The spokesperson for the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) in Western Bahr el Ghazal State on Friday dismissed allegations by the newly appointed state minister of agriculture.
On 1 February, Minister Valentina Akech Akuar who belongs to the SPLM-IO was attacked and survived being killed by four armed men who stormed his house in Wau Town’s New Site suburb.
He told Radio Tamazuk on Monday that he managed to run away and was rescued by the emergency police. He said he believes the attempt on his life is linked to the issue of representation in the state government.
“Since I was appointed on 29 January, I have been staying in my house in the New Site suburb of Wau Town. On 1 February at 2 p.m., four people came on two motorbikes, corked their guns, and ordered us to come out of the house,” he narrated at the time. “When I saw that there was a security threat, I ran towards the police station and they started shouting that I should be caught but I ran to the house of one my relatives and before I entered they shot at me. When I entered the house, they left.”
Minister Akech added: “I heard that the problem is the issue of representation and some people said that positions have all gone to Wau North but the position of the ministry went to Wau North and the commission to Wau South and the representation is okay.”
The police later identified two SPLA-IO senior officers, Brigadier James Agany Malim and Colonel David Dak Madiet, as those who were suspected to have planned the attack on the minister’s house.
Reacting to the police’s statement, the SPLA-IO state spokesperson, Uku Manewee, said the SPLA-IO officers went to Minister Akech’s house to rescue him after he was attacked by armed criminals. He states that upon the arrival of the SPLA-IO duo, the criminals started firing bullets toward the minister who was fleeing and the latter could not differentiate between the attackers and rescuers.
“Our senior SPLA-IO officers went to the minister’s house as a rescue team and they were not part of the criminals. However, upon their arrival at the house, the criminals started shooting and both of them ran away but the statement of the minister claimed that these people (officers) went to attack him. This is not true,” he explained. “No one can harm his person. The minister is aware of their tribal issues between Wau South and Wau North where he hails from and it does not concern the SPLA-IO officers because they are our internal security and cannot act as the minister said.”
According to Manewee, Minister Akech was appointed on the SPLM-IO ticket and the same party cannot be against and harm him.