Salva Kiir says determined to lead south Sudan to self determination

By Isaac Vuni

September 23, 2007 (JUBA) — Sudan’s First vice President and Southern Sudan president, Salva Kiir Mayadrit has criticized anti-peace elements that want to undermine the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). He further said he is still alive and strong to lead south Sudan to self-determination.

While referring to the widely spread rumors of September 16th 2007 that president Kiir died in a plane crash on Sunday afternoon, and the second rumors that Kiir was assassinated by Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) soldiers, President Kiir said that the rumors were nothing but political propaganda by confused southern Sudanese together with selfish individuals northerners who nourishes assumption to once more ruler the people of southern Sudan because they do not wants to see southern Sudanese to live in a prosperous peaceful and developed environment suiting the new dotcom generations.

President Kiir attributed the wielder rumors to elements of anti-peace in Sudan particularly those whom Kiir did not mention by names, and are looking for any possible ways to destroy the hardly won CPA, but they will never succeed in dividing southern Sudanese any more, Kiir declared.

Therefore, to counter the wiled spread rumors, “I have to come out to address my people and also to let them see that I am still alive and strong to lead them to their final destination to exercising their right of self determination through internationally monitor voting exercise in year 2011.” He said during today’s Sunday service greetings of St. Teresa Cathedral, Kator congregations in Juba.

“They were the militia from the northern part of Sudan who were being used by Khartoum government to disestablish the people of northern Barh el Ghazal and went to the point of capturing children and women into slavery at the time when worldwide slaver practices is not longer needed.”

“This is deliberate act calculated to obstructing the forthcoming referendum exercise by the people of southern Sudan but we as government will do our best not to be the first to violates the CPA because we have a lot to gain.” stressed Kiir.

“Even if our gallant forces of 55 SPLA offices together with their body guards led by SPLA director of organization, major general Ayuen Alier Jongroor, SPLA director for Intelligence, Brig. General Malual Majak plus three other seniors officers were besieged by SAF in Al Muglad of south of Kordofan as they were sent to organize the Maserriyat militia men who have chosen to join the SPLA, we still will opt for peaceful dialogue with SAF”, Kiir declared.

It is to be recalled that when the 55 SPLA soldiers were returning from mission at Abu Matarig to Dibab, over 1000 SAF with tanks surrounded them and the stand off lasted for nearly three days and they were later set free at intervention of United Nations Mission in Sudan forces on Saturday September 8th 2007.

Again on Tuesday of the same week, the SAF soldiers raided the Joint Integrated Units (JIUs) SPLA component in Khartoum, disarming SPLA soldiers guarding the residents.

Police general Al Fatih al Tijani Omar from criminal unit who supervised the search of SPLM offices in Khartoum-Bahri also ordered for a complete closure of the office while the SPLM northern sector headquarters at el Daim was also searched by police lieutenant colonel Tarig.

“I would like you also to know that Sudan minister of defence has avoided meeting with me over the arrested and detentions of our 55 SPLA officers. However, later, I met the president Omar el Bashir and Vice President Ali Osman Taha and we talked over the detention that let to release of our 55 SPLA soldiers now in Juba.”

President Kiir said that SPLM office in Khartoum was raided by SAF and it was closed for 24 hours by police who later handed over the keys of the offices to SPLM officials after taking some vital documents from SPLM office.

“We are fighting for the right of self determination by southern Sudanese and my responsibility is to sure that our people in southern Sudan participated in the forthcoming referendum exercise fairly and peacefully to determine their own political destination.”

To relate rumor of the death of the first vice president and president of GoSS which was spread all over Sudan and abroad has creating panic among the citizens but was soon refuted by Kiir’s address through the mass media from Juba.

“This is a clear provocation by the SAF to start a war in order to disrupt the CPA but we will not allow it to happen because our concern is to achieve our major objective of self determination through a referendum exercise by all people of southern Sudan,” Kiir declared.

The CPA has given freedom to any other armed groups to either join the SAF or SPLA and the deadline was on July 9th 2007.

Southern Kordofan is one of the transitional zones that the peace deal said should be patrolled by a JIU of SAF/SPLA troops after the agreed cross border redeployments had been finished.

The integrated unit for the area has so far not been formed thereby created the vacuum that contributed to the standoff.

In a similar development, president Kiir said, despite all the humiliations and killing of innocent people of southern Sudan by LRA, the government of southern Sudan is still persuading LRA to come to a negotiating table with the Ugandan ruling government because Goss strongly believed that a peaceful solution is the best avenue than a military in resolving difference as was the case with south Sudan’s 21 years of liberation struggle, remarks Kiir.

President Kiir thanks all the faithful from different religious groups in southern Sudan for being mindful and praying for him and government of Southern Sudan.

(ST)