SPLM Discourages Negative Statements By Leaders In The South

9 February 2011 – (Juba) – The SPLM secretary of Information, Culture and Communication has criticized views of some southern government officials and other political parties that encourage hatred amongst tribes in southern Sudan.

The SPLM secretary of Information, Culture and Communication Bol Makueng called on leaders in southern Sudan to desist from making statements that would portray some tribes as minority groups in the region.

He called on citizens to regard southern Sudanese as one people and to avoid dividing people on tribal lines.

Speaking to SRS on Tuesday in Juba, Makueng said leaders in southern Sudan will continue embracing the spirit of oneness as has been the case in the past.

[Bol Makueng]: “There are wrangling voices which are very negative. Some think that the independence which is going to come may be a prerogative of few tribes, which is not true and at the same time very negative, because when we look back into the whole history in the 1960’s, I know that Aggrey Jaden was our leader. And he organized the Anya-Nya. And Aggrey Jaden comes from Pojulu community. The next one was Gordon Muatat and then Joseph Lagu came also. We had Uncle Abel Alier who was our president and he organized the Anya-Nya. These people come from different tribes as presidents. Joseph Lagu is a Madi and Alier a Dinka. We had Gismala Abdala from Fertit, and James Tombura from Zande. You can see this, and this was just a matter of ten years.”

Bol Makueng added that tribalism will not help the new state to prosper stressing that unity of the people of southern Sudan is paramount. He called on leaders and citizens to work together to develop the new nation.