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Sudan Tribune

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General Athor distances himself from attack on SPLA barrack

By Ngor Arol Garang

May 1, 2010 (WUNROK) — Lieutenant General George Athor Deng, who contested gubernatorial elections independently, in the state of Jonglei, after failing to secure approval of his candidature by the SPLM political bureau in January, denied having launched any attack on the SPLA barrack and described it as internal clash within the Southern Sudan army.

SPLA soldiers
SPLA soldiers
On Friday 30, April 2010, rumors spreading like wild fire of attack on SPLA post at Doleib Hills area, a contested territory predominantly habitat to both Shilluk and Dinka Luac, dominated cabinet meeting in Juba and majority within the cabinet were quick to point accusing finger and blamed the incident onto armed elements allegedly loyal to Lieutenant General George Athor Deng, who had, while serving in the SPLA, held position of deputy Chief of General Staff for Moral Orientation.

Colonel Malaak Ayuel Ajok, who heads SPLA department of Information and Public Relations, stated on Southern Sudan TV that a surprise attack reportedly launched on Friday at around 1:30AM was organized by General Athor.

Col. Malaak, while announcing the attack, without giving detail of the casualties, said many of the attackers were killed and five of them are captured. According to him, the arrested attackers confessed that they had been ordered by General George Athor to carry out the attack on the SPLA military base.

Other senior officials in the government of southern Sudan including minister of internal affairs, General Gier Chuang also confirmed the raid without giving details. Jonglei Governor Kuol Manyang Juuk also held a closed door meeting with SPLA senior officers in Bor town following reports of the clashes.

Captain Garang Wieu from SPLA logistics, who went to Doleib as part of the reinforcement troops, in Malakal town, told Sudan Tribune that five officers and ten soldiers have been killed in the fighting. Two or three officers killed are said be from Awan Chan, home to GOSS president Salva Kiir Mayardit.

However, General Athor, in an interview with Sudan Tribune, on Saturday, from his home village of Rut in Khorfoulus, Jonglei State, said he did not order any attack on SPLA forces.

“I did not order any attack anywhere and I had never held any meeting with anybody to consider launching attack on military forces,” General Athor told Sudan Tribune by a satellite (Thuraya) phone in his ancestral village of Rut.

The General who had thrice failed to pick up telephone calls said he was sleeping hence could not response to the first calls. “I was sleeping and this telephone was also outside in the sitting room. It was brought to me just now because it was receiving a lot when I was sleeping. My wife said she received a lot of calls from strange numbers,” he explained adding his communications with people are being misinterpreted.

Athor in his own words however disclosed that a fight in his name has occurred.

“Yes people fought in my name and I did not expect it to happen,” he said explaining what actually happened was that a commanding officer with the rank of Major at Doleib has received a message from Juba instructing him to send a force to my house so that all my guards and I are disarmed by force,” he said.

“This officer considering my rank in the army declined to come himself with the force as per instructions but decided to send a captain who also refused immediately. The officer refused and so did the soldiers who were being selected to come with him,” he continued to explain.

The refusal of the captain resulted into a quarrel between them, and all elements loyal to the two officers started to take positions based on ethnicities, he said adding they communicated their differences over him to Juba and were again told to execute the order by any means. But this could not work because they had already taken positions and started shooting themselves.

The retreated SPLA general said the fighting occurred on Thursday evening and he had not aware.

“I only came to know after they had clashed and killed themselves on Friday morning because of the sound of guns and calls from everywhere inquiring my involvement in the attack,” he said.

He said that a message allegedly originated from the SPLA general headquarters in Juba with no signature of a specific person as the majority of the troops wanted to know why they were being asked to go and disarm me with the guards.

Asked whether he contacted anybody in Juba, Athor said he received calls while in process to contact those in the authorities.

“I started receiving calls of those I had wanted to contact hence I might not make any call again, he said.

In statements made today in Jonglei, the governor Kuol Manyang said he was uncertain about the implication of his challenger General Athor in Friday fighting, dismissing reports linking Doleib clashes with the results of April elections.

National elections results gave incumbent Gov. Kuol Manyang Juuk 165,387 votes and George Athor Deng who contested as independent candidate with 67,639 votes while Joseph Duer Jakor from the National Congress Party became the last with 16,704 votes.

(ST)

31 Comments

  • Mr Famous Big_Logic_Boy
    Mr Famous Big_Logic_Boy

    General Athor distances himself from attack on SPLA barrack
    Crap, chameleon has never permit anyone to know her changing of color according to environment in order to survive. Jonglie reputation is well known national and international no matter what. Deng want to deny the truth, who order those soldiers to carried the attacked and what did those captured on his side told the MI during the interrogation. Fouling people.

    Reply
  • Dinka Boy
    Dinka Boy

    General Athor distances himself from attack on SPLA barrack
    Apparently, general George Athor Deng has hand in the death of this SPLA officers and soldiers in the Barrack. How come SPLa take side while they are national army, this is silly.

    Reply
  • ayuairech
    ayuairech

    General Athor distances himself from attack on SPLA barrack
    This incident must first be given the first priority and be addressed on time before it,s burst into flame.Proper investigation must be made to confirm who these people are because Athor decline to mention that they are under his command and Athor have to be questioned why he decided to station himselve in his village at this time rather than comming to Juba for proper investigation.Also all the collected guns during the disarmament must be brought to the state headquarters and be guarded adequately to avoid any futher confesication and what did he want again and he is adupty chief of staff on moral and orientation?.Athor, you are our unforgottable hero in spla and southsudan history with strong people who were fully dedicated to shed blood to liberate our country, please come back . you must taste the fruits of our new sudan.

