Press Release

Union of Nuer Community in North America (UNCONA)

Oct. 15, 2005

The Nuer community around the world is outraged by the plan of the National Congress Party (NCP) to send a delegation to Ngundeng’s pyramid. The pyramid is holy site, which cannot be visited by people who do not believe in Deng (God of Ngundeng). The delegation, which will be composed of Muslims, cannot land in the holly land because Ngundeng made it abundantly clear to his followers that Muslims should not visit the pyramid of Deng.

The visit of NCP delegation can defile the holy land and it is a religious offensive to the followers of Deng. Ngundeng’s guardians cannot accept infidels to visit the holy land without resistance. The land that surrounds the pyramid is like Mecca, which cannot be visited by non-Muslims.

The Supreme Council of UNCONA would like to assure the delegation before taking off that prophet Ngundeng killed British soldiers at the end of 18th C when they attempted to visit the pyramid without permission. Ngundeng killed them just by throwing a religious stick at them. The stick exploded and instantly killed all the twenty soldiers.

The only non-South Sudanese invited to the pyramid by Ngundeng himself were delegation of Ethiopian Emperor Menelik II. When they arrived, the prophet received them and killed three bulls to bless them. In their return, the prophet told the delegation to inform Emperor Menelik to attack the Italians at Adwa because Deng would assure victory to Ethiopian people. After the delegation left, he turned to his followers and told them that Ethiopia would be the first country that would come to your help in the struggle against the enemy from the North.

The Supreme Council of UNCONA warns the government of Sudan that the NCP would be responsible should Ngundeng’s followers resort to use of force to defend the holy land. Freedom of religion is guaranteed in the international treaties signed and ratified by the Sudan. That freedom gives the guardians of Ngundeng legal power to refuse the delegation of the government to touch the holy land.

The Council is informed that the NCP delegation will be accompanied by helicopter gunship for their security. That concerns the Nuer community because should the followers of Deng attack the delegation, the gunship will automatically fire the rockets that can destroy the pyramid. The Nuer do not want what British did in 1923 to repeat itself when they bombed the pyramid with planes. Any destruction of the pyramid by the NCP’s gunship will spark another civil war in the South. The government of the Sudan should learn from the riots following the death of Dr. Garang. Ngundeng is a prophet and any destruction to his pyramid will compel millions of Southerners to sacrifice their lives. The Nuer community has already contacted the guardians to defend the holy land from the National Congress.

The Supreme Council of UNCONA appeals to UN, U.S., Canada, Great Britain and France to stop the government of the Sudan from an attempt to defile the holy land. The National Congress wants to repeat what Taliban did to statue of Buda.

The Council also appeals to leadership of UMMA Party, DUP, Communist Party and Northern Sudan civil society to condemn the plan of the NCP before causing another war that will derail the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). Former Prime Minister Sadiq Al-Mahdi refused to visit the holy land in 1987 not for fear of SPLA rebels, but for the respect of the religious rights of Ngundeng’s followers. President Bashir needs to be sensitive to religious rights of any group in the Sudan.

UNCONA also appeals to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to oppose the plan of the NCP. The Kingdom is ware of the fact that no one can visit Mecca if s/he is not a Muslim. The same thing exists in South Sudan. Those non-Southerners allowed to visit the pyramid are friends of struggle of the people of the South.

John Gatluak Kam

President of UNCONA

Sudbury, Canada

[email protected]