By James Gatdet Dak
July 9,2022—History is important—-and particularly a correctly and honestly recorded history—-no matter how insignificant it may look.
History is scientific and it is supposed to be recorded as it naturally flows. Once history telling or recording is tempered with or manipulated, it becomes a disinformation and deception, thus misleading.
Our nation’s history—-as the people of South Sudan—–has to be recorded factually and truthfully as it deserves, lest it confuses our current and future generations, becomes a matter of contest and loses its true purpose it is intended to serve.
What do the people of South Sudan know about how and when the ‘historical’ Bilpam—–which our current military General Headquarters in Juba is named after—was founded and established?
Below is a brief factual and truthful history of how Bilpam was founded as the main base or headquarters for subsequent liberation movements since mid 1970s, from its previous status as an abandoned community village.
Nota bene! First it was politically/militarily established by Anya-Anya Two movement, and then taken over by SPLA/SPLM or SPLM/SPLA.
Here is a fraction on the journey of our history in the subsequent liberation struggles on the road to INDEPENDENCE of South Sudan which many people did not know.
And allow me to honestly brag a bit, but factually and truthfully.
It was my humble and Christian dad, Elder John Dak Lampuar, who — after the Akobo mutiny in 1975 — selected and laid the foundation of Bilpam with his own hands in order to become the main base for the Anya-Nya Two liberation movement from 1976.
Then Bilpam later on became the General Headquarters for the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/SPLA) from 1983 after it dislodged the Anya-Anya Two from the area.
Here is the background story below.
When the Addis Ababa Agreement of 1972 was abrogated by the former regime of Sudan under the leadership of President Jaafar Mohamed Nimeiri, a number of South(ern) Sudanese officers stationed in Akobo town — of the present day Jonglei state —mutinied.
They were led by late Benson Kuany Latjor, and decided to match out in protest towards Ethiopia in 1975.
Benson Kuany (aka Vincent) had a rank of 1st lieutenant in the Sudanese Army at the time of the mutiny.
After reaching Ethiopia in Itang town and subsequently meeting former Ethiopian authorities from Gambela region, they were — after a long period of time — finally welcomed. The Ethiopian authorities then directed them to find a suitable site for their base around the area of Nyigol and Puldeng villages — near the Ethiopian border with South Sudan.
The would-be co-founders of the Anya-Nya Two movement were specifically directed to meet my father, Elder John Dak Lampuar, who was/is the church leader in that area, to host and guide them on the selection of a site for a base.
Elder John welcomed the four officers, namely, Benson Kuany Latjor, Michael Waat Latjor, James Tap Liah, and Bol Kur.
Elder John told them about two possible sites to choose from as a base: Bilpam and Chotkuach!
However, Elder John also strongly recommended Bilpam to them because it is a beautiful hilly site, with dense forests and a lot of coconut trees and many other types of trees with eatable fruits. It also has a river around it for easy access to water and fish.
Bilpam also had many different kinds of eatable wild animals living inside its vast forests, while it had no human inhabitants at that particular period of time.
After spending a night in our home, Elder John in the following morning took the officers to see Bilpam site, which was just a few kilometers away from his church and the surrounding villages. When they arrived, Benson Kuany and his colleagues liked the site.
Benson Kuany asked my dad as the host and Christian spiritual leader in the area to symbolically cut and clear the first grass and shrubs or put a mark on a tree in the center of Bilpam —in a ceremonial manner —- and to bless it with a prayer—-and officiate the founding of Bilpam.
My father did exactly that by praying and cutting the grass and hitting a tree with a panga. From that moment Bilpam was declared established or founded as the base!
But it took another time for the officers with their forces to physically establish themselves in Bilpam.
The officers went back to Itang—an Ethiopian town which became the Africa’s biggest refugee camp in 1980s, and located east of Bilpam. It took the officers a period of time to prepare before they could actually begin to build their houses or barrack in Bilpam.
Benson Kuany then brought about 50 of his men from Itang who cleared the bushes of Bilpam and gradually began to erect houses and their barrack around 1976/77, until 1983 when the SPLM/SPLA took over the base.
Gordon Koang Chuol—-who later on became the acting leader of Anya-Nya Two in the long absence of Benson Kuany in Gambela—-and Paulino Matip Nhial, plus many other leaders, joined the Anya-Nya Two leadership after Bilpam was already founded or marked.
