Sudan’s SPLA denies loss of classified documents

By: Ngor Arol Garang
August 8, 2009 (KADUGLI) — The Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) today denied media reports about secret documents that were lost.
Yesterday the Sudanese Media Center (SMC) website widely considered to be run by intelligence bureau said that a bag carrying classified documents including 2 CD’s containing information on the Sudanese army and the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) have gone missing.
The SMC that the SPLA intelligence unit have stepped up monitoring of the Sudanese army and the Joint Integrated Unity (JIU) intelligence following the incident.
Furthermore, the report said that First Lieutenant named Ingor from the Shilluk tribe was arrested along with a driver and security detail after cameras showed them to be in the office where the bag was kept.
Speaking to Sudan Tribune by phone from Juba, SPLA spokesman, Major General Kuol Deim Kuol, said that they have “thoroughly crossed checked” their records and archives to find that “there is no such thing like having lost any important document”.
“There is no loss of such important documents or CD’s in any SPLA unit nor did SPLA military intelligence arrest any officer with his guard and driver,” he said.
General Kuol who also added that the military intelligence have never issued any directive to its personnel to intensify intelligence work in the government organized forces and/or JIU intelligence.
The SPLA official accused Khartoum intelligence of being behind this push in media to publish “unverified information to tarnish professional storage of all SPLA files and documents”.
Kuol claimed told that several newspapers operating in Khartoum and Juba who were threatened in the on Friday night by Sudanese intelligence and security service to “at least publish this information today on Saturday”, but that many of the “ethics driven newspapers refused to published it as they knew it was a concocted story against SPLA,”.
“I urged media to remain professional and exercise neutrality in all their reporting. Such information should have been verified using methods of investigative journalism,” he commented.
(ST)