Jonglei governor denies accusation of organising attack on Athor’s forces. Article Comments (3) Email PrintSave --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By John Actually March 8, 2011 (BOR) - Jonglei state governor Kuol Manyang Juuk rejected the claims made by his political rival, George Athor Deng of attacking his forces on February 9th at Pangak, Door and Koliet, saying the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) is an independent entity and not under his command as the governor. Governor Kuol Manyang at his office in Bor, March 8, 2011 (ST) Kuol’s statement comes as a result of a report released by ex-SPLA Lt. Gen. George Athor Deng, naming Kuol, Jonglei’s law enforcement minister Gabriel Duop Lam, and Government of South Sudan (GoSS) interior minister Gier Chuang and others as organising SPLA forces and attacking his forces at Koliet, Door and Pangak on 9 February, through the commissioner of Ayod county. "The report by Lt. Gen. George Athor that I, Kuol Manyang mobilised the SPLA to attack his forces is not true. I have not mobilised forces, the SPLA forces are not under my command. They are independent body charged with responsibilities of defending the constitution and securing the borders of South Sudan governed by their own mandate," Kuol said. George Athor Deng, an independent candidate who contested the Jonglei governorship in the April 2010 general elections and came second with 67,639 votes after Kuol, who got 165,387 votes as a Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) candidate, rebelled against the GoSS, accusing SPLM of rigging the results. In October 2010, the president of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Manyardit released a decree pardoning renegade general George Athor, General Tenginyang, and others who rebelled against the government, allowing them to rejoin SPLA/M. Deng did not change his tack. "George Athor has rebelled against GoSS and has been granted amnesty by president Salva Kiir and instead of responding to the amnesty, he used the ceasefire that was signed between him and SPLA, to extend his areas of control and mobilised his forces, by sending his officers to areas like Wuror, recruiting a known criminal called Chibitek Mabil, who attacked Duk county last year, in which over 200 lives were lost," Kuol said. Governor Kuol (left), standing with law enforcement minister, Gabriel Duop Lam (middle) and minister of physical infrastructure, Manawe Peter Gatkuoth (right) near his office (ST) Forces loyal to Athor launched attacks in Pangak county headquarters (Phom) on 9 February and 10 February, killing 202 civilians and around 109 people were wounded. A huge population of over 20,000 was displaced. "I had been informed by the SPLA that they were attacked by forces loyal to George Athor on 10 February, at Door, and so it was George Athor forces that launched a attack and overran the SPLA at the Phom Zeraaf headquarters, Pangak, resulting in the death of many children and women who had nowhere to run except to the river where they drowned," Kuol added. The state minister of law enforcement, Gabriel Duop Lam, who was accused with Kuol, also denied the claim. Duop said the state government is only entitled to protect the civilians in the state territory by using police, adding that the SPLA are not their command. He said Athor signed the ceasefire agreement with SPLA field commanders, granting Door, Kolnyang (Mankuilual) and Koliet areas, to Athor forces within Pangak county and allowing free movement in those place for seven days. He said Athor used this opportunity to move to the northern counties of Ayod, Uror, Pigi and Nyirol, to recruit troops for his army. Duop also said they have moved to northern counties to convince the elders to call back their sons and to encourage them not to fight against the government. The minister told Sudan Tribune that the conflict between renegade forces and SPLA continues. "I heard that SPLA has destroyed one headquarters of George Athor yesterday but we were not told the casualties," he said. He also explained that Athor and his forces get military support from an unknown source, which military intelligence has to discover. "People in those areas said some planes landed at night with military support, but we don’t know where from. The military intelligence has to sit and find out the source," Lam asserted. David Yauyau is another renegade who rebelled against the government after losing April general elections in Jonglei and has join Athor in the bush. (ST) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "JFD info" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/jfdinfo?hl=en.
