History and politics Mongalla, South Sudan

1 history , politics

1.1 colonial period
1.2 later colonial period (1920–1956)
1.3 civil war
1.4 post-civil war

history , politics
early colonial period

theodore roosevelt on safari

after final defeat of caliphate (khalifa) british under general herbert kitchener in 1898, nile uganda border became part of anglo-egyptian sudan. expedition upriver omdurman (ondurman) arrived in december 1900. post had been established @ kiro transferred mongalla in april 1901 since kiro claimed in belgian territory. during 1904 posts established needed in mongalla districts suppress activities of abyssinian brigands infested country .

until 1906 mongalla province part of upper nile province, after became separate administration. first governor angus cameron, appointed in january 1906. party anglican church missionary society (cms) arrived same month, decided not suitable base , instead located mission downstream @ bor. colonial administration opposed efforts cms convert bari people of mongalla. missionaries interpreted due influence of islam in weakening spiritual ideals of officials.cameron desired avoid friction muslims had undertaken of work of building , servicing new provincial capital.

in 1910 theodore roosevelt visited province. before arrival, governor r.c.r. owen informed governor general sir reginald wingate done former president of united states, pointed out troops had not 1 donkey. roosevelt s expedition reached mongalla @ end of february, coming belgian congo via lado enclave. impressed egyptian , sudanese troops, when visiting native dance commented on lack of middle-aged men, result of mahdist wars had ended on ten years ago. in june 1910 british sudanese forces took on lado enclave belgians, becoming part of province of mongalla. anglican , roman catholic missionaries requested sunday retained sabbath @ lado, had been under belgians, rather changed friday had in rest of sudan. however, governor owen opposed retaining sunday; felt more bigoted muslims in army object working on friday, , noted recruits army instructed in muslim religion.

general sir francis reginald wingate, governor-general of sudan

a few months later, however, owen proposed creation of equatorial battalion composed entirely of southerners. force taught follow english commands , christian faith, would, on time, unite uganda , prevent spread of muslim faith farther south. against islam on basis may @ time break out wave of fanaticism . owen s plan approved wingate. wingate said ...we must remember bulk of inhabitants ... not moslems (muslims) @ all, whole of uganda has accepted chritianity without murmur, , furthermore english easier language learn arabic... .

in 1913, government increased restrictions on private travel , immigrants, meant arriving in mongalla , wishing go north uganda or belgian congo examined sleeping sickness medical officer. maximum punishment breach of new regulations £10 fine or 6-month prison sentence.

on 7 december 1917 last of northern sudanese troops withdrawn mongalla, replaced equatorial troops. these southern , @ least nominally christian troops remained permanent garrison of town , province until mutiny in august 1955.

when hasan sharif, son of khalifa muhammad sahif, exiled mongalla in 1915 after taking place in conspiracy in omdurman, governor owen said ...i told him lucky come , see part of sudan nothing, when tourists pay hundreds of pounds ... fear doesn t see joke... . owen retired in 1918. major cecil stephen northcote succeeded him governor of mongala 1918 1919, moved on become governor of nuba mountains province.

the sudan lightly administered. late 1919 there 17 british administrators in bahr al-ghazal , mongalla provinces, combined area twice of britain. in years, british officials depended on native officials advice , act interpreters. however, had careful ethnic rivalries. fadl el-mula, dinka had been police quartermaster, impressed governor of mongalla , appointed assistant superintendent of twic dinka in 1909. credited keeping peace between dinka , nuer people, 2 groups history of fighting , cattle raiding. however, fadl el-mula biased towards dinka police attacked angry nuer , had removed post.

the arabic language , muslim religion continued spread in south sudan merchants , administrators north, , british officials preferred speak arabic rather learn local language. rising aliab dinka in 1919 suppressed harshly in 1920. year nuer attacking both dinka , burun people on border ethiopia. governor of mongalla in 1920, v.r. woodland, said mongalla @ time in such muck-up state doesn t know start . woodland called decision; either south sudan should separated north , administered territory in same way uganda, or british should encourage development arabs within structure of north sudan. nothing done.

