phase, where citizens, and/or residences alike of South Sudan had a ton of livestocks, especially to the livestock rearing ethnic groups such as Nuer ethnic groups, and Dinka ethnic groups. And to rest of other river-lake Nilotic groups, the Murle ethnic group became a worst enemy in Cattle rustling for consumptions in the Regional Province of Equatoria, and Upper Nile in South Sudan. Especially in the Jonglei State in South Sudan, it is extremely rampant killing, or looting for merely sake of consumptions. Although, there was an ongoing Civil War between the South Sudan, and Old Sudan in those time period, people still were keeping livestock, where they deeply depended on, in supporting themselves combined with little Agricultural farming.

Moving from one place to other, it is unlikely as an ‘usual adaptations, and obvious life’ for a pastoralist ethnic groups like Dinka people and Nuer ethnic groups in South Sudan. In their stronghold Area of Upper Nile State in South Sudan, this could not be ruled out in search for better livestock pastures from one season to other. It is a routine habit since their Ancestors has had down to them from Creations, probably. It is so dangerous, especially livestock’s enemy are not that far away. But they unlikely dwelled in closest, and common place that makes risk and vulnerability of cattle disappearing to the hand of enemies. This Cattle rustling risk become extremely high alert. The Murle people of Pibor County, Jonglei State in South Sudan made life in the herding of cattle so much risky and dangerously onslaught life. In the herding and keeping of livestock, herdsmen should train their dogs, or horses for unpredictable cattle raiding events. People of Equatorial region in South Sudan, especially Anuak ethnic group had stopped keeping and herding the large quantity of livestock they had due to the Murle ethnic groups’ raidings. And only few of those ethnic groups in the Equatorial region in South Sudan  still have cattle, but they no longer depended on cattle keeping, anymore. Due to the Murle ethnic groups’ raiders, they literally vanished in those mountainous hillside, and canopy of region of Equatoria very easily in South Sudan. Even during the South Sudan and Old Sudan’s struggles, cattle raiding specifically did not calm down to which they made people’s lives in the ‘pastoralist phase’ so dangerous. And it is worth stopping and switching back to other sort of “ways of life” like Agricultural works. Although there were not any sufficient ‘ploughing machines’ for farming, the amount of rainfalls, on one hand, in the Country is pretty much improving, thus far. The Weather forecast was not being controlled and predicted by Meteorologists as it is today. In the past, they used to predict amount of rainfalls by using Barometer. They unlikely depended on the Weather Meteorologists’ forecasts. There were time when the weather forcast stay steady clear without scattered clouds in the Sky. This was what made farmers so anxious to continue with Agricultural farming in conjunction with livestock farming.

Few rifles were in the hand of people since they were not easier to acquire, to find, and to afford as well. In 1956-1972 Anya-Anya I Civil War was unlikely being waged during this time. People, who keep cattle had a high demand of purchasing rifles instead of ‘Spears and Bow-Arrows.’ In order to maintain herding and rearing cattles in those period of Joseph Lagu, who was the leader of 1956-1972 ‘Anya-Anya’ I Movement, Herdsmen used to protect their cattle by Spears, and Bow-Arrows. And the Freedom Fighters used to wage 1956-1972 Sudan’s Civil Wars with Old Sudan by using rifles, spears, and bow-arrows. They achieved their 1956-1972 Addis-Ababa Agreements in Ethiopia, after Intensive fighting with those aforementioned smuggled weapons, and ammunitions. There were tons of Political agenda, platforms, and protocols to which the South Sudanese(SPLM)Liberation Movements, the South Sudan Independence Movement(SSIM), and the South Sudan People’s Defense Force(SSPDF)people had set forth. With this life, people, especially in Jonglei State of Bor South County, Duk County and of Twic East County, they become so unenthusiastic and uninterested in maintaining livestock farming with sophisticated weapons like today. They decided to avert increasing threats of nonstop problems of cattle raiding attacks, the disputing problems of children abduction, and women kidnapping by smuggling weapons, and ammunitions from Old Sudan. In addition, they started to undergo nonstop problems of cattle raiding attempts from Murle Ethnic groups from Pibor County in South Sudan. Despite problems of Children abductions, and women kidnapping, cattle raiding attacks began to happen frequently. After raiding, and barbaric clashes, herdsmen started to think about ways to give up cattle. And there were unlimited choices for tendency to abandon livestock farming in these Counties of Duk County, Bor South County, and Twic East County in South Sudan, where I am from, was so high alert of cattle raiding insecurities. However, people did not stop Agricultural farming, and/or livestock keeping, although they posed deadly threats from 1990s Nuer Ethnic groups’ insurgency fighters, and from 1970s Murle Ethnic groups from Pibor County in South Sudan.

