Peter Par Jiek
Peter Par Jiek | |
---|---|
Born | 1950s Sudan People's Liberation Army |
Years of service | c. 1985–2017 |
Rank | Brigadier general |
Battles/wars | Second Sudanese Civil War |
Peter Par Jiek
Biography
Second Sudanese Civil War
Initial rebellion and rise in ranks
"You can't fool us [with your denials of involvement]! We were trained by your hand and know your methods"
—Peter Par Jiek to a Sudanese Armed Forces officer about the Leer clashes[7]
Peter Par Jiek was born in the 1950s
In May 1999, a major government offensive defeated the rebellious SSDF forces, recapturing Leer and driving the SSDF mostly from Unity State. While most of the SSDF retreated to Nyal, Par and some of his men instead moved to Tonj in Bahr el Ghazal.[11] Machar then ordered Par to participate in the Wunlit talks with the SPLA, where he was supposed to ask the SPLA for assistance against the government; the SPLA did send limited aid, and the SSDF consequently was able to regain some ground.[12]
In early 2000, Machar left the SSDF, forming the SPDF, and Par yet again followed him.[3][13] In March of that year, he was appointed the SPDF's overall commander for Unity State by Machar.[14] In this position, he expanded his forces by recruiting Dok Nuer, who generally supported him.[15] From March 2000 onwards, the allied forces of Par and the SPLA, under Peter Gadet's command, gained some ground against the Sudanese army and Paulino Matip Nhial's militia, while continuing to weaken the government's grip on the area by ambushing military convoies and destroying oil pipelines.[16]
War of the Peters
The cooperation between Peter Par and Peter Gadet broke down in June–July 2000, as their militias began to fight each other. Who was responsible for the outbreak of hostilities is unknown, as both sides blamed each other. The resulting conflict became known as "War of the Peters".[17] As Par and Gadet battled for control over Unity State, the former was reportedly backed by the government, receiving ammunition from Matip's men.[18] In return, Par's men guarded government installations, especially Block 5A.[19] Between July and August 2000, Par joined forces with Matip's pro-government militia and drove Gadet's men to the west of the Jur River, though Gadet was able to retake all lost territory in August and September 2000. This fighting was brutal and led to enormous destruction and the displacement of up to 60,000 people.[13][20]
The War of the Peters continued until August 2001,[4] when Par and Gadet agreed to a ceasefire. A few months later, Machar also came to an understanding with the SPLA leadership and agreed to merge the SPDF with the SPLA, whereupon Par and Gadet signed a final peace agreement in Koch in February 2002. As result, Par rejoined the SPLA.[21][22]
Later civil war and LRA insurgency
As their dispute was now settled, Par and Gadet concentrated on evicting the government from Upper Nile,[23] though the government soon launched a counter-offensive in the area. While Par managed to repulse an attempt of pro-government forces to capture Leer in September 2002,[24] the Sudanese army eventually retook the town in January 2003 in a fresh drive to clear the area for oil exploitation.[25] The civil war eventually ended with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005. Thereafter, Par was appointed lieutenant colonel of the SPLA, and took part in the campaign against the Lord's Resistance Army. By 2006, he and his men were stationed in Owiny Ki-Bul in Eastern Equatoria.[26]
South Sudanese Civil War
After
In April 2017, Par led a major government offensive aimed at retaking Baggari, an important town in Wau State held by SPLM-IO forces. Though his men defeated the rebels and captured Baggari, his convoy was ambushed as it returned to Wau town on 9 April 2017. Par, along with Colonel Abraham Bol Chut Dhuol and twelve of their bodyguards, were killed in the following shootout.[2][27] In revenge for their deaths, SPLA soldiers and pro-government Dinka militiamen belonging to Mathiang Anyoor murdered and robbed non-Dinkas in Wau town and surrounding villages.[28]
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d e "BREAKING NEWS: Another Senior Government General Feared Dead in an Ambush near Wau, Western Bhar el Ghazal". Nyamile. 9 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Two South Sudan army generals killed in clashes with rebels". gurtong. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Special Report IV: Who is who". IRIN. 11 March 2004. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
- ^ a b Rone 2003, p. 77.
- ^ a b Johnson 2009, p. 44.
- ^ "Machar rebels kill two SPLA Generals". The Insider. 11 April 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
- ^ a b Johnson 2009, p. 65.
- ^ a b Rone 2003, pp. 17, 18.
- ^ Rone 2003, p. 12.
- ^ Harker (2000), p. 13.
- ^ Rone 2003, p. 273.
- ^ Rone 2003, p. 306.
- ^ a b Rone 2003, pp. 358–360.
- ^ Rone 2003, p. 338.
- ^ Rone 2003, pp. 77, 346.
- ^ Rone 2003, pp. 342, 343.
- ^ Rone 2003, p. 351.
- ^ Rone 2003, p. 352.
- ^ Rone 2003, p. 386.
- ^ Nyaba (2002), p. 116.
- ^ Rone 2003, p. 364, 372, 373.
- ^ "Focus on oil-related clashes in western Upper Nile". IRIN. 28 February 2002. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
- ^ Rone 2003, pp. 77, 78, 413.
- ^ Samson L. Kwaje (26 September 2002). "SPLM Downs Helicopter Gunship As NIF Escalates Fighting". gurtong. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
- ^ Eric Reeves (27 January 2003). "Khartoum captures Leer in an accelerating offensive in Sudan's oil regions". Retrieved 21 April 2017.
- ^ "Waiting in vain for rebels". IRIN. 5 October 2006. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
- ^ "Western Lake Governor Matur Chut Collapses, Surviving Death of his Brothers". Nyamilepedia. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
- ^ "South Sudan: Civilians killed in Wau fighting". Al Jazeera. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
Works cited
- Harker, John (2000). Human Security in Sudan: The Report of a Canadian Assessment Mission (PDF). Ottawa: Global Affairs Canada.
- Johnson, Douglas H. (2009). "The Nuer Civil Wars". In Günther Schlee; Elizabeth E. Watson (eds.). Changing Identifications and Alliances in North-east Africa: Volume II: Sudan, Uganda, and the Ethiopia-Sudan borderlands. New York City; Oxford: Berghahn Books. pp. 31–48. ISBN 978-1-84545-604-7.
- Nyaba, Peter Adwok (2002). "The Impact of Oil and Gas Development on the Local and National Economy, Environment and Society in the Sudan". Self-determination, The Oil and Gas Sector and Religion and the State in the Sudan. Ottawa: The Sudan Peace-Building Programme African Renaissance Institute (ARI); Relationships Foundation International (RFI). pp. 101–131.
- Rone, Jemera (2003). Sudan, oil, and human rights. Human Rights Watch. ISBN 1-56432-291-2.