Lakes governor distances himself from protestors’ arrest
October 5, 2013 (RUMBEK) – The governor of Lakes state has denied ordering the arrests of 23 people being held in connection with last week’s violent protests in its Yirol West county.
The protest started when David Deng Athorbei, an area member of the national assembly was blocked from addressing a gathering at Yirol Boys primary school, where he was invited as chief guest.
Dhoul later formed a five-member committee headed by his minister for local government and law enforcement agency, Benjamin Laat Mathou to probe the matter.
Despite the governor efforts, however, the presence of the three security officers puts to doubt the credibility of Dhoul’s investigation team.
The three officers, sources told Sudan Tribune, also avoided any encounter with the governor until they departed on Friday.
Dhuol, they said, is now worried of the likely outcome of their investigation of the violent incident.
GOVERNOR REACTS
On Friday, the union of local government administrators sent a message to the governor, in which they condemned the torture and imprisonment of Yirol West county’s executive director and his deputy.
But the governor, in a twist of events, now claims he was simply misled.
“I was being misled by county commissioner of Yirol West County”, Dhuol told the union members after they paid him a visit on Friday.
The case will be treated as a personal case between county commissioner and MP David Deng Athorbei, he stressed.
The union, meanwhile, demanded that the governor removes the Yirol West county commissioner as an alleged remedy to resolving the problem in the area.
Area administrators, teachers, chiefs, hospital staff and a soldier are among those arrested in connection with last week’s demonstration.
(ST)