216 Scarcity and Surfeit
clearly the product of struggles within the movement's leadership, and not
traditional frictions between the SPLAJSPLM's core ethnicities. Two high-
ranking SPLA leaders launched the rebellion; Dr Riek Machar is a Lou Nuer,
Dr Lam Akol a Shilluk. Machar and Akol exploited disenchantment with the
movement's authoritarian structure and systematic human rights abuse to
start a new movement. But what began as a challenge to John Garang de
Mabior's leadership precipitated a complicated chain reaction of factionali-
sation mirroring the south's ethnic divisions.
Though beginning purely as an affair of the south's educated and military
elite, the Nasir Revolt had tragic consequences on the ground. The fall of the
Mengistu government forced the SPLA to evacuate key bases inside Ethiopia.
The government bombed fleeing civilians and a humanitarian crisis ensued.
The donor presence became politicised as the southern cause mutated into a
syndrome of highly personalised plots and conspiracies.
Although the Nasir Declaration pre-empted Garang's alleged plot to elim-
inate dissident elements within the movement, Machar himself resorted to
similar tactics. If his actions reflected unrestrained personal ambition,
Machar saw himself as inheriting the mantle of the prophet Ng~ndeng.~~ The
Nasir 'rebellion' became a more exclusively Nuer affair when Machar dis-
missed Akol, and drove away or alienated other leaders who had joined him
out of genuine disillusionment with the SPLM.
The rebellion quickly grafted unto traditional ethnic hostilities. SSIMIA
military presence mainly depended on Jiech Mabor armed civilians and
alliances of convenience with warlord factions, also being supplied with
weapons by the NIF government, like Kerubino's roving militia. Machar's ill-
fated scheme to open a corridor to Kenya turned into a cattle-raiding affair
displacing large numbers of Dinka in the Bor-Jonglei region. Many smaller
communities in eastern Equatoria rejoined the government. The Toposa
never left. Although many Nuer chiefs refused to back Machar, some SSIM/A
commanders exploited hostilities between the Lou and Jikany clans of the
Nuer for personal benefit.
The hasty exodus from Ethiopia had caught Operation Lifeline Sudan
(OLS)49 unprepared, despite plans to preposition food for such an eventuali-
ty. Logistical glitches, the government of Sudan bombing of the fleeing civil-
ians, and incidents of locals attacking refugees exacerbated the mayhem -
which took place against the backdrop of unconcealed donor distaste for the
SPLAIM. Riek Machar exploited OLS officials' antipathy for Dr Garang at this
juncture by cultivating a liberal and humanitarian image. One official based
in Lokichoggio gave Machar a British military uniform; he sealed his public
relations coup by marrying a lissome English woman employed by a child
welfare organisation.
This placed Machar in an enviable position to benefit from OLS largess
when he launched his anti-SPLA/M rebellion. The role food relief had