Ominous signs from the Nuba Mountains

Ominous signs from the Nuba Mountains

Extremely worrying reports are coming through from the Nuba Mountains, suggesting the return of arbitrary arrests of local civilians in Kadugli and other towns in the region by security forces operating in the area, ominously indicating the return of the horrible bloody campaign of the nineties that resulted in the custody, torture, death and disappearance of hundreds of local civilians. These reported arrests seem to occur in conjunction with the military setbacks the government is undergoing in its pursuit of what it refers to as the Summer campaign, the declared objective of which is to decisively defeat and clear the region of SPLM/N rebel forces. The government had rallied tremendous amount of resources for its declared summer campaign in both Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile in addition to the ongoing military surge in Darfur. According to reports by SPLA/N, in the Nuba Mountains alone the government forces made coordinated movements in eight different locations, including Kharasana (West Kodofan oil fields), East and South Kadugli, Talodi, Azrag and Eastern Mountains. The summer campaign seem to be hitting a stiff resistance by the rebels and in some cases the rebels had taken the initiative and launched counter attacks themselves with deadly effects.

In reaction to these developments, the government resorted to its old horrendous methods of blaming “The Fifth Column”, in reference to local civilian town dwellers, accusing them being in communication with the rebels.  In the nineties and under the same pretext, dozens of local civilians, mainly junior government employees and teachers had vanished and fallen victims to extra-judicial executions and death under torture. That period had witness widespread use torture, detention and disappearances conducted by elements of the military intelligence and security forces in the region. The pain and horror of that period remains engraved in the conscious of all people in the area to date. Names of the victims and memories of the manners in which they painfully faced their fate stay with everyone, possibly for ever. Ahmed Yousif, Esmat Hassan, Ahmed Lagawa, Yousif Galdagoun, Ramadan Ajbna, Ibrahim Marmatoun, Mohamed Nawar, Kamal Kanu and Abu Zaid Shalal are just of the names of the victims. The manner in which they were treated was so horrible that years after people in the area seem to avoid mentioning these events. Many have reported such tendencies on the part of the people who were closed to the events.  They seem to have engaged in some deliberate amnesia. That can only be explained by severity of the trauma. Ramadan Ajbna, nicknamed Jaksa, after a famous Sudanese football player,  a popular young man in his late thirties was an employee in the locals department of works and was a football couch. He was taken by security forces from his house in Alradeef area of residence in Kadugli. A few days later his body was returned to his relative. Under the insistence of his uncle, who was a senior nurse in the local hospital, his body was checked only to be found bearing horrible marks of physical torture, so horrible that he was found to have been dismembered with his penis found inserted into his mouth. Some of the executions by firing reported to have taken place in Khor Affan area to the South East of Kadugli, only couple of miles away from the main military garrison in Kadugli. In that location, they haven’t even bothered to bury the dead. They just shot their victims and left their bodies to the wild animals and elements to dispose them. Human remains of skulls and bones can be seen years after.

Detention was then the norm. Again, dozens were imprisoned in Kadugli, Dilling and Obied, with no charges levied against them. It was enough to be suspected to being a rebel sympathizer or a Nuba to be indefinitely held there.

What makes these tragic episodes particularly painful is that retribution was never sought. Neither recognition to the dead nor consolation to the living has been considered. Needless to say, the perpetrators of these heinous acts have not been investigated or brought to book or asked to atone.  When the Switzerland agreement of 2003 took effect and the killing and raiding of people’s homes has abated, people just took a deep sigh of relief turned over the page and would rather not revisit. However, the excruciating pain remained inside. It was a huge oversight on the part of negotiators of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) not to address the issue.  A mistake many may live to regret.

The power sharing administration that followed CPA was no less guilty. The least that could have done is victim recognition. Not a single memorial session held. No names written, not a symbolic gesture.  Are we not right in fearing the return of the horror?

Reports indicating the return of those arrests by security forces to the nights of Kadugli is an ominous sign. After all, the old perpetrators are still roaming the mountains with complete impunity. The danger is lurking and is real. We must act and act now.

 #stop_kadugli_arrests
#Kadugli

#Sudan

#Nuba

#كادوقلي
#اوقفوا_اعتقالات_كادقلي