Gordon Koang Chuol was the acting Anya-Nya Two leader whom the SPLM/SPLA dislodged from Bilpam in 1983.
In brief this is how Bilpam was founded since mid 1970s!
For about 8 years, my dad continued to support the Anya-Nya Two leaders, with all he could possibly provide.
When the SPLM/SPLA took over Bilpam in 1983, under the leadership of Dr. John Garang de Mabior, and also made it the General Headquarters, my dad and our village chief, continued to support the new liberation movement.
He was supporting the administrator of Bilpam at the time, late General Chagai Atem, with all the material, spiritual and moral support he could mobilize. He helped in realizing harmonious coexistence between the liberation army and the communities around Bilpam.
An interlude!
Some of the Anya-Nya Two leaders present whose names I have mentioned above — or were among the 50 men during the founding of Bilpam — including uncle James Tap Liah, are still alive today.
Actually I met one of them in Juba in 2020 and he reminded me again about the whole thing.
I met another founding member in Khartoum in 2019. He even still remembers the colour of the bull which my father gave to them for feeding during the establishment of Bilpam —-surprisingly after more than 45 years of that event. He was so excited!
My father, Elder John, was very passionate about the liberation of South Sudan. Since I was an adolescent I would from time to time hear him in our homestead chatting with any visiting Anya-Nya Two leader, including Benson Kuany Latjor and Gordon Koang Chuol, etc.
Because my dad moved his family to Malakal — the then regional capital of Upper Nile — after the Addis Ababa Agreement was signed in 1972, he saw by himself the oppression inflicted on South(ern) Sudanese people inside Malakal town. He hence saw the need for a total liberation of the people of South(ern) Sudan in order to gain freedom or independence. This made him to wholeheartedly support any liberation movement fighting for the rights of our people.
Currently, and unfortunately, our people and leaders talk of Bilpam, and have even established modern army General Headquarters in the capital, Juba, in its memory, but are shying away from acknowledging or talking about how it was originally established and who founded or co-founded it.
What do we tell our children and grandchildren about the origin of this historical Bilpam—which they keep hearing its name?
Bilpam is a compound word, which literally means ‘Rocky-hill.’
When the name is translated from Nuer language to English, ‘Bil’ means ‘Hill’ and ‘Pam’ means ‘Rock’, or even a mountain. For those who knew Bil-pam or Rocky-hill, it is on hilly ground, with a beautiful scenery.
In addition to being the foundational layer of the historical Bilpam we all talk of, Elder John—-like many others—was also generous to the two subsequent movements. He had been contributing some of his own family cattle and grain for feedings in Bilpam, and ensuring harmony between the community and liberation fighters through the church he established in 1975 in Nyigol/Puldeng (Bilpam area).
Again, a true history is scientific and important! Any one interested in the basics I have provided above can then research its details.
I believe that God chose and assigned Elder John Dak Lampuar for that task to select that particular piece of land — which became an important historical center for the liberation and freedom of his people — at that particular time in our history.
Thanks to all the community chiefs and elders of Nyigol and Puldeng who endorsed his decision nearly 50 years ago!
Today, while a very elderly person in his mid 80s, he doesn’t mind whether people acknowledge his past contributions or not. He knows that God does it and will do it in many different ways. He just wants to see the house we have called South Sudan to be put in order.
He is so humble, loving and caring!
“It is my SPLM,” he once said.
He met and had a brief conversation with Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon in the year 2001 in Pagak, Upper Nile state. This is shortly before Dr. Machar signed the Nairobi Merger Agreement with the late Dr. John Garang on the 6th January, 2002, which also led to the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) on the 9th January, 2005.
He met many other current leaders in 1980s in Bilpam.
He is so delighted and thankful to God for he has seen the birth of South Sudan as an independent nation, and he continues to pray for a sustainable peace and prosperity in the young nation.
May God grant him good health and add many more years to his life.
Let us record our history on the long road to INDEPENDENCE scientifically with all its significant historical pieces knitted together.
Tell our children and grandchildren about the history of Bilpam General Headquarters! They hear its name a lot but hardly know how it all began.
Cheers!
The author is a veteran journalist. He can be reached at email address: jamesdak2018@gmail.com.
