Sudan gives more time for Garang crash probe

Sept 25, 2005 (KHARTOUM) — Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir extended the mandate of the team investigating the circumstances of the July 30 death in a helicopter crash of former Sudanese First Vice-Presidrnt John Garang.

“The extension of the mandate which expired on September 16 was made in response to a request by the committee in order to finish its task of investigation into the incident,” the panel’s rapporteur told AFP.

The international committee had originally been given a month to complete its investigation but now has a mid-December deadline.

Rapporteur Siraj Eddin Hamid said needed a “further probe and analysis of the data so far compiled from various sources related to the incident and the Russian-made Ugandan presidential helicopter.”

There was no indication of foul play in the crash that killed a total of 14 people but many southerners have accused Beshir of engineering an assassination, citing the many air crashes that killed leading regime figures over the years.

The panel chaired by former Sudanese vice president Abdel Alier arrived in Sudan from Kampala on Friday to review a preliminary report.

Hamid said the committee would “carry out further investigations in the area of the crash in southern Sudan before returning to Kampala in two weeks’ time.”

Garang died only days after moving to Khartoum to assume his new position as first vice president and was the emblematic figure of the January peace deal that ended 21 years of deadly north-south civil war.

(AFP/ST)