جبال النوبة...ضمير السودان الغائب..

Quote: B]You used to be much closer wit the SPLA[/B]… I recruited all the young men that went to the SPLA - with a few exceptions. The front started a bit feeble, but later on, when John came, it became very strong. And this is how we had the link with the Southern Sudan. Thanks to our boys. I appreciate what they have done at Bor, with my son John Garang. I appreciate it; my young men - they fought, but they came out without any benefit. Sorry. I have to tell you that I am not happy with the SPLA. They really neglected us and they threw us out without any benefit. Although I have worked with them all my life, fighting with them; my young people fighting with them: they never gave us anything. I feel grief, al lot of grief about that. Anyhow, we recruited many of them as Komolo, even the late Yousif Kuwa, and we sent him and other friends of his. This governor now in Kadugli [Ismael Khamis Jelab]: he's one of them. We came from trying to stage a coup and we were caught red handed. We were caught red handed, but later of course we said it was better to send these young people [to Ethiopia] to be trained and to come back to fight. We fought a good fight - but we got nothing. A trick was made; again. Before, with Anya Nya I, the same trick was made to me. You see, they sent me on duty to an area, and then they went to their Round Table Conference in Addis Ababa. I was supposed to go there too; I was from the Jumbe of Zaire: very bad people; strong people; strong front there - and then they cheated me. They said: "you have to go on duty." So then people went so quickly; I became very irritable and very angry. These are the tactics of the Southern Sudanese people. I am not happy with them. I tell you frankly - I speak for my people: we are not happy. And this is the second time. In Naivasha people were negotiating and our boys they were there. They sent them out and told them 'you go and have your breakfast'. They went to take their breakfast; when they came back, they had already deluded out Nuba Mountains, Ingassana and Abyei. Deluded them out in one day. They said 'we have finished.' 'What?! You told us to go for breakfast; what is happening?' They said 'no, no, no; finished.' And thus we were killed completely: spiritually and physically we were killed. Nuba people, our people, are very angry now. Pressure. I came. I had wanted to come back here, because I have to put them on fire. Abdelaziz now has sought refuge in America; he's not coming back and he's not trying to come and face me! Because he was very, very feeble and very weak before our brothers in the South. What would you have wanted for the Nuba people? In all the conferences we were very clear; even when I went to Rumbek I was very clear: we want complete self-determination. And this was also the call of Yousif Kuwa. Up to now this is our call: we want our own government. Enough is enough. We don't want Southerners, we don't want Northerners. We don't need them, because we have a lot of educated boys and girls; we don't need anybody. We want our own government. And now we're weary, very weary. Suppose the Southerners secede: where are we going to be? Legally we are Northerners, but we cannot go with them, we are very different people. We know them; the Nuba know them very well indeed. Two times we have been cheated by our brothers, but next time we cannot be cheated. Starting from now, we have to stand alone; we have done enough for other people. We helped our army and even our educated boys, they are helping these bloody hell people here - but we found nothing. I'm encouraging the young men to stand on their own feet; this is what we have to go for. We have the powers, we have young people who are talented and strong. And they are very sorry. They came to me and they told me: "we are very sorry baba, we came out without any benefit." We want our own government in the Nuba Mountains. [B]You have your own political party… The National Sudan Party, yes. At the moment I am the only one in the National Assembly, but we almost have El Obeid in our hands because our boy there is doing very nicely. We need two things: education and some coins for them to live only. But education is number one. We ask all the foreign organizations to help us in education and especially helping our organization. We need some transportation, some cars, to let us move quickly. You go to meetings, to rallies. The other day you should have been there, we had a very strong rally in my constituency of Hadj Yusif. We did it on foot. I met some members of your party at the Governors office in Kadugli, so there is a dialogue between you and… SPLA/SPLM, yes! There is a dialogue, but I have to tell you: Kadugli is not for the SPLM. No! Nor for that other party [the NCP]; it is our area! There have always been about fourteen constituencies, and most of them, eight, I used to bring in for my party. So that area is not for them. I haven't come to the Nuba Mountains yet, but when I come, I will jumble everything. They cannot take our area: forbidden! Our own people are very strong, I've got strong families there; they are very serious, and they have visited me. They came and invited me and I thank them very much indeed. They honored me and therefore I am not afraid of what might happen at the elections. The only difficulty we could have now: we go for these three years before the elections. Three years… are you sure? Are you sure that the elections are going to come? We have to work hard during these three years; we have to work hard ourselves. We wish to have more members in the assembly next time, when the elections come; more men and women to stand for the election. We will bring them whether they are SPLA; they are what: we are the party that used to have the majority in our area. And this is what we are working for now: this is our plan. Is there common ground between the SPLM and National Sudan Party? I can say this now, because in fact we're trying to weigh and balance [our positions], but we've started; we've already done the first step. Just recently, I sent Adam and the other young people there. As I told you I sent Ismael [Khamis] himself from this house. Made him a Komolo and sent him. He knows the thing went very well indeed: he's a head of the SPLM now. I think he has to make up his mind; he has to make up his mind about how he wants to lead the Nuba people. Yes. They are my people, but they are very difficult people. Nuba people: you have to talk to them straight, especially to become their leader: you must go straight. And they are very quick to notice things wrong. Very difficult: you have to be careful with them. What the future will bring, nobody knows.