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Governor warns rebel groups not to attack W. Equatoria

By Richard Ruati

November 6, 2011 (KAMPALA) – The governor of Western Equatoria, Bangasi Joseph Bakosoro, on Friday warned rebel groups and renegade militias not to attempt to use the state as base for a rebellion after recent arrests.

W. Equatoria governor Bangasi Joseph Bakosoro speaking in his office on Saturday on the arrest of Peter Abdurrahman Sule. Nov. 5, 2011 (Photo: Gift Bullen)
W. Equatoria governor Bangasi Joseph Bakosoro speaking in his office on Saturday on the arrest of Peter Abdurrahman Sule. Nov. 5, 2011 (Photo: Gift Bullen)
South Sudan’s army (SPLA) in collaboration with communities of Jambo county captured the leader of the United Democratic Front (UDF) Peter Abdurrahman Sule on Thursday, as he was in the process of establish a militia to challenge Juba government, the military say.

Three weeks ago Mr Sule disappeared and, according to the SPLA, went to the bush between Western and Central Equatoria states to start an insurgency against the government of President Salva Kiir.

South Sudan already has various rebel groups fighting government.

“This state is not a state where by people will cause anything to implement it here, this is a state which is peaceful, a state having reasonable people, a state which does not require trouble. If, you want to start a revolutionary movement don’t come with it to Western Equatoria again,” warned Bakosoro.

The governor revealed that he tried to persuade Sule not to start a rebellion but after he had refused to listen to his emissaries on two occasions he sent in the SPLA to arrest him.

Bakosoro confirmed that Sule was captured on Thursday night at 8pm in the Boiegi area of Witoh payam [district] in Mundri East county.

Before his arrest the UDF party chairman had been missing for three weeks according to the party’s secretary general David William.

Bakosoro expressed his satisfaction that Surle had been captured unharmed and sent to Juba, adding that this would dispel rumours that Western Equatoria citizens had joined South Sudan’s rebellions.

He hailed the efforts of the SPLA forces in the state and the communities of Jambo for having worked and coordinated the arrest the UDF leader. During Sule’s arrest two people were killed and one seriously injured in crossfire.

Under no circumstance would Western Equatoria be used as a battleground for senseless war Bakosoro said.

“We will not allow anyone who will come and camp in the forests of [our] State that he is fighting the Government of the Republic of South Sudan,” the governor said.

“We are not here to fight against our own government.”

Since 2005, Western Equatoria state has been faced with different insecurity problems, most notably from the Ugandan rebels the Lord’s Resistance Army and the nomadic cattle herding Ambororo tribe.

Governor Bakosoro urged all the inhabitants of the state to be security conscious and report any person plotting against the state or national government.

Considering South Sudan gained its independence in July and was still recovering from decades of civil war, this is not time to fight, the governor said, but a time to build the new country and educate the next generation.

UDF DENY INVOLVEMENT

The UDF leader is alleged to have been recruiting in the areas of Jambo and Rokon of Central and Western Equatoria states.

It is believed that the UDF leader rebelled because his party was being marginalised by the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM).

The secretary-general of the party, David William, while addressing the press on Thursday in Juba, said the UDF has nothing to do with the disappearance of its chairman and his activities, adding that not even Sule’s family knew of his whereabouts.

William also announced that party members had convened a meeting in its premises and relieved the leader of his duties. The secretary-general has assumed the leadership of the party until the next general assembly in which a new leader will be elected.

The UDF party was founded in 1998 in Khartoum shortly after the signing the Khartoum Peace Agreement. UDF participated in the then autonomous Government of Southern Sudan in 2005, when the SPLM was installed as the region’s ruling party.

This failed attempt to form a rebel group contrasts with rebel groups in Unity, Upper Nile and Jonglei states that continue to attack the SPLA and have ignored President Kiir’s offer of an amnesty.

Sule’s rebellion is the first of its kind to be started in the relatively peaceful greater Equatoria region since the landmark 2005 peace agreement which culminated in South Sudan’s independence in on July 9, 2011.

(ST)

19 Comments

  • Michael Angelo
    Michael Angelo

    Governor warns rebel groups not to attack W. Equatoria
    Mr governor, you’re one of my favorite governor. Keep it up!

    Reply
  • BM Bol
    BM Bol

    Governor warns rebel groups not to attack W. Equatoria
    Thank you Gov. Bakosoro. I Hope your message resonates with the rest of warmongers& states in South Sudan. It’s time to put personal greeds behind & put the interest of our people and homeland first instead.

    Reply
  • Bush
    Bush

    Governor warns rebel groups not to attack W. Equatoria
    Idiot Sule! where did you fire your first bullet? First of all you lack military experience, secondly you don’t need to come to WES to lunch your rebellion because the people of WES will not support you at all. WES has been quiet all this time except when the so called Dr.Riek sent LRA to WES that’s when people started to suffer. I wonder if the people of WES will ever vote for this man one day.

    Reply
  • LOJUBA
    LOJUBA

    Governor warns rebel groups not to attack W. Equatoria
    Mr. BUSH sometimes I like the way you are dropping out the truth, but please stop mentioning Riak’s Nmae as Ugly as you though .

    Thanks bro

    Reply
  • Ker.
    Ker.

