Garang’s widow speaks out on attempted coup

Ms Rebecca Garang.

Rebecca Garang, wife of South Sudan former president John Garang, broke her silence yesterday on the unrest in South Sudan, saying the coup plot tagged on her is “politically-motivated”

Speaking to the BBC, the widow, who is said to belong to the camp against President Salav Kiir said that she was not safe and had been put under house arrest.

“I’m in my house and it’s next to the house of President. As they were arresting these people, they were moving towards my house like an hour ago. I’m not really safe,” she said.

Ms Garang denied she participated in the thwarted coup.

“I don’t know how a politician or a civilian can make a coup. Coups are always made by army officers. But those people, who were arrested, are not army officers. They were politicians calling for democracy within our party,” she added.

She defended the suspended SPLM secretary general, Pagan Amum and the former vice president, Riek Machaar, saying they were calling for democratisation of the party and never participated in the alleged Coup de tat.

Ms Garang told BBC she didn’t know the whereabouts of Machaar and claimed that people from Nuer tribe, were being killed. “It’s very difficult to tell where he is”.

She claimed security operatives wanted to arrest her yesterday feared the recuperations. “They decided to keep me in the house and not go anywhere” she said.

Ms Garang remained at her house in Juba yesterday afternoon and sources in the city said President Kiir had ordered officials not to arrest her.

Meanwhil addressing journalists at his Nakasero office in Kampala yesterday, South Sudan Ambassador to Uganda, Samuel Luate Lominsuk said his government got concerned when sacked former Vice President and a host of other former SPLM leaders failed to attend the party’s meeting intensifying suspicion of their involvement in the coup.

“This 3rd extra ordinary session was to be attended by all the senior SPLM executives including Dr Riek Machar who is currently deputy chairperson of the party. However it turned out that Machar was not in attendance together with other senior members of the party who have issues to the chairmanship of the party” Amb. Luate said.

He added: “Motives for this group not attending the party’s session was not clear to the rest of the members who were in attendance”

He said it was within this juncture that they attempted to take control of the barracks in an attempt to secure weapons to carry out a coup against government.

The Juba government said it had arrested 10 people. Former ministers Oyay Deng Ajak, Geir Choung Aloung, Majak Agot, John Luk Jok, Cirino Hiteng, Koul Tong Mayai, Izekeli Lul, Deng Alor Koul, Madut Bier, Kosti Manibe.

They are searching for Riek Machar, Alfred Ladu Gore, Pagam Amum, Taban Deng Gai, Adwok Nyaba and Rebeca Garang.

President Salva Kiir yesterday met with leaders of rival Machar’s Nuer tribe in an effort to stop the situation from unravelling into an ethnic civil conflict. Dr Machar’s whereabouts remained unknown as were those of Rebecca Mabior Garang, his political ally and widow of South Sudan’s founding leader John Garang.

Earlier on Tuesday fighting was reported near the J1 presidential complex as well as near Dr Machar’s residence. The government confirmed that the house had been searched.

Fighting also raged on at the house of the Inspector General of Police Pieng Deng Majok where ex-ministers implicated in the attempted coup were detained, government officials said.

As calm slowly returned to the city mobile telephone services were restored. Air Uganda also announced via its twitter account, that it would resume flights in and out of Juba International Airport today, two days after it was shut down.

President Kiir accused former deputy Machar of plotting the failed coup. Gen. Kiir fired Dr Machar in July a few months after the two officials, who had been at loggerheads for a long time, fell out publicly.