S. Sudan envoy: SPLM committed to peace despite Malakal crisis
By Jervasio O.Okot
Dec 3, 2006 (NAIROBI) — The Head of Mission of the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) to Kenya, Ambassador John Andruga Duku has on Sunday briefed the congregation of the Sudanese community on the latest development in Malakal and assured them on the SPLM seriousness in the implementation of the CPA.
Ambassador John Duku who was speaking to a well attended congregation of the Sudanese community at Hekima College’s Chapel which was filled to the bream said that he was sure the skirmishes which occurred between the SPLA and the SAF backed militias last week in Malakal town in Upper Nile brought fear and worry to most Sudanese on the future of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).
The envoy noted that the fighting sparked out due to unnecessary killing of innocent people by the militias’ forces allied to SAF. He said the SPLA wanted to arrest the culprits who were accused to have masterminded the killings of the two people in Malakal but these militia leaders fled and took refuge at the SAF barracks.
He said, “The SPLA followed these criminals up to the SAF barracks so as they are apprehended to them but unfortunately the SAF refused to comply with this gesture and secretly flew Gabriel Tang Gerwich to Khartoum.” This culminated to the besieging of the barracks until Thursday, December 30th when the President of GOSS ordered the SPLA to end the siege.
Duku said: “Through the intervention of the President of the Government of Southern Sudan, General Salva Kirr Mayardit, the incident has been calmed though it claimed the lives of unspecified number of people”. He said the President cut short his official visits to South Africa because of his concern for the security of the region and to ensure that the problem was resolved in a dignified manner to avoid spill of clashes to other areas.
“This is the reason why the president formed a committee which comprised of SPLA, SAF and UNMIS to investigate the causes of these clashes,” he said.
Duku consoled the congregation that whatever matter it takes, the Government of Southern Sudan was prepared to the implementation of the CPA. The Ambassador who sneaked into politics thrilled the congregation when he said the CPA was not like ‘Peace from Within’ which was concluded between the former factional leaders and the GOS in 1994 but a document which was internationally recognized for which the world endorsed and gave verdict to it.
He accused some members in the National Congress Party (NCP) for working to undermine the implementation of the CPA through sponsor of militia’s activities in South Sudan. He said, two years down the line, the CPA has not achieved much but urged the congregation to secure hardcopies of the CPA so as it gives them clear picture of important provisions for which people refer to when there is a snag.
The Malakal situation is not an isolated incident but a well orchestrated attempt by some of the members of SAF who are against the peace agreement and determine to scuttle it for their political gains. The same scenario is happening along Juba-Nimule, Juba-Torit and Juba-Bor Roads where motorists are ambushed and shot.
The Ambassador said that the NCP sponsored arm gangs are seen causing security risk on the outskirts of Juba town to plant fear in the people’s minds so that the people in Diaspora could hold on their horses. This has been proved by the SPLA when they arrested a number of them who later confessed they were linked to SAF.
He however believed that some elements in SAF are seriously supporting these activities so that GOSS doesn’t conduct census in preparation for next year’s election as stipulated on the CPA. Ambassador John Andruga Duku concluded by appealing to the leadership of NCP to tame and discipline some of their associates in the army so that it paves way for a smooth implementation of the CPA which is still at infant stage.
(ST)