Peter Gadet’s bodyguards arrested by South Sudan security intelligence in Wau
By Manyang Mayom
April 7, 2011 (RUMBEK) – South Sudan military intelligence and security services in Western Bahr el Ghazal state have arrested six bodyguards loyal to the recently defected Major General, Peter Gadet at Wau air strip on Thursday morning says a high ranking security official who wishes to remain anonymous.
It is believed that six bodyguards were coming from Aweil, Northern Bahr-El-Ghazal state, attempting to get a flight from Wau to Khartoum to meet their commander Peter Gadet who has recently defected from Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) with the aim of joining the renegade general George Athor who is based in Khartoum.
The security official explained to the media that amongst those under arrest is guards First Lt. Mabany Bol –chief bodyguard to Gadet. He said that “no compromise” would be met in “dealing with such people who are climbing to overthrow the current government of South Sudan”.
The defection of Peter Gadet Yaka from the SPLA adds to the growing list of rebels taking arms against the Government of Southern Sudan ahead of Independence Day on 9 July 2011.
Peter Gadet Yaka was the deputy SPLA divisional commander in Northern Bahr-El-Ghazal before his defection; he has a history of flip-flopping.
During Sudan’s second civil war (1983-2005), Gadet became a militia leader under the command of Paulino Matip in the battles for Unity State and its oil refinery fields.
In 1999, he then returned to the SPLA before defecting to the Khartoum government in 2002.
Peter Gadet’s defection during the war always drastically shifted the balance of power over the control of Unity state.
In 2005, he was appointed and granted a position by the SPLA as field commander in Abyei during the 2008 clashes and the clashes in Malakal with forces loyal to Gabriel Tanginye in 2009.
(ST)