    Governor warns rebel groups not to attack W. Equatoria
    if mr.governor was to be honest in his speech, why he should not detected the insurgency activities in his own state before the SPLA security intervened? again what is this so called Arrow boys in S/Sudan-Congolese bush? Bakosoro must explain himself farther although Mr. Governor is innocent, then he is lacking co.operation in his state esp. commissioners and payam administators

    Reply
  • Sala Gai
    Sala Gai

    Governor warns rebel groups not to attack W. Equatoria
    It was a surprise when I heart about Mr. Sule former Minister of GOSS had rebel against the Gov’t of Juba, and as we known actual in mind that the chance change from you to your brother as position is divided not to be there all time as your home

    Even you guys whoever commenting in this website try learn about good politic as I do, As we shall can learn of you whenever known politics to play

    Reply
  • Dinka Dominated SPLA/M
    Dinka Dominated SPLA/M

    Governor warns rebel groups not to attack W. Equatoria
    With that sprite Bush? you will one day rule W Equatoria. It is for intelligency to piont out the wrong people who committed crimes at all times.
    It is like Us Dinkas. we don’t cover up any one who committed crimes even though if they are Dinkas and that is why God alway reward us with leadership. thank you for knowing that Riek machar is the one bring LRA to W Equatoria. thank you man.

    Reply
  • Bush
    Bush

    Governor warns rebel groups not to attack W. Equatoria
    @Ker.
    You are either made or you just don’t understand the contents of his speech, it says First he advised Sule not to rebel, second he sent the SPLA and with the help of the community he (Sule) was arrested. The LRA is not there where he was arrested so the arrow-boys are inactive. What explanations do you need further?

    Reply
  • Bush
    Bush

    Governor warns rebel groups not to attack W. Equatoria
    @Dinka Dominated SPLA/M

    There is no need to harbor and keep on praising the criminals. Anyone who committed a crime against the people of South Sudan in one way or the other will eventually be brought to justice one day.

    Reply
  • Dinka Dominated SPLA/M
    Dinka Dominated SPLA/M

    Governor warns rebel groups not to attack W. Equatoria
    He is not mad but he is luck of understanding english or he is just write shit without reading it.
    So called Ker is dumb and uneducated person in south sudan how could you blame the Governor who direct the army to cupture the rebel leader or you are so blind to write the otherside of the well job done by the authorities to punshed nyagat old man and arab pupet.

    Reply
  • Ker.
    Ker.

    Governor warns rebel groups not to attack W. Equatoria
    ahha Bush and Dinka dominated whatever

    you are proved with your names
    please read my article careful before attacking me.
    NB state security must be grantee to a governor

    Reply
  • pabaak
    pabaak

    Governor warns rebel groups not to attack W. Equatoria
    its good example to other states who have numbers of renegades, if Citizen had cooperated with security agents in this way we could have safe many lives lost in Johnglei, Unity and Upper Nile, but in stead they harbored them and as a results they bring terror to themselves.

    Reply
  • Dinka Dominated SPLA/M
    Dinka Dominated SPLA/M

    Governor warns rebel groups not to attack W. Equatoria
    Ker Ugly MOUgly go and read it again if you have an english to understood the word befor you defence the case that you lost.
    What is wrong with you if you accepted the depeat man. you haven’t read the artical at all, you was just comment on the title. don’t disput it brother. say Amen to Mr Bush who is trying to explained it to you. i don’t have time to teach fool.

    Reply
  • Master
    Master

    Governor warns rebel groups not to attack W. Equatoria
    At a military hospital in town, several soldiers a week are admitted after attempting suicide. “People are under pressure to support their families,” says Akim Nyuon Yach, who has to perform dental work on many of the would-be suicide patients after they have tried to shoot themselves under the jaw. “They can’t envision their future. Now that war is over, they don’t see the purpose of their lives”

    Reply
  • Master
    Master

    Governor warns rebel groups not to attack W. Equatoria
    TIME Magazine
    Birth Pains of a Nation: South Sudan’s Problematic Boom
    By Krista Mahr / Juba Tuesday, Nov. 08, 2011

    http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2098731,00.html

    Reply
  • Red Army
    Red Army

    Governor warns rebel groups not to attack W. Equatoria
    Great move by the governor, but he seems to had been approached too in the deliberation of the rebellion because he sound like he had involved in the conversation with Sule. Again, this peter was kidding or he does not had a military experience. why would he rebelled and make himself vulnerable to arrest in such a shameful way. poor equatoria can’t fight and hide..

    Reply
  • Bush
    Bush

    Governor warns rebel groups not to attack W. Equatoria
    @Red Army

    Sule is an idiot, he doesn’t not know the bush and has no experience in guerrilla war fare.He would have asked Hon Lado Gori or Martin Kenyi for advise but he stubbornly decided to act alone. This is not how people should rebel, first of all you need to start such things from your area to get support not from neighbors.

    Reply
  • omoni jr.
    omoni jr.

    Governor warns rebel groups not to attack W. Equatoria
    Red Army,
    “poor Equatoria can’t fight and hide”
    what are you trying to tell us here in your incomplete statement? Peter Abdul Rahaman was captured and detained by Equatorian security intellegent from the office the governor with the help of the SPLA forces.It is NOT like other rebels from other states in which the tribes men protect their rebel and called them heroes.It IS not here in Equatoria .

    Reply
  • Madina Tonj
    Madina Tonj

    Governor warns rebel groups not to attack W. Equatoria
    Dr. Riek Machar Teny and Dr. Lam Akol are the one who created rebellion and Salva Kiir did another mistake to appointed Riek Machar instead of choosing James Hoth Moi and many others in Nuer. George Athor Dut was not only made rebellion because of governor issue but because he saw Salva Kiir is giving away all opportunities to those who have been harming SPLA movement and so who would you blame?

    Reply
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