INTERVIEW: The accused Police General speaks out

May 17, 2010 (JUBA) — Sudan Tribune this week conducted an exclusive interview with a Police Brigadier General, John Jok Gai, who was until last week, accused of allegedly having joined the Jonglei state’s renegade General, George Athor.

General George Athor Deng recently rebelled against southern Sudan government after he lost to the incumbent caretaker governor, Kuol Manyang Juuk, in the gubernatorial elections in the region’s troubled Jonglei state.

The police Brigadier General joined the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) on 16th May 1983, from Bor town. He was among the first SPLA batches that were trained in Bonga training camp in Ethiopia. He said he recently came into conflict with his home area commissioner who accused him of allegedly joining Athor.

Brig. Gen. Gai is currently in Juba and has revealed what he said was a conspiracy to spoil his name and called for justice to take its course. Speaking at his residence in Juba, below are the General’s reactions to the accusation.

Q: Can you tell me about yourself and when did you join the SPLM/A?

A: I am Brigadier General of Police John Jok Gai from Nyirol County of Jonglei state. I joined the SPLM/A on 16th May 1983, from Bor town, and was among the first batches of SPLA [Sudan People’s Liberation Army] that went for training in Bonga, Ethiopia. I was in Jamus and later on deployed in Bahr el-Ghazal and also in Upper Nile in 1984. On 12th June 1986, I was transferred back to Itang and was put in charge of police in some parts of the town at the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. In short, I was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General in 2007.

Q: What is your current assignment?

A: I have been deployed in Western Bahr el Ghazal state as Commissioner of Police in Jur River County. I however took permission and came to Juba so that I could travel to Nairobi [Kenya] for medical treatment.

Q: It was published in the media that you defected to the renegade Gen. George Athor in Khorfulus from where he was rebelling, but now you are in Juba with the government, what do you say about this?

A: I have not and did not defect to Gen. George Athor. Those who accused me of this did not tell the truth. It is false. And I know the source of this accusation. It came from my home area of Nyirol County in Jonglei state.

Q: How?

A: Well, I have competitors in my area who unfortunately seemed to have turned into enemies to destroy me or my character. This became visible when I was appointed Commissioner of Nyirol County in 2005 by the GoSS Presidential Decree. Competitions which were based on sectional affiliations surfaced when some senior officials from the state government and SPLA in the area wanted me replaced with the current County Commissioner, Mr. James Chuol Diu Teny. These senior officials succeeded in their conspiracy and brought to power the current Commissioner. This Commissioner is the source of this false accusation against me and I have evidences. He did not like seeing me on the ground in Nyirol County because he thought I was trying to lobby for his removal from the commissionership in the next government.

Q: You said you took a permission from your work station in Western Bahr el Ghazal state so that you could travel to Nairobi for medical treatment, how did you instead find yourself on the ground in Nyirol County?

A: I left Juba for Nyirol County for two reasons: I was informed that my truck which was being used for trade in the state had broken down, so I had to go and assess the damage for repair. My wife was also contesting for SPLM Women List for Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly’s seat in Juba. So, I had to also accompany my wife to the area first so that I could come back to Juba and travel to Nairobi after the elections. She has now won the seat for Juba parliament. I was however harrassed during my stay in the state and my documents were destroyed.

Q: Harrassed, what happened?

A: I went to visit Waat on 5th March 2010 and on the 6th I was arrested by the Commissioner, Mr. James Chuol Dieu, who also claimed that the arrest warrant came from higher authorities in the state. My pistol and klashinkov plus my departure order and medical referral documents were confiscated and never returned…My money in the amount of 5,600 Sudanese pounds was also looted. No charges were labelled against me. After two days they simply released me without explaining the reason why they arrested me in the first place. My wife was also harrassed while she was campaigning in Lanken, her property looted and she was beaten by soldiers…

On 21th April, Commissioner [James] Chuol Diew filed a wrong accusation against me and others including Honorable Gatkuoth Dup, Stephen Jany Thoan, Chuol Hoth Kuoth, Wal Chop, Yien Chambel, Kuony Deng Wuol, Pei Lul, Garbel Chuol Rut, Yoch Nyachoat, Cibiyuor Deng and Chot Nyang that our section had evicted him from the Pulturuk Payam. He was simply disagreeing with the payam elders over issues and nobody forced him to leave the area. Six of payam residents have now been jailed by the Commissioner. Other nine people are put to jail in Waat and taken to Lanken and among them is Gatkuoth Kong.

Q: Now coming to the main accusation, it was also speculated that you were around Khorfulus during the Doleib Hill incidence which has implicated Gen. George Athor Deng. Is it true and how did you get there at the time?

A: Yes, my travel to Malakal unfortunately coincided with the Doleib incidence. It was however known by the County authorities that I was travelling to Malakal through that route. The reason is because a police officer from Uror County was murdered in our County by somebody from our clan. and I was advised by elders not to go to Bor through Uror County because of fear for revenge by the Uror community. On 26th April I went to Lanken and took a Departure Order through Major Marial Gatluak Nyuot to go to the nearby Malakal town of Upper Nile state so that I could use plane to take me to Bor town of Jonglei state. On 27th I came back to Pulturuk to get prepared for the journey to Malakal. I did not receive any information that there was fighting going on in Doleib Hill military barrack.

On 30th April I left with a lorry and while on the way the lorry broke down in a place called Biir buma and we spent the night with the wildlife officer in charge in the area. His name is Corporal Biel Malual. On 1st May, we left Biir and reached Khorfulus on the same day at 4PM and found Colonel Hoth Chuol Reath, of Prisons and Major Tut Luoch of Wildlife there, who welcomed us.

I did not find Gen. George Athor in Khorfulus because Athor evacuated the place a day before I arrived. I spent the night at Doleib Hill with accommodation by a wildlife officer. On 2nd May I reported myself to Colonel Manyuon Mabor, Commissioner of Police of Pigi County. I stayed with him until 4th May. On May 5th I went to Malakal and arrived there at 4PM. On 6th May I came to Juba from Malakal by plane.

Q: Then what went wrong about the journey, or how did your accusation become official?

Well, on 30th April, the Commissioner went with soldiers to my home payam, Pulturuk, telling people that I was joining Gen. George Athor in Khorfulus. He transmitted the same charges to Bor headquarters through a Thuraya phone. He tortured a number of people about this and also spoke to specific people about it. The Commissioner also had been torturing those he suspected of having voted for Gen. George Athor in the area. This is not right. And I appealed to the Jonglei state authority to stop him from doing so.

And I am calling upon the authorities to investigate the source of my accusation. I want to go to court with these people who falsely accused me. The commissioner wanted to put conflict between me and the governor. He attributed to me things that I have not done. John Garang said in 2004 at New Site’s Chiefs Conference that if you enter your own house even in the dark at night, you cannot break your items in the house because you know the inside of your house very well; but if you are a stranger you can break things because you do not know in which corners they are placed. I would not break the SPLM items in the house even if I passed through Khorfulus. Those that falsely accused me of joining Gen. George Athor just wanted to spoil my name and my career as they were seeking self-satisfaction with their cheap games…

(ST)