SPLA denies killing NCP members in Raja County
By Manyang Mayom
April 15, 2010 (RUMBEK) — The Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) official spokesman Maj-Gen. Kuol Diem Kuol has strongly denied SPLA involvement in the death of five members belonging to the National Congress Party (NCP) who were killed in Western Bahr-El-Ghazal state at Al-Timsha Payam of Raja county yesterday by an SPLA armed man who appeared in military uniform.
UN-sponsored Radio Miraya FM-101 broadcast this news item on Thursday, quoting NCP official Agnes Lukudu, chief of the party in South Sudan, who claimed that five members of her party were killed by SPLA soldiers at the polling canter in Al-Timsha payam of Raja county of Wau.
Maj –Gen. Kuol Deim Kuol denied her version of the the story saying that “this story was reported by NCP – what happened was an adultery case, it has nothing to do with election and it has nothing to do with politics. Somebody called Abdul found someone having committed adultery with is wife in his house during the midday – this is criminal issue and people should not mix crimes with politics.”
“I don’t know what is happening to the people? Why everybody who has made sure to have failed in this election holds SPLA as a scapegoat? Those of who you take SPLA harassment as a solution are making a great mistake –it is a shame to take SPLA harassment for defeat in election and I want to tell them that they must be courageous toward their election – SPLA is not harassing any candidates,” he noted.
The SPLA spokesman was speaking to our correspondent by phone from Juba. Along with his message the SPLM Deputy Secretary General Dr. Anne Itto on Thursday issued a strongly worded rebuke of media that had publicized this incident. She said that five rather than nine people were killed and added, “Without checking their facts, Reuters inaccurately reported a claim by NCP that among the nine dead in Raja, included the local president of NCP. I spoke to him from Wau about two hours ago and I can assure you that he is alive and well.”
“A criminal investigation has been opened regarding these killings, which are not election-related. Such information has been independently verified by numerous sources to include election observers, and local police and government officials. Attempts by NCP to link SPLM to this crime of passion is irresponsible. It is also irresponsible for journalists to include such accusations in their reporting without exercising discretion over their validity,” stated Itto.
Meanwhile, Commissioner of Raja County Luwis Ramadan has confirmed that the killings were driven by personal motivation and not political. The Raja county official confirmed that the killings happened five days ago and he questioned the NCP leader’s motive for withholding the announcement until now well after the incident is over in people’s minds.
SPLM state secretary spokesman Cde James Deng Dimo affirmed that it has been confirmed that at least five men were killed in Raga County of Western Bahr-El-Ghazal State in Timsha Payam in Raja County. Deng explained that the fighting that resulted in the killings had no connection with the elections process nor even occurred near to any polling station there in Al-Timsha.
The official explained that fighting started when a solider who had spent six months away from his family returned back from where he was deployed and caught his wife with another man. And then the man who was away began stabbing with a knife the man who had taken his wife. When the news reached the relatives of the man who was killed, they began by cocking their guns and running to the place where their relative was killed.
He added that they began by firing guns at those who were there until they killed five people. “I have to repeat that the fight has no connection with the elections or something to do with political; it is between the military men over a woman.”
Dimo concluded that this incident has not affected the voting in Al-Timsha.
In a separate report, SPLA spokesman Kuol Deim Kuol denied a report that he suggested was spread by a woman who is on the election staff in Northern Bhar-El-Ghazal state (NBGS). Her statement broadcast on Miraya FM had suggested that SPLA has arrested the representative of a political party in NBGS. “First of all I want to underline, SPLA did not and will not arrest any official staff and we did not arrest any party official in NBGS.”
Kuol explained that “whom we have arrested are SPLA officers and NCOs plus other enlisted personnel who are being misused by the independent candidate in NBGS.”
“There are officers and NCOs and men being used by an independent candidate Deng Aturjong, and Athuar Akueng plus other independent candidates in NBGS — those guy are using SPLA soldiers to campaign for them.”
