Presidential guard commander denies accusation of assassination attempt
May 28, 2013 (JUBA) – The commander of the presidential guard unit, Major General Marial Chanuong Yol, has categorically denied accusation of alleged assassination attempt against a senior police officer in the nation’s capital, Juba.
The presidential guard unit commander was accused by the police Major General William Deng Garang of organising the attempted assassination on his life, as the victim claimed that he was ambushed in the outskirts of Juba town while on his way to Eastern Equatoria state on duty.
Juba Monitor newspaper on Thursday and Monday published the dramatic stories of accusations and counter-accusations as the two senior police and army officers took the matter to the public.
Garang, who is the Director of Prisons and in charge of the police force in Eastern Equatoria state, told the media that he narrowly escaped the assassination at Nesitu checkpoint outside Juba town.
He also accused the presidential guard unit of searching his home and falsely accusing him of joining the rebels of David Yau Yau in Jonglei state.
The police general who was travelling to Torit with a convoy of 12 bodyguards said he was stopped at the checkpoint by a big force and was humiliated and brought back to Juba.
Yol however denied the accusations but acknowledged that the forces at the checkpoint and those of Garang exchanged unpleasant drama.
He said the police general refused to abide by the rules while the presidential guards were conducting a weapons search in the town where nobody was allowed to move with guns.
He further explained that Garang refused to comply and instead went ahead with his force and knocked down the Nesitu checkpoint pole, prompting the forces at the checkpoint to react against the violation, without giving the details.
The presidential guard unit commander counter-accused Garang of political motivation by trying to incite conflict between his community of Dinka Bor and that of Dinka Bahr el Ghazal.
Yol further explained that Garang’s community members were responsible in the past for falsely accusing another Major General Marial Nuor Jok in order to lose his job.
“I am reliably informed that he [Garang] has sat with his community members including those in uniform and stated that Major General Marial Chanuong has ambushed and humiliated him. This is a pathetic lie. What is my interest in ambushing a comrade and a man in service like me? This gross negative accusation has not gone well with me,” he was quoted as saying.
Yol went further to express the doubt whether Garang was given the permission to travel to Eastern Equatoria state by his police boss.
He said he phoned the Director General of Prisons in Juba, Lt. Gen. Abel Makoi, who told him that he was not aware of Garang’s mission.
(ST)