With also a low literacy amongst ethnic people of Dinka, abandoning livestock farming was not so easier things to stop. Since people would not support their families without livestocks farming, Agricultural works was their optimum choice available. They continued keeping cattle all those years from ‘Anya-Anya I Movement’ period of 1956-1972 until the second Intifada Uprising. This ‘Antifida’ word literally meant ‘uprising.’ And this uprising started in 1983-2005 against the Old Sudan. Since 1972 Addis-ababa's Agreements in Ethiopia was not satisfactory, it was worth keeping it without South Sudan’s 2011 Autonomous voting referendum from Old Sudan. With Comprehending agreements in both countries’ wealth sharings and other protocols that had been finally achieved in Naivasha—Kenya agreement in 2005.

Livestock farming in Twic East County, it was basic necessities for people of South Sudan. And also in other Dinka people’s stronghold area in some of Eleventh of Counties of Jonglei State in Bor South County and Duk County, there was unlikely a ‘career legacy. And this was ingrained to their traditions. It was probably passed down from one generation to other. Although it poses onslaughting threats to herdsmen in the farm, nobody really wanted to stop keeping livestocks as well. Depending on how many people in the households, they divided themselves of who to keep cattle. Portion of the households go, and acquire English and Arabic literacy. After graduating, they would be able to provide supports for their families. And  they also provided aid to rest of households whom they have had left herding livestock in the farms behinds. I do remember correctly from my family that they often talked about their forefathers. they said that past generation, and their ancestors had a legacy of livestock keepings. During that ‘stone Age’ period further back in the history of South Sudanese people, the literacy was something that comes with modernization. In 1890s, the British colonizers and Arabian Merchants of Mahdi from Middle East arrived at soil of the South Sudan. They of course, began to scramble the whole of Africa of its minerals to which they were on the reserve. They also started to setup system of governments like Boma’s Administrations. In addition, they eventually taught them on how to govern themselves.

Right after 1972 Addis-ababa agreement, they then eluded that second political intifada uprising began from 1983 to 2005. Between the two Countries of South Sudan and Sudan, this period could be said that it was the durations when ‘the end of pastoralist life trend ceased. Majority of people of Dinka ethnic groups, had started to enlist into the Sudan Army Forces(SAF). They went to the 1980s Sudan’s Civil Wars. And everything like livestocks in the farms were left in the hand of depopulated people, especially in our County of Twic East County and as well as to other two Counties of Bor South County and Duk County in Jonglei State in South Sudan. Bor South County, and Duk County’s residents also joined into SPLA Army Recruitment Training, too. These people, who went for Army training for South Sudan’s uprising against the Old Sudan, they were outnumbered. In 1983, this was trended, or known today as Koryom II Battalion Division of SPLA Army to which en mass number of people were young adults from cattle camps. It was a remarkable military surge. And this was unlikely a success story for the South Sudan SPLM political organization. In 1956-1972, the Anya-Anya I Movement’s uprising was also trended as an Equatorial uprising. That meant majority of  Equatorial regions’ people were in that movement. They were predominantly from Equatorial region in South Sudan. There were a lot of Dinka ethnic group from Twic East County, who had involved in the 1956-1972 Anya-Anya I Movement against the 1956 Old Sudan.

There is a popular Dinka Ethnic groups’ folklore that was coined and/or composed. During the SPLA Army’s Koryom II military enlistment in 1983, the livestock farmings have had been left to the hands of young people, elderly people, and women. There was high risk of livestock farming, and vulnerability of entrapment to hands of enemies, where the cattle started to disappear in Bush. The Murle ethnic people from Pibor County in Jonglei State in South Sudan and the Nuer ethnic people from Ayod County in Upper Nile State in South Sudan, were alike main cattle raiders. And the residents of Jonglei State in South Sudan have had experienced a high risk of cattle disappearance.This folklore literally goes in Dinka language: ‘Acie dong e madwei e mach e hok’ meaning that only young people with elderly people and women were left out for herding and rearing cattle without hope that they will manage maintaining livestock farming after young adult men trended as ‘koryom II’ were gone for South Sudan military with no hope for return to resume livestock farming to which they were known and praised.

Folklore as it was composed with literally meaning that ‘ livestock farming’ will definitely cease since only young people, elderly people and women were left to herd livestock, had manifested itself and livestock farming and agricultural works got thinner and thinner when South Sudan and Old Sudan resumed fighting. Resuming of South Sudan and Old Sudan war did not directly people and lifespan of livestock farming, however it affected them in a ‘backlash fashion’, where majority of young adult men had joined and enlisted in the 1983 South Sudan’s uprising against Old Sudan since dissatisfaction from ‘1972 Addis-ababa agreement’ was the main driving force behind enlistment and resumption of the South Sudan and Old Sudan’s war. Joseph Lagu, the leader of Anya nya I movement from Equatorial region did not get position in the unified government to which he was the architect with nothing much according to platform he drafted was accomplished. A different person from South Sudan was snapped in the unified government and the ‘Anya nya I’ movement leader Joseph Lagu from Equatorial region was demoted since Old Khartoum government thought he would still be rival leader rather than ‘puppet’ leader to accept compromise stipulated in the ‘1972 addis-abbas agreement’ to which Joseph Lagu had brokered and had signed with the total oversight and monitoring from Africa Union (AU) organization formerly known as Organization for Africa Union (OAU).