later colonial period (1920–1956)

the mongalla region suffered outbreak of cerebrospinal meningitis (csm) between 1918 , 1924, apparently introduced ugandan porters had served in german east africa during world war i. csm caused high mortality six-year period spread 1 family another. less devastating csm epidemic started in 1926, causing 335 deaths in 1928, 446 in 1929 , 335 in first 3 months of 1930 before rapidly dying out. dr. alexander cruikshank of sudan medical services attributed epidemic in part poor housing conditions. azande people of western part of province avoided disease. had better diet , less crowded quarters dinka , nuer people in centre of province.

airplanes began being used in sudan in 1920s, revolutionary effect on military , civilian administration. flying hazardous, however. on 4 july 1929 fokker fviib/3m owned belgian financier albert lowenstein crashed @ mongalla. there no deaths, plane severely damaged. singapore flying boat built short brothers made flight around africa in 1929. starting benghazi, plane flew aboukir bay, nile mongalla, reached @ end of january, , onward entebbe on lake victoria.

during 1920s british steadily expanded control on south sudan. deputy governor of mongalla, major r.g.c. brock, estimated had added 50,000 toposa , related people eastern half of province, inflated figure. establishing strong central control, british eroded whatever authority traditional rulers may have had. in 1929 british governor of mongalla province said government support can given chiefs not worth while have .

in 1925 major g.d. gould denied license prospect gold , oil in east of mongalla province beyond didinga hills. travel in toposa country dangerous without large armed escort, , if ethiopians had got word of survey have tried occupy part of country. british began follow africanization policy. directive issued on 25 january 1930 civil secretary of sudan governors of upper nile, bahr al-ghazal , mongalla said: policy of government in southern sudan build series of self-contained racial or tribal units structures , organization based whatever extent requirement of equity , government permits, upon indigenous customs, traditional usage , beliefs .

in 1930 capital of equatoria (southern sudan) transferred mongalla juba, further upstream south. governor of mongalla province 1930 until 1936 leonard fielding nalder, formerly governor of fung province 1927 1930. in 1935 nalder reported after survey of province there general lack of tribal cohesion. governor-general sir stewart symes @ khartoum had little interest in development of south of sudan , advised local officials chiefs should have territorial rather ethnic authority. in 1936 mongalla , bahr al-ghazal provinces incorporated equatoria province, headquarters @ juba, parts of upper nile province detached.

civil war

salva kiir, president of south sudan

sudan became independent in 1956, after outbreak of first sudanese civil war (1955–1972). after addis ababa agreement (1972) jieng bor , murle people lived in relative peace, sharing grazing areas, gok bor. in mid 1981 harmony broke down when murle bandits attacked jieng bor cattle camps in several locations around mongalla. police called in commissioner of mongalla, , turned against bor dinka. splm/a exploited hostility bor dinka equatorian tribes gain recruits dinka. peace broke down , civil war resumed in 1983.

early in 1985 southern axis of spla under major arok thon arok challenged government forces in southern upper nile, eastern equatoria , central equatoria. southern axis captured owiny-ki-bul , mongalla without difficulty, crossed nile, captured terekeka , besieged juba. later in 1985 forces of sudan people s liberation army (spla) received setback @ village of gut-makur near mongalla when confronted well-armed mandari people. although willing fight sudan army, mandari not willing under dinka leadership.

in march 1989 alternate commander jok reng of spla mainstream recaptured mongalla relatively small force. in last half of 1989 spla consolidated in towns mongalla surrounded juba. in late 1991, mongalla scene of clashes between 2 arms of spla. riek machar of splm/a nasir pushing south towards torit, while splm/a mainstream commander equatoria kuol manyang juuk wanted push riek s forces nuerland. due disunity among southerners, between 1991 , 1994 nir able recapture many places in south sudan including mongalla , ayod, leer, akobo, pochalla, pibor, waat, nasir, kit, palotaka, yirol, bor, torit, kapoeta, parjok , magwi. government forces coming bor took mongalla in june 1992 , turned east toward torit.

post-civil war

the second sudanese civil war ended in january 2005. however, mongalla continued suffer @ hands of lord s resistance army. due civil war, mongalla had suffered considerable physical neglect , damage, , population loss. in april 2006 president of southern sudan, salva kiir mayardit, named mongalla 1 of nile ports first rehabilitated. warned demands reconstruction spending greater available funding, work had prioritized. clearance of mongalla minefield complete in july 2009. mongalla important center gauging flow of nile, measurements taken regularly 1905 until 1983.

during of second sudanese civil war (1983–2005) gauging stopped, resuming in 2004.