    Reply
  • Dinka Boy
    Dinka Boy

    General Athor distances himself from attack on SPLA barrack
    Mr King and worldMaker,

    Both of you need to learn how to examine any sort of situation.
    I believed that general Athor might have hands on the incidence that had lost the lives of SPLA and their officers in their barrack. I point this out because mr Athor Deng did not respond his calls since he lost the governorship in the State of Jonglei. He never spoke to any body whether the president of Goss or his rival Kuol Manyang since he lost while they were trying to called him. He was quoted that he will never accept the result of him being the loser while he thought he win. Yes, why not he open case against SPLM or Governor Kuol Manyang so that they could go to court.

    If you guys know how to reason, then our general is supicious about this incident in several steps. if Athor is innocent and not the one who has caused the problem while others attempt to spoil him in SPLM, why not he go to Juba and say whatever he can said about the situation or election. The killing of this officers and SPLA is not something that will make others happy because they have also their relatives or loyals members like the way the soildiers of Goerge Athor killed those innocent soldiers in their barrack.

    My question to all of you fools is this. Do you guys went every leader or SPLA to take side with their kins person or anything position to make the South abetter place in the future. It is you fools who will conprehend because you guys have been barking about Salva or SPLM that he never did anything. Yes, the SPLM was trying to bring Athor to Juba and asked him about his disagreement.
    You guys are fools who never been in the higher institution so that you can take some practicals and theories of thought. What do you guys know? Zero!

    Reply
  • Gatwech
    Gatwech

    General Athor distances himself from attack on SPLA barrack
    Dear readers,

    It is not a surprising attempt by a pig trying to be the cleanist of all animals. Kuol Manyang and George Athor’s war over greed for power is real.

    George Athor is NOW reported by reliable sources that he has already organized a force of 700 strong men and is coordinating it with others like Murle and some of Lou-Nuer to launch an attack or Bor town or those adjacent Bor-Dinka counties.

    Yes, we don’t expect him to say he has done it whether as an internal clash or his forces coming from Khorfulus. That is the same any way since he approved the clashes over BBC interview.

    Just watch out for his more planned attacks. Don’t be fooled by his denials. Kuol Manyang simply doesn’t want to be part of blame for his greed that forced him to rig elections. Both are responsible for the Jonglei’s ever messes.

    Reply
  • Gatwech
    Gatwech

    General Athor distances himself from attack on SPLA barrack
    NSV’s cheap propagandist,

    Ahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…………..

    Dinka Boy, I hope you wrote this cheap article on the so-called ‘The New Sudan Vision’ after I challenged the website yesterday that they (Bor-Dinka journalists) NEVER wrote news about the Jonglei’s deadly rivalry between Kuol Manyang Juuk and George Athor Deng while they rushed to writing three different articles about the Bentiu incidence.

    Today they have responded to my challenge but came up with poor and unprofessional article.

    The Twic East writer of Jonglei state, calling himself Deng Dekuek, even added tribally driven rumors about the so-called attack by Nuer on his separated or far distanced ‘Twic West’ in Warrap state. What a cheap connection.!

    There is no specific source mentioned at all in that unprofessional cheap propaganda of attacks by the Nuer. The writer even came up with his victory of imaginations that the attackers were killed. What a rare event?

    Below read your cheap article as a result of response to my yesterday comment challenging the Bor-Dinka journalists to write something about their Jonglei incident.

    Ahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa……..

    ……………………………………………………………………

    Tension in Southern Sudan as SPLA is attacked in Upper Nile and Twic West is raided

    Written by Deng Dekuek, http://www.newsudanvision.com, NSV
    Friday, 30 April 2010 22:47

    (Perth, WA, NSV) – In a crushing blow to peace and security in Southern Sudan’s restive States of Jonglei and Upper Nile, the Southern Sudan’s army the SPLA has accused a former gubernatorial candidate, Mr. George Athor Deng of ordering a deadly assault on SPLA Military Barracks at Doleib Hill 12 kilometres southwest of Malakal in the Upper Nile State according to BBC and Reuters. Mr. Deng is a former SPLA General who quit his army post as stipulated by the Electoral Act of Sudan, 2009 to contest as an independent candidate for the governorship of Jonglei State. He was comprehensively defeated by Kuol Manyang who was nominated by SPLM Electoral College.

    In another unrelated development, there are reports reaching NSV that a group alleged to be armed Nuer cattle rustlers from Mayom County launched a deadly attack on Twic West in Warrap State Yesterday. It is being reported that many of the Cattle Rustlers were killed and 5 people were confirmed dead from Twic West. The attack affected much of the area occupied by Akuar, Kuac Madut-Ring and Twic Amiol.

    NSV sources say that, the Twic, in order to avoid their cattle being taken by what are believed to be Nuer raiders killed their cattle and then pursued the raiders and managed to kill many of them. Stay tune as NSV brings you more updates.

    THAT IS A CHEAP PROPAGANDA!!!! WHO ARE THE SOURCES THAT REPORTED THE ATTACKS?

    THE REPORT IS VERY UNPROFESSIONAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  • Michael Miyom Minyiel
    Michael Miyom Minyiel

    General Athor distances himself from attack on SPLA barrack
    Others think that others were not created by God like them and lack rights but that is not the issue we all have them and that is why we are called human beings.
    General Thor Deng has to fight back being attacked innocently.I know Gonglei hosted those who just talked but do not fight and these are gen.Kuol,s folks.Athor liberated in 1991 Movement,s split where were Kuol by then?
    If it is going to be war between the two great men, then a war of no return would be and that those who hands in this situation will curse the days they were born.Gier is only traitor, one who likes to stay alone with his Paweny community excluding the rest of the Padang community fend for themselves.
    Let any Bor shut up this time or eles they will fail to see where to go.

    Reply
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