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Sudan Tribune

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First figures emerge from Sudan’s Malakal fighting

February 26, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — The number of civilian and military casualties from the fighting in Malakal is now estimated to have been at least 40.

“There were 19 civilian deaths, but the number of wounded is not known. From (the southern army’s) side, seven dead and 14 wounded, and on the side of (the northern) Sudan Armed Forces, 20 killed and 35 wounded,” a senior southern commander, James Hoth, told Reuters.

However, the spokesperson of the United Nations Mission in Sudan, Brian Kelly, said that the civilian deaths were only 14, not 19, while indeed confirming that scores of fighters were killed.

The civilian toll was more than double that figure according to a government advisor in Malakal, James Duer Chuol. Saying that the number of the dead cannot be independently verified, Chuol said the count on Thursday indicated that 33 civilians lost their lives. About 16 SAF were killed 44 wounded. On SPLA side, 14 killed and 40 wounded.

Kuon also reports that intoxicated soldiers shot a Sudanese-American man on Wednesday evening.

Displacement from the fighting amounted to 60 families who fled to the compound of SOS-Kinderdorf International, according to the NGO.

(ST)

22 Comments

  • Chol Manyiel
    Chol Manyiel

    First figures emerge from Sudan’s Malakal fighting
    Mr.report, try to adjust your English. Your report is not understandable.

    Reply
  • Chol Manyiel
    Chol Manyiel

    First figures emerge from Sudan’s Malakal fighting
    Mr.reporter, try to adjust your English. Your report is not understandable.

    Reply
  • Gatwech
    Gatwech

    First figures emerge from Sudan’s Malakal fighting
    Foolish SPLA order of arrest,

    That SPLA commander of JIU in Malakal who foolishly ordered to arrest General Tang Ginye must be brought to book for not executing his action with utmost caution that would minimize the lost of lives in the town. How could to arrest somebody with a force among civilians. This SPLA officers must be brought to book for ‘negligence.’ The officers in charge of military intelligence in Khartoum and Malakal can also be investigated for not detecting and alerting the authorities in Juba and Malakal that the General was coming here to Malakal. And if they informed President Kiir about it, then Salva Kiir is responsible for ‘negligence’ and lives lost in Malakal. How could he appease his boss, Bashir, in Juba while Bashir brought Tang Ginye to Malakal on the same day to kill Kiir’s people? Kiir proved to be incompetent, coward and less caring about his people!!!

    Bravo Dr. Riek Machar,

    This is the wisest decision to avoid more fighting in the town by removing Gen. Tang Ginye from Malakal. What ’order of arrest’ do you guys want the Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar to issue against Tang Ginye? The order of arrest was already issued since 2006’s first clashes with Tang Ginye in Malakal by President Salva Kiir. But did Kiir arrest Tang Ginye successfully? No!!!

    Tang Ginye has been living in Khartoum for the last three years since 2006 ’arrest warrant’ where Kiir’s office as the First Vice President is. But Kiir failed to convince or put pressure on Bashir to arrest Tang Ginye in Khartoum. Also the fighting in Malakal was caused by the failure of the SPLA forces who tried to arrest Tang Ginye in implementation of 2006 defunct ’arrest warrant’. It became a fight and the forces of Tang Ginye first chased the coward JIU of SPLA forces out of the town. Then Gen. Peter Gatdet Yak, came with mother units of SPLA and took control of most of the town except the airport. They failed to arrest Tang Ginye miserably!!! So in this situation, how could the order of arrest be implemented again by the Vice President when it was already tried foolishly by the SPLA and failed? And, in another word, if the SPLA forces have failed to arrest him in that heavy fighting, then how could the Vice President arrest Tang Ginye who was still well protected by his forces plus SAF? This would mean another escalation of fighting if the Vice President tried to arrest him again among his forces!

    The mission of the Vice President was to stop the fighting as he successfully did (thanks to his bravery, courage and love for human life), but not to try to arrest the General again which would resume the the fighting he already stopped. The best thing the Vice President could do is move General Tang Ginye back to Khartoum to avoid killings ( and if it is UNIMIS convincing Tang Ginye to leave Malakal, that is a wise decision by this international force).

    Also don’t forget that Gen. Tang was given two options by the SPLA on Monday, and that is to leave Malakal or get arrested. So, his return to Khartoum goes with the first demand of SPLA which he previously rejected. It is not new at all!!! GOSS leaders in Juba who blindly talk of arresting General Tang Ginye or accusing any one evacuating him talk out of reality. Or they just want to make it a political statement to try to find fault in Dr. Riek Machar when they could not do any better than what Dr. Riek Machar did. Why didn’t they capture or arrest Tang Ginye since 2006, and why did they fail to arrest Tang Ginye instead of ordering for a failed arrest that has now resulted to killing of innocent people in Malakal. Savage Kiir has been defending Bashir against ICC that Bashir’s arrest would bring choas in Sudan, then why didn’t he know that attempting to arrest Tang Ginye in Malakal among civilians would bring chaos in the town? GOSS and SPLA also failed to detect Tang Ginye when he was boarding his plane from Khartoum to Malakal. The GOSS and SPLA can be held responsible for ’negligence’.

    But now that the fighting has been stopped from escalating by the true liberator and peace lover, Dr. Riek Machar, to avoid more killings that would spread to other areas, then other ways could be sought with Bashir to handover Tang Ginye peacefully. So, don’t talk of “order of arrest” again which was already issued, but failed. Talk of how good it was to remove Tang Ginye from Malakal so that no more bloody confrontations with his forces plus the SAF would take place. And also talk of how to arrest this man who is protected by Bashir, the very person whom Salva Kiir entertained in Juba on the day his general was killing people in Malakal. SAF forces of JIU still stay in Malakal according to the CPA. It is not an easy task my ignorant friend! I am proud of wise decision by Dr. Riek Machar to convince Tang Ginye to leave Malakal!

    Those who wanted the Vice President to try again to arrest Tang Ginye used it for political reasons to get the Vice President into trouble to renew the fighting and may be to get killed. These are evil thinkers!!! May God rebuke them!!!

    Reply
  • BORAnyidi
    BORAnyidi

    First figures emerge from Sudan’s Malakal fighting
    Some of the people dream of success,liberty, freedom In Sudan. While some fellow folks wake up at night with criminal acts. I hope that they will realized somedays that we dinka are not their enemies, but brothers. I ask God to forgive us for our madnesss, and also to letting those who died rest in peace. I believe working together could help us see a better world. I want Nuers, Dinkas ang Jur to know that we brothers and sisters, we would reach the dreams that God has Given us in south Sudan, if we stop political bias.

    Reply
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