Garang suspends officials accused of fuelling ethnic clashes

RUMBEK, June 1, 2005 (Sudan Radio Service) — Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) leader John Garang has suspended three county secretaries in Bahr al-Ghazal for allegedly fuelling ethnic clashes.

The SPLM regional secretary for Bahr al-Ghazal, Deng Alor, told Sudan Radio Service in Rumbek that the three county secretaries of Yirol West, Yirol East and Awerial were suspended last week.

Alor said the three county secretaries suspended were the county secretaries of Yirol West, Yirol East and Awerial. They were suspended to pave the way for fair investigations. If you are going to investigate someone for the problems that had happened – the killing, the fighting, that had taken pace – you need to suspend them.

He says the SPLM leader has appointed commander Salva Matiok as acting caretaker governor in charge of the three counties in Yirol.

The acting caretaker governor is charged with the task of restoring peace in the three counties.

Alor said the ethnic clashes between the Dinka Atwot and Dinka Aliab sections were related to cattle rustling.

It is estimated that more than 100 people died in the ethnic violence that rocked the three counties last month.