SOUTH SUDAN MOURNS CRASH VICTIMS
May 3, 2008 (Juba Miraya) - The Southern Sudan government officials and hundreds of citizens gathered today at the Juba international airport to pay tribute to caskets of the late Presidential Advisor on Decentralization, Dr. Justin Yac Arop and the Minister of the SPLA Affairs in the government of southern Sudan, Lt. General Dominic Dim Deng.
The President of the government of South Sudan Salva Kiir headed the mourning ceremony at the airport, but did not make any public statement. The SPLA Chief of Staffs Lt. General Oyai Deng described the incident as tragic and added that he believes “there was no human hand involved in the incident”.
Other bodies that were also brought to Juba included the two crew members of the crashed plane and the wives of the Presidential Advisor and the Minister. The governor of the Lakes State, Daniel Awet Akot, said that the other people who died in the plane crash will be transported to Wau and later to different counties for burial.
Burial of the Presidential Advisor and the Minister of the SPLA Affairs is expected to take place on Sunday in Juba. The government of southern Sudan declared three day public mourning in the south for the victims of the plane crash.
Speaking to Miraya FM, the Director General of Governance Affairs in the government of southern Sudan, Afram Wani Peter, called on all the governmental institutions in the country to lower down all the flags on top of their infrastructures. Mr. Peter also called on all the FM stations broadcasting in the south to cease airing music of joy as a respect to the victims of the crash.
The First vice President and President of the Government of Southern Sudan, Lt. Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit, called on for investigations on the plane crash. Mr. Kiir said “there is no meaningful reason for the plane, besides the engine technical problem”. The President of the government of southern Sudan said that “this is saddest plane crash for the Sudan People’s Liberation Army/Movement.
In Khartoum, the Presidency of the Republic expressed deep sorrow over the death of the Presidential Adviser of the Government of South Sudan, Justin Yac, and the Minister of the Sudan People's Liberation Army Affairs, Lt. Gen. Dominic Dim Deng, who died in the plane crash on their way from Wau to Juba. President Omer Al-Bashir and the Chairman of the National Congress Party, and his deputies expressed condolence to the families of the victims, the Government of Sudan and the southern Sudanese people on the death.
A military and political delegation from the Government of National Unity is expected to have left Khartoum today for Juba to pay their condolence to the government of southern Sudan and the SPLM leading officials. On Friday, a plane belonging to Southern Sudan Air Connection Company (Beech-craft 1900) crashed and burst into flame when approaching Rumbek in the Lakes State.
According to a senior air operations official in Rumbek, there is no survivor among the 21 passengers on board. The pilot of the Kenya registered plane had told the control tower in Rumbek that one of the engines had developed technical problems and asked for permission to land in Rumbek.
But after few minutes later the tower lost communications with the plane. Lt. Gen. Dominque Dim Deng, the Minister of the SPLA Affairs in the government of southern Sudan is considered as one of the most prominent figures in the south which died in the plane crash.
