Garang probe team meets President Museveni
by Emmy Allio, The New Vision.
Aug 23, 2005 (Kampala) — Members of the international panel investigating the helicopter crash that killed Sudan’s First Vice-President Lt. Gen. Dr. John Garang leaves today for Russia.
President Yoweri Museveni met members of the team from Uganda and Sudan at State House Nakasero yesterday.
Sources quoted Museveni as saying, “I am really curious and I want to know what happened.”
The team to Russia is taking two black boxes earlier recovered from the crashed MI-172 helicopter. A black box is a fire-resistant box, which contains a device that records communication between the pilot and control tower and other occurrences in and around the plane.
The team is split into two groups. One team that includes Ugandan investigator Barry Kashambo left on Sunday. The second group that includes former army commander Maj. Gen James Kazini leaves today.
The international team said analysing the black boxes would take 10 days. Sources said each government will meet the cost of its team members.
The experts are from Uganda, Sudan, SPLM/A, USA, Russia and Kenya. The Minister of Works, John Nasasira, said the investigators had formed three committees, one going to Russia, another at the crash site in southern Sudan and the third operating in Kampala.
The Kampala team includes Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, former Sudan Vice-President Abel Alier Kuai and the US National Transportation Safety Board’s Chief Investigator, Dennis Jones.
Yesterday, Museveni told the Ugandan and Sudanese teams that Garang was a “big brain” and a Pan-Africanist. “It is a very big loss to Africa, forget about just Sudan.”
He said on learning about the crash, he was very annoyed and disappointed that a friend he had known for 38 years had died in his otherwise well-equipped presidential helicopter. He pledged to render full assistance to the team.
Abel Alier thanked Museveni for the cooperation.