Predicted ‘end of pastoralist life phase’ since mass majority of young adult men referred to as ‘Koryom II’ went to the South Sudan military trainings came to effect in 1991-1993 Nuer ethnic group massacre-cleansing when they had defected from the South Sudan SPLM mainstream political organization with number of Prisoners of Wars (POWs) and ignited an insurgency fighting in the Twic East County, Duk County and Bor South County for political propaganda to weaken the SPLM political organization and its leaderships from the grassroots by plundering and taking everything to which their left behind civilian populations, especially from the heart and residential core roots of South Sudan SPLM political organization chairman, Dr. John Garang Mabior, had depended on, like livestock farming and agricultural works, where they were left in the hands of young people, elderly people and women populations. During this 1991-1993 Nuer ethnic groups insurgency which resulted in taking of livestocks and civilian populations escaped their lives for riparian river Nile basins for hiding and to acquire temporarily staying until the South Sudan SPLM political organizations and leadership take a procedure counter-insurgency fighting to avert the situations and curb them out of affected areas: Twic East County, Duk County, and Bor South County, Jonglei State—South Sudan to which SPLM political organization and leadership eventually did as recent as in 1993 Nuer ethnic groups insurgency total defeat and rooted them out of the area they had devastated and left vulnerable; affected population of these three Counties: Twic East County, Bor South County, and Duk County,  had survived from collecting: 1) Water lily known as ‘goor’ in Dinka Language, 2) Swampy root plant known as ‘athoon’ in Dinka language, 3) Papyrus root plant known as ‘thahr e apaath’ in Dinka language, 4) Tall weed plant known as ‘Nhom e Mon’ in Dinka language, 5) Wild rice known as ‘lahw’ in Dinka language, 6) Quazi-water lily known as ‘aguieu’ in Dinka language, 7) Swampy root plant known as ‘keich’ in Dinka language, 8) Seasonal trees such as ‘thou’, ‘lang e jieng and lang e turik’, ‘chueu’, ‘paach’, in Dinka language, 9) Sugar cane planted in the riparian river Nile , 10) Sorghum stalk known as ‘behn’ in Dinka language, 11) Cassava known as ‘bahm rot’ in Dinka language, 12) Yam known as ‘bahm behr’ in Dinka language, 13) Sweet potatoes, 14) Coco-nut known as ‘tuhr akoot’ in Dinka language, 15) Coco-nut trees also carved and used water boat for transporting people and as well for fishing, 16) Hardwood known as ‘Giir’ in Dinka language was carved and used as boat for transporting those groceries such as water lily, papyrus root, coco-nut, sweet potatoes, yam, sugar cane, ‘keiu’ etc. and were used as well to transport people on the water stream basins known the river Nile with its swampy spot from papyrus good for fishing, 17) Weeds known as ‘Anyueer’ in Dinka language, and 18) Mushrooms especially the cultivated mushroom not the wild mushroom found on the soft trees were consumed.

Lives during the South Sudan referendum from Old Sudan for secession since January 9^th, 2005 to January 9^th, 2011 after 1991 to 1993 Nuer ethnic group insurgency fighting was averted,  was ‘reconstruction life phase’, where everything that had been lost in those decades is being compensated. Affected population of Twic East County, Bor South County, and Duk County are working tirelessly to acquire livestocks as well as re-clearing their agricultural fields that had been lost after more than two decades of South Sudan fighting with Old Sudan. These affected populations to which livestock keeping and herding is their ‘traditions and ways of life’, tended to buy number of livestocks from ‘cattle vendors’ that traveled beyond Ayod County, despite the insecurity in the ways to acquire cattle with ‘monies’ they generated from the swift shop businesses and stores. There is a livestock market established in Panyagor town, Twic East County, as well as Duk County and Bor South County with legal supervision from the local government of those three Counties as well as from the World Food Programme (WFP) organizations that documented cattle vendoring receipts in conjunction to ‘procurement and logistics’ of the food security in the area. If you want to more details and for authentics of the story, you could pay a travel to the Twic East County, Jonglei State—South Sudan and requested a ‘cattle vendoring receipts’ since start of interim government of South Sudan before it becomes a sovereign nation from Old Sudan or access information from the World Food Programme(WFP) in the South Sudan, you would get a tons of information from the organization to which field workers collected and documented to determine ‘food security’ conditions in the areas, where the World Food Programme(WFP) organization can make a substantial and solid request for immediate food security assistance from the United Nations(UN).