South Sudan: The Victims of Isolation-the Pochalla-Jonglei Syndrome

Pochalla County is one of the early liberated areas or counties according to SPLM/GoSS structure dating back to April 1996. During those OLS (Operation Lifeline Sudan) days and GoSS (government of Southern Sudan era to date, the situation and livelihood of the Anywaa people remains the same. The few changes notable may be the pay of more than 20 civil employees or personnel including the security guards and cleaners; the frequent loot and child abduction by the Murle annually. The other change noticeable is the absence of social services and rural development initiatives available in the county.

Youth League meeting on Election code of Conduct in Pochalla Jan. 2010 Photo: Puro Nyigoni

On my first day to Pochalla on 4th Jan 2010 I was greeted by many people and also got shocked and stared at the county with a smoldering face and regretted the bad luck Anyuaks might have faced under the tropical sun. There was no sign of human social development initiative except the natural gift of the Anyuaks being genuine people and innocent. There is no communication facility. No electricity or a solar panel for that matter, no feeder roads linking bomas, payams towns. No road linking Sudan to Ethiopia although Pochalla remains a major exit and entry point for all.

Soon after the Caravan flew back to Juba, the relatives took me to the rest place and got a word of alerting. ‘’Murle are here within us!’’ A sign of common insecurity and trauma indeed.  After nearly 20 or 23 minutes on the same day, Anyuaks with in 1.5 km distances in Pochalla town were scared by Murle like birds. Movements are limited in Pochalla town. Leave alone going to other payams situated at a distance of 30 minutes or 3 hours on foot as it has been. If you fancy it going visiting relatives out side Pochalla town, life is at your own 100% risk. What has made life to be that way in Pochalla? Nobody attempts to answer that! On the roads linking villages Murle shoot at will and threaten innocent and unarmed civilians with guns as if life was a set of a drama scene worth vanishing with seconds of show.

On day II-I heard very funny and dramatic news about stolen or snatched cattle from the hand of bundle of soldiers guarding it. On this melee after the Murle escaped with cattle one Anywaa by the name Jay-Waradangi was shot dead in Okadi/Obodi area when Murle crossed Oboth River with stolen cattle/looted cattle. Attempt to rescue the cattle was in vain although the cattle belonged to private owners who are the army as well.

Farming along Oboth river-Ajwara Payam in Pochalla Photo: Puro Nyigoni

In Pochala County during the Murle season of assault like this one, life is at high risk of perishing like a dry leaf. And in Anywaa area in general, since the unbiased and non-tribalism’s God created the earth and other silent but understanding creatures,-Jo-Anywaa women and children are still at risk and facing big threat today. They collect fire woods from the bushes nearby and fetch water from rivers at distance walk. During hunger gap they also contribute by collecting wild fruits and roots from far distance locations. As they do this, Murle, the human predators acting as a 21st century catastrophes, uninformed and uncivilized beings on the planet earth, kill, loot and rape adults women while snatch underage and healthy children from the Anyuaks and do any inhumane act and insanity act on these women and children. Men face death in minutes by shooting them.

2010 the year of hope for all southerners who struggle to be democratic and focused in the south, it looks a little bit strange in a way that, Murle at this time are being misunderstood by people in Pochalla as they wear uniforms, new machine guns, and satellite phones. The old days Murle looks like a wild animal and the scent it self was noticeable-very stench and pungent smell on the roads or the paths where Murle had passed through or hiding. Then who is this militarily uniformed MURLE? Wal Ajïba mane en cøn as Anyuaks put it?

The total security of the Anyuaks people is in God Almighty hands! And indeed the controversy looks like this: Could Anyuaks have been treated like former militias and counter revolutionaries factions during civil war or SPLA era or Just a Political negligence and qualm less court? A Crazy question but with absolute fact and truth of the scenario in Pochalla County today.  Or else serving and remembering the sacrifice of the Anyuak people shall come when third or fourth liberation war steams again?

On 9th January 2010 when people trace memories to remember Nyayo stadium legacy of CPA all over Sudan, 50 Anyuaks were looted at gun point by more than 120 Uniformed Murle who carry guns and satellite phones and left people naked. They took more than 500,000 Ethiopian Birr (a currency being used between Pochalla County and Ethiopian Pinyudo). Properties looted not estimated. Pinyudo is nearby Ethiopian town where local businessmen obtain goods and carry them on bicycles to Pochalla.

Challenges Facing Pochalla in general, Since Anya Nya I time until today-GoSS (Government of southern Sudan)/SPLM/A era, Pochalla County has been the strategic exit by all movements. People use Pochalla as crossing boat but during peace time no government entity exists. Anya Nya I regional government vanished or got swindled away without benefiting the Anyuaks in Pochalla County. There was no single functioning primary or nursery school in Pochalla. No hospitals built, no clean water provided to people. Anywaa people use to migrate to other towns which were very costly to acquire education. Some went to Ethiopia to get basic adult education packages. This migration to acquire meager education both in Sudan and neighbor countries benefited Anyuaks at zero plus square one rate and stills a struggle today. Those who ended up in the north learn Arabic at tortoise speed and not scientific knowledge. Those who ended up in church affiliations got English but at elementary level for bible school standards and daily prayers.

