General News

S Sudanese rebels release Tanzanian pilot

Date: Jan 3, 2017

A Tanzanian pilot accused by South Sudan’s opposition, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLA-IO), of being sent by the South Sudan government to unwittingly spy on the opposition has been released.

The pilot, Mohammed Nasser, and the Payinjiar county commissioner Peter Gatkoi who was aboard the chartered plane, were detained by the South Sudanese rebels after the plane landed in an armed opposition area on December 28.

“The Tanzanian Pilot who was sent by the Juba regime to the SPLM-IO liberated territories without his knowledge, believing he would be harmed for their propaganda purposes, has been released today with his plane on humanitarian grounds,” Garang Mabior, the armed opposition’s director for public relations, said in a statement, the Sudan Tribune has reported.

However, Mabior dismissed reports that the opposition had released the pilot in hopes that he would be exchanged for rebel leader Dr Riek Machar’s Spokesperson James Dak who is currently being detained by the authorities in the capital Juba.

“There was never such a demand. This is just usual propaganda of Juba to think that The United Republic of Tanzania is supporting our movement, when no such thing exists,” the statement further added.

Mabior added that South Sudan President Salva Kiir wanted to turn the incident into a diplomatic drama.

--ANA--
 

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