By Lemi Stephen

Khartoum, Sudan, 22 May April 2008 - The SPLM were having their convention when the south received some sad news that there was a plane crush. All twenty one people on board the South Sudan Air were reported dead in a tragic incident as a result of engine failure 30 minutes after the plane took off this morning from Rumbek Air strip at around 10:30 A.M.

The plane was on its way to Juba the seat of the government of south Sudan , when this unfortunate incident took place between Rumbek and Warap at around 11:00 A.M said a reliable source. Among the dead were nineteen senior government employee including SPLA Minister Dominic Din, Mr. Justin Yak Arop senior government (GOSS) advisor and a number of military and civil servants beside the captain and crew.

The government of south Sudan declared a three days mourning to grieve for the lost of those gallant patriots who just vanished this morning never to be seen again. The issue of plane crush is worrying many in Sudan , for there is an un- explained mystery of plane crush involving senior government employee from time to time.

Some few incidents we can recall are a helicopter crush which killed Abu Geseisha a senior government official on a peace mission to Malakal and some top military personnel, not long after and plane crushed killing the then 1st Vice President Zubeir Mohamed Saleh, Colonel Arop Thon Arop and many others who were also on a peace mission to Malakal, but the former Foreign Minister Dr. Lam Akol happened to escape death narrowly in that same plane crush. It didn't take long another plane crushed in Aderiel one of the oil fields killing senior military generals; all these take place without any explanation at all other than that there were technical faults.

The question is, are the technical faults only waiting for senior government officials?

As if all these incidents were not enough another tragic one took place on top of Imatong ranges killing the hero of peace Dr. John Garang de Mabior. Funny enough a plane carrying Mr. Salva Kiir the 1st Vice President and President of the government of south Sudan few days after taking office was reported to have fault and could not land at Rumbek, rumor had it that the plane had already crushed many in the country panicked for fear that some violent conflict would erupted as were during the death of Dr. Garang in Khartoum, good enough nothing happened and Mr. Kiir appeared on Radio and T.V and that calmed the situation.

Source: Somaliland Times