JUBA – Security forces in Northern Bahr el Ghazal’s capital Aweil have stormed Mathiang Square and destroyed tents erected by opposition officials in preparation for launch of the SPLM-IO secretariat in there tomorrow, according to a senior opposition and government official.
Bol Akuar Gamar, minister of youth and sport for Northern Bahr el Ghazal and senior member of the main armed opposition official told Sudans Post this evening that they were at Mathiang Square preparing tents for tomorrow’s event when heavily-armed security forces of two platoons appeared to disrupt the erection of tents.
“We went to Mathiang Square for the purpose of preparing for the launch of SPLM-IO state secretariat in Northern Bahr el Ghazal tomorrow. When we went there, a force from the army came and told us that they had directives that they must not be a tent erected here and the directives came from the higher authorities,” he said.
“We told them ok, we will see who are those ‘higher authorities’ and later on, the acting national security chief in Northern Bahr el Ghazal came with provocative manners and said that we are not allowed to do anything here and told us to throw away our tents. They took the tents and throw them away,” he added.
The senior opposition official said security forces later arrived at 6:00PM and deployed in a provocative manner along with the acting national security chief for Northern Bahr el Ghazal State and throw away the tents.
“We remained there. At 6:00PM, two platoons came and deployed around the square told us that to leave and that they don’t want anyone there. We told them how, we told them there is an ongoing function near the square, they should first stop that function. Stop that that function before coming to us.
“When one of the SPLM-IO cadres who was with us tried to talk, a soldier came and told him to stop and that it is not our time. I told the soldier why are you talking that way to a constitutional post holder. From there, they directed their guns against us and tried to remove us by force,” he added.