Maj-Gen. Kuol asserted that participation in politics is not allowed in the SPLA and so under the present circumstances the SPLA division commander in Wunyiek asked approval to arrest those soldiers involved. The SPLA general headquarters in Juba granted him approval to arrest those soldiers.
(ST)
Time1
SPLA denies killing NCP members in Raja County
I think many people do not know that the SPLA is not the police, those peple wearing uniform and holding guns at the election polling stations are the south sudan police not SPLA, so if fighting happens at a polling station ande police interfers then that is not SPLA it is the police who are responsible for keeping order for the elections. Also if a fight happens somewhere even if those involved in the fight are army men tha does not mean they are fighting in the name of SPLA, for example this man who was fighting over his wife and the relative came in, they were not fighting for SPLA, they are fighting for their own personal and family problems.
so journalists have to be patient to confirm and varify a report before rushing with half baked stories which later turn out to be all lies or rumours.
we all know there is pressure on journalist and news agencies who all want to be the first to break news and publish something new, but if you publish lies it only discredits your agency, i mean people will read your news but will not take it serious, they will think its the usual errors and rumours, but if you take your time to verify then you will actually bring the real breaking news that people are looking for which is very credible and next time everybody will be waiting only for your news as the best source to confirm their issues. you don’t have to be the first to break the news bu the first to bring the real story.
Lack of patients and proper skills taking a tole on journalism, i don’t know why a journalists if he has access to the source of the news, why they do not ask more questions like, when did this happen, who was there, what did they see, what exactly happen, why and how? all this will give a journalists a clear undestanding then they can publish the news, if the are not sure the can just say there is killing or deaths but reasons or who is responsible or when is not yet clear. am putting this in particular to south sudan journalists, they to work hard towards professionalism, it does not come easy and through recklessness, as for international journalists and agencies, they have no first hand information so rumours is always expected from them, when you read a news from a foreign agency like reuters or AP, do not rush to believe it take your time and use your other means to find out.
Job well done by Gen Kuol Diem, he is now doing the work of the journalists for the journalists, he is doing it better off.
Hardlinner
SPLA denies killing NCP members in Raja County
haven’t these people from Raja learned that the same arabs they are attaching themselves with, weren’t the same people who once raided them as slaves. what kind of IQ does this people possessed?. i believed that whoever NCP supporter(s) who accused SPLA with involvement in killing of those Five people as IQ less than that of chicken. because i know chicken never go back to it had once been hurted.
it seemed that NCP supporter in Raja have never learned from what happened to them in the past, darfur and southern sudan in general.
to make my self clear,to all africans sudanese, arabs in sudan are just using islam to dehuminise africans in sudan.
africans in sudan should know that religion is the problem but the problem is arabs wannabes that are mistreating africans.
they(arabs wannabes) use religion to create infighting among africans like what had happened south for the last 50 years.
so what NCP supporter in Raja or south in large should know is that, NCP or other arabs wannabes in sudan don’t give crab about you but their interest in your own land.
it is rightful time that africans in sudan, no matter whatever religion you follow should come together and fight these few fake arabs in sudan once and for all.
long live african rule in sudan(north and south), let end fake arabs mistreatment of african sudanese. let make “abid” of those fake arabs in sudan.
war is on the way between africans(southerners,nuba,beja,dongola nuba, darfurians, maban, punj, and other african sudaneses) Vs fake arabs in sudan.
i love to make bashir my first slave in sudan when we wage war against them(fake arabs).
war between fake arabs Vs africans will just last for three months and with africans winning the war and turn the page in sudan for good.
santos
SPLA denies killing NCP members in Raja County
weldone maj-gen kuol ,i hope you will retain your position although the new government is formed because you are a man of mission and vission,you are not sleeping always to admitt allegations pouring out from every country of sudan and that is what we want.let the shouting dogs shut their mouths, it is time for action not shouting .