South Sudan President Salva Kiir addressed a gathering of the Red Army Foundation attended by members of the Red Army in Juba on Monday.

In an extended address to the crowd at Nyakuron Cultural Centre, Kiir gave a background of the so-called ‘Red Army,’ which was part of the SPLM/A, and praised the members for taking part in the movement.

Many of the Red Army were youth who were raised in camps in Ethiopia, Kenya or Uganda where they received schooling and military instruction. In his remarks Kiir recalled his role in establishing camps for the boys, as well as the trek from Pochalla in 1992 after the fall of the Mengistu regime forced SPLA out of Ethiopia.

Kiir was the senior commander of the SPLA-Mainstream to accompany the boys through Eastern Equatoria into Kenya. He defended the role of the Red Army during the struggle and also dismissed foreign misrepresentations of the movement.

The president also spoke of the current political situation in the country, especially after the dissolution of the government. He said the nature of his job difficult in that people advised him from time to time to appoint and dismiss people in the government, then complained when he does so.

“They come and say put ‘Mr. and Mrs. So-and-So’ and when you appoint them some people come and complain why did you leave Mr. and Mrs. So-and-So – how can we live?” he said.

President Kiir also appeared to comment directly on the remarks made by his former deputy, who said Friday that he wished the president had consulted him before removing him.

“They said I did not consult them about their removal – how can you inform someone about his removal? When they are removed they say ‘Why have you not informed me? But when I appoint them they do not ask me why did I not consult them before appointment,” the president remarked.

In a related context, Kiir criticized his former cabinet and for failing to do the work in their various ministries and for wasting government money on such things as personal trips abroad.

He said that he was still making consultation with other parties for the reformation of the government.

Among the dignitaries present were governors of Eastern and Western Equatoria Louis Lobang Lajore and Bangasi Bakasoro, Police Inspector General Pieng Deng Kuol, and Army Chief-of-Staff James Hoth Mai.

The army chief-of-staff gave a speech warning politicians to distance themselves from the army, in the sense that if they have political differences they should not involve the army. He said the army is for all the people of South Sudan and not for the individuals.

"No person will break into SPLA. We will be loyal to our constitution, to our people and to our land," Mai asserted.

"This is the message I want to give because now you see sometimes politicians they talk and then they say ‘Ah, we have the army.’ We are not an army of a person, we are the army of South Sudan," Hoth added.

The Red Army affirmed their allegiance to President Kiir once again and said they would be ready to solve whatever was making trouble to him.

Chairman of the Red Army Deng Bol Aruei spoke to loud applause and laughter when he concluded his speech saying to Kiir, “If there is anything that causes you headache in South Sudan we recommend you to use the Red Army as an effective painkiller that shall provide instant relief."

Bol also appealed to the president not to include in his new cabinet the ex-ministers who failed to do their duties. The Red Army also called upon the president to appoint one of their representatives to his office and to elect a Red Army Minister in his cabinet.

The Red Army Foundation was established recently as an organisation dedicated to addressing social problems, especially among the Red Army’s own former members. 

Photo: Red Army members at a celebration organized by the Red Army Foundation, 29 July 2013 (Radio Tamazuj)