President Museveni: State House Refutes South Sudan Rebel Assassination Claim
Unfortunate. Kampala says George Athor was travelling with a forged Kenyan passport by the name of Samuel Otieno when he was shot dead on Monday.
Uganda yesterday described as “statement of enemies” allegations by South Sudan’s rebel groups that Kampala masterminded the killing of their leader, George Athor.
Athor, according to South Sudan Vice President Riek Machar, was gunned down in combat with the country’s border patrol contingent in Morobo County in Central Equatorial State, which neighbours Uganda and DR Congo.
The South Sudan’s Democratic Movement/Army (SSDM/A), in excerpts of a statement published online by Sudan Tribune on Tuesday (http://www.sudantribune.com/General-Athor-s-life-comes-to-an,41051), disputed the official account and said “President Museveni killed George Athor”.
“He was killed by Ugandans and Museveni will dearly pay for that. The SSLA and SSDA will teach Museveni a lesson he will never forget,” the statement read in part.
The renegade SPLA general, according to his group, flew to Entebbe on Saturday aboard an unspecified “Ugandan plane” for a meeting with President Museveni planned for Sunday. State House would neither confirm nor deny the reported meeting took place.
The rebels said they lost touch with the general at the weekend only for them to see pictures of his dead body on South Sudan TV on Monday.
Fake allegations
Presidential Spokesman Mirundi Tamale told this newspaper by telephone that “President Museveni has been involved in many reconciliation efforts across Africa, and does not believe in assassination of enemies”.
“It (the allegation) is not true, said Mr Tamale, “It does not bear any reality to our historical links.”
During the war with Khartoum, Uganda supported SPLA, in which Athor was a Lieutenant General, culminating in the July inauguration of South Sudan as the world’s newest state. And ethnic groups on either side of the border share common heritage.
Mr Tamale yesterday said the allegations peddled by South Sudan’s rebel groups are “statements of enemies who want to drag the name of the President (Museveni) in their conflict”.
“In any case, he was not fighting Uganda but South Sudan. So why would Uganda kill him?”
He said Athor, whose followers said boarded a plane to Uganda, could have at the same time died in combat inside South Sudan, as acknowledged by Juba officials, only if he was a “ghost”.
Both SSLA and SSDA, reported to be close to a merger, offered no specific evidence even when claiming that he was executed by Ugandan security and his corpse dumped in Morobo.
Army Spokesman Felix Kulayigye said they have no involvement with the South Sudan rebel groups.
A top Foreign Affairs ministry official said they were unaware of Athor’s reported visit “because we only deal with governments, not rebels”.
Athor turned into a rebel commander in April 2010 after losing Jonglei State’s gubernatorial ballot – a vote he alleged was stolen.
Dr Machar’s office said the renegade general had travelled from Rwanda and Uganda and appeared in Central Equatorial State on a recruitment drive when the border patrol contingent eliminated him.
He died together with Thomas Makuach, an American citizen of Sudanese ancestry, whom SSDA had said accompanied him for the Kampala meeting.
tbutagira@ug.nationmedia.com
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1294126/-/bfksfoz/-/
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