Those who did not migrate; the Youth and medium old people joined SPLA/M and continued supporting SPLA today as soldiers without ranks but committed citizens. When militias were ambushing SPLA soldiers in the southern Sudan territory there was no single Anyuak who was siding with militias but today militias group are the one running the government from the nose to the toe. The basis of military war to Anyuaks means political enlightenment rather than enrichment of tribes and clans in the movements to shed blood in the south. That is why since Anya Nya I until today Anyuaks do not want split militias groups to create chaos and turmoil within villages. Anyuaks stood firm to the SPLA/M cause and when things got tough when Pochalla was under SAF/NIF and SPLA was heading ahead to capture Pochalla town, in 1986 Ajwara district was attacked by Murle militias led by Ishmael Kony (now an advisor to Mayardit in GoSS) . That time the king (Andrew Thwol Cham Metho and his brother Prince Alal Cham (Alal Jaanam) were killed by Murle supporting Khartoum government. They burned down Ajwara village as revenge that SPLA was getting stronger support from the commitment of Ajwara people. And again all the time the same Murle armed and uniformed continued to discontent the livelihood of the Anywaa people although we have the government of Southern Sudan now that has brought every body on board including the counter revolutionaries who wanted SPLA to smash.

Pochalla as a county has experienced one of the most dilapidated structures and inefficient social service structures which are professionally negligible. The MDG (Millennium development Goals rate on Pochalla is a major witness for those who may not see Pochalla with its physical geography. People suffer from minor illnesses, minor pains, that needs pain killer to serious infection that need a trained doctor’s attention. Clean water in Pochalla is rated as people have 10 boreholes in Pochalla town. In Ajwara payam I saw one Borehole serving all the people in the payam town.

Roads are still asymptotic. To the general public, government means a person working as a soldier, wildlife staff or anything with a gun or in military uniform. Isn’t it sad to see that in action in Pochalla? What is actually taking place is a swoon and indeed needs more tip-toeing to see a clean and clear picture. CPA (Comprehensive peace agreement)/GoSS has celebrated its 5th Birth day but in Pochalla nobody knows differences between CPA era and old struggle days. People do not know what government wants from them and what they should also get from their government. When it comes to recruitment Pochalla falls under Jonglei State. But then why is Pochalla not an active entity as any other county in Jonglei? Could we say isolation from state head quarters contributes? If so how come exit and entry to Ethiopia during both civil wars become easier than serving Pochalla during peace time?

Pawpaw as live fence in Pochalla town Photo: Puro Nyigoni

Pochalla is also an agriculturist community. People do not rear cattle as others do for marriages and rituals of conjecture pride and associate themselves with.  Hence agriculture programs or projects are supposed to be active. The agriculture activities are solely carried out by farmers themselves and lack more skills and modern farming techniques and tools. Crops under production in Pochalla include Maize, sorghum, cassava, fruit trees, sugarcane, groundnuts, sesame, roots and tubers, beans and more.

As the farmers and general public naturally struggle to push life as usual, few farmers eager to get modern farming skills seek knowledge but to no avail. The last agriculture training they got was in June 2004 and I was the facilitator that time, before Comprehensive Peace Agreement or Government of Southern Sudan (CPA/GoSS) inception.

What does this imply to this County-Pochalla? Could it be being the Victim of Isolation from Jonglei State-or Political cook out? If so how about church affiliated organizations to intervene? In a bull’s eye Pochalla County has no active congregation though.

The existing shelters, where people ululate and pray to God to grant Pochalla County and its people services; and ease their sufferings, are being run by lay evangelists and sometimes by a group of faithfuls who have the courage to preach God’s word for a change of attitude. 

On their health side is apathetic situation. On 15th January 2010 when I was still in Pochalla four Anyuaks died of curable diseases due to lack of functioning Primary Health Care Centers (PHCC). The named and existing PHCC serving Pochalla county town is under re-stocking by a two months old NGO that commenced activities last November 2009.

Sunset in Ajwara-Oboth River in Pochalla Photo: Puro Nyigoni

Individual security is at threat. Murles masquerading and cantankerously acting in the neighborhood shoot at will and gunshots has become like a cry of a new born baby in the house. It does not scare anybody unless you are the victim-shot on spot.

Schools opened since 1997 after liberation which were run by volunteer teachers are still being run by the same standard teachers-many of them primary school leavers who still need more coaching to struggle with English vowels and consonants. Leave alone imparting natural or social science knowledge. Imagine being thought in primary school by primary school leaver during this peace time?

An Appeal-though personally feel the issue as I put it, I thought asking majority to rescue is not a taboo. All church organizations and international NGOs and UN agencies need to rescue the people of Pochalla from this smoldering and deadly blockade if we all believe education and knowledge is power of CHANGE.

Pochalla County is crying for help and uses no micro-phone to be heard by all well wishers. Pochalla-Anyuak people as the isolated inhabitants lack capacity to talk about themselves much. They are allergic to complains. They are just being innocent. They need empowerment.

May God bless you and give you wisdom to understand this piece of information on Pochalla County