The Martyrs’ Day: Arok Thon Arok

Arok Thon Arok was a politician from Southern Sudan. He first served in the Sudanese military before he joined the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in 1983. He defected to the Sudanese government after his satisfaction with the Sudan People Liberation Army. He was therefore, given the 5th position in the high-ranking command of the SPLA before his defection.

Biography

Commander Arok Thon Arok was a Dinka Bor from the Twic community of Kongor. He is known by some to be related to Dr. John Garang De Mabior. Commander Arok was in Kongor in 1984 to 1985 as the regional commander for Bor. He almost died of thirst between Juba and Bor when he and his troops travelled in an area where there was no water. He patiently, endured and survived the trauma. He was succeeded by Commander Kuol Manyang Juuk as the leader in Bor. Commander Arok Thon Arok had a strong personality. He had some disagreements with the leadership of Dr. John Garang. In 1987 his wife died and he went to London to place his children in school.

Imprisonment

Rumors had it that Commander Arok was imprisoned and later dismissed by Dr. John Garang de Mabior after he secretly made an agreement with the Sudanese government officials in London. His plan was to overthrow Dr. Garang and lead SPLA back to Sudan. Despite such act of trying to overthrow Dr. Garang, he never meant to betray Southern Sudan. He was one of the commanders under whom safety and protection was experienced by the SPLA soldiers.

Return to Sudan

In early 90s Commander Arok Thon Arok returned to Khartoum. He was known as the leader of Twic/Tuic East group which was part of the Khartoum Peace Agreement signed by Dr. Riek Machar and the Sudanese government.

Death

Commander Arok Thon Arok left Khartoum with the first Vice-president of Sudan, Major General Zubair Mohamed Salih, to the little town called Nasir near Malakal. He and other officers perished as the plane plunged into the Sobat River. The following were in that ill-fated plane. First Vice President Zubeir. Commander Arok Thon Arok. Governor Tongyiik Tut. Colonel Elijah Manyok Lual, Mr. Gang Chol Joak and Dr.Lam Akol who managed to escape and survived the tragedy. Commander Arok Thon Arok Continues to be one of the respected Southern Sudanese politicians in the history of Sudan’s politics.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arok_Thon_Arok

The Plane Crash that Killed Arok Thon Arok

On February 12, 1998 Dr. Timothy Tutlam the former governor of Upper Nile was killed in a plane crash in a failed landing at Nasir airport 800 km South East of Khartoum airport near the Ethiopian border. The plane was carrying 57 senior military and political leaders, including Arok Thon Arok, one of the most prominent former rebels, whose group signed the peace accord with Khartoum, was among the 26 people killed.

The plane apparently tried to land on a small runway in the town of Nasir about 435 miles from the capital near the Sobat River a tributary of the White Nile and not far from the Ethiopian border.

The pilot lost control at the Nasir airport runway, and slide into the Sobat River, and then twenty six people out of fifty seven passengers were drowned in river, including father Dr. Timothy.

Here are the names of the Sudanese officials who were killed in plane crashed:

1. Lt-Gen al-Zubair Muhammad, the first vice president of republic of Sudan
2. Brig Arok Thon Arok, the South Sudan United Democratic Salvation Front, signatory of the Khartoum peace agreement
3. Musa Sidahmed, the director of the Supreme Council for Peace Engineer
4. Muhammad Ahmed Taha, the head of States’ Development & Peace Organization
5. Police Maj-Gen Dirar Abdullah Abbas
6. Lt-Col al-Fatih Nurein, the deputy head of palace protocol
7. Osman Ibrahim Bura’ie, Zubeir’s secretary
8. Lt-Col Jamal Fagiri, the director of al-Zubair’s Office
9. Security Lt-Col Abdallah Babikir
10. Security officer Abd al-Rahman al-Bagir
11. Police Col Elija Manok
12. Dr Timothy Tutlan, the Upper Nile Governor
13. Abd al-Salaam Suleiman, Islamic
14. Organization Officer Abdallah Babikir,
15. General Security Forces Brig Taha al-Mahi
16. Lt-Col Fath al-Rahman al-Sadiq
17. Hashim al-Haj, television journalist
18. al-Hadi Sidahmed, television journalist
19. Mutasim Rustum
20. Samuel Fashoda and so more>> >>

http://www.nasircommunityassociation.net/DrTimothyText.htm

SUDAN: SPLA withdraws claims responsibility for plane crash

The rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) today retracted earlier claims that its forces shot down a plane carrying high-ranking Sudanese officials yesterday, killing First Vice-President Al Zubair Mohammed Saleh and other prominent personalities. AFP quoted an SPLA spokesman in Nairobi, Justin Arop, as saying the plane was “hit by SPLA fire” and crashed near Wau in Bahr el Ghazal state. However, the Sudanese government said the plane crashed near Nasir on the Ethiopian border after making a forced landing due to bad weather. Another SPLA spokesman, John Luk, withdrew the claims today, Reuters reported.

The plane apparently slid off a runway into the Sobat river at Nasir. According to Arop, the plane was due to land at Wau – where there has been heavy fighting between the rebels and government troops – before going on to the government-held town of Juba. Media reports say former rebel Arok Thon Arok, a signatory of the 1997 peace agreement, also died in the crash, while Lam Akol of the pro-government SPLA-United was reported wounded. Burials took place in Khartoum today. IPS reports today that contrary to rumour, Riak Machar – president of the south Sudan Coordination Council – was not on board. There were reportedly 57 people on board the plane of whom 31 died – many by drowning when the plane sank into the river.

http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Hornet/irin354.html

Arok Thon Arok Killed: BBC

A Sudanese plane carrying senior military and political leaders has crashed in southern Sudan, killing a number of people on board.

Among the dead is the Sudanese Vice-President, Al-Zubair Muhammad Saleh.

Correspondents describe him as a crucial link between the Sudanese army and the National Islamic Front, the dominant political force in the country.

Officials were visiting southern front 

Al-Zubair Muhammad Saleh

The officials were on a visit to the war front in southern Sudan, where government forces are fighting rebels seeking autonomy for the region.

Sudanese television said the plane crashed into a river as it tried to land in bad weather near Malakal, eight hundred kilometres south of Khartoum.

Two government Ministers, including the Information Minister, Brigadier Mohamad Kheir, were among the survivors.

Sudanese radio broadcast a statement by Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir announcing the news.

“The nation lost some of its devoted sons and leaders,” the statement said.

“One of those martyred is the honourable person, the dear brother Lt Gen al-Zubair Muhammad Salih, First Vice President.”

Death may affect peace accord

A correspondent for the BBC in Khartoum says the vice-president was the driving force in persuading six southern rebel factions to defect to the government side last April, and signed the peace accord on the government’s behalf.

One of the rebel signatories, Arok thon Arok, died with him in the crash, as did another leading government official involved in the peace process.

The correspondent says the death of these people, coming just a week after one of the rebel leaders, Cherubino Kwanyin Bol, re-defected to the rebel cause, leaves few surviving signatories of the accord and calls its future into question.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/56007.stm