Warrap state’s former governor accuses minister of threatening his life
April 2, 2011 (JUBA) – A former governor of Warrap state, Lewis Anei Madut, has claimed that his life has been threatened by the minister of Labour and Public Service in the Government of Southern Sudan, Awut Deng Acuil. However, the latter denied the charges and instead counter-accused the former governor of unleashing a boy to threaten her life.
The former governor of Warrap state, Anei, who is current the advisor for ministry of Culture and Heritage, said both the minister Awut Deng and the current governor of Warrap state, Nyandeng Malek, sneaked into his office on Thursday, during which Awut threatened to deal away with him, according to the report published by The Citizen newspaper on Saturday.
“She said she will deal away with me…Awut told me she would deal with me and four others if I don’t stop a certain boy whom she claimed to have destroyed her politically and now wants to kill her,” he said.
“She said she had informed her relatives that if they found her dead one day, it is that boy who has been instigated against her by me,” Anei continued.
Minister Awut, according to The Citizen, denied the charges, saying she was only warning the former governor to stop a certain boy who had always been insulting her. “I did not threaten him, I asked Anei to stop one of his boys who is insulting me all the time,” she said, explaining, “I asked him, please stop your boy (Akucwel Mathiang) from insulting me.”
Awut, who also hails from Warrap state, further explained that Anei, was hostile to her because he believed that she stood against him during the elections in the state.
Former governor Anei also alleged that minister Awut revealed to him that she would as from now consider him as her enemy number five after General Bol Madut, another former governor of Warrap state, Aleu Ayieng, currenct chairman of Security Committee of the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly (SSLA) and Riak Gok, one of the directors of the small arms commission and Andrew Kuac, former deputy governor of Warrap state.
“She threatened me that all of us would never join the government at any level as long as she remains a minister in this government. However, minister Awut dismissed all Anei’s claims as untrue.
The current governor of Warrap state, Nyandeng Malek, who accompanied minister Awut, on her part said that she received a request from Anei to come to his office through her Minister of Finance, Majok Bol. Then she decided to see him, but when she reached the office, she realized that Anei was a frustrated man. He was “shouting, insulting and accusing” them of things she has no knowledge of.
Anei said he did not invite the governor and minister to his office and maintained that the two officials went to his office on their own in order to threaten him.
He further denied having anything to do with the boy, saying both the boy, Mathiang, and the minister, Awut, hail from the same Tonj East County of Warrap state and therefore any conflict between them did not involve him. He warned that he will take up the threats seriously and discuss them in a different forum.
(ST)