Garang helicopter wreckage, bodies found in remote southern Sudan

AFP report says the wreckage of a crashed Ugandan helicopter and the bodies of Sudanese Vice President John Garang and the 13 other people on board have been located in a remote area of southern Sudan, a Ugandan official said Monday.

The official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said a UN search team found the debris along with the bodies in an isolated region near Sudan's border with Kenya and Uganda.

"A UN team that went on the ground witnessed the wreckage," the official said. "It said that all people on board died."

In Nairobi, the deputy chief of Garang's Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) said the helicopter belonging to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni had crashed south of the town of New Kush.
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Garang's death

In quotes
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What bloggers are saying

+++ RIP Dr. John Garang DeMabior, a 60 year-old US educated economist who spent 40 years fighting in the bush and waged a 20-year long war on the regime in Khartoum at a cost of two million Sudanese lives. +++

Westminster Confessions in London [a small group of bloggers with first hand experience of life on the ground in Sudan] says it all so beautifully in a post entitled John Garang Dies [keep on scrolling there to see other posts on Sudan]:

"The fragile peace in Sudan is being reaffirmed by the Sudanese government, but the South will need a strong leader to step up and fill Garang's shoes. We grieve with our friends in New Sudan over their loss of this great man, peacemaker, and friend, and our prayers are with them as they look to the future."

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This list will be added to throughout the day:

Owukori Black Looks:
"John Garang is not the first African leader to die in a plane/helicopter accident - there will be many questions asked as to how this happened and more importantly if there was any foul play."

Mistletoe in Kuwait:
"Cause of crash here was bad weather too, but the part my brain can't handle is when you hear Al-Bashir stating after years of a bloody war that 'we never disagreed on any point'..... Am very confused. Must get that book."

Yasser Rihan in Cairo, Egypt:
"John Garang he's a warrior that fought all his life for the independence of souths sudan and when he got near to his dream and he got peace to south sudan he died,maybe millions will remember him and millions hated him but what everybody agrees about is that he'll always be remembered as a key figure and a key player in Sudan and in the world itself as he was behind the international pressure exposed on Sudan.Anyway when I look to those people I always remember whether you are a king or a misreable begger after death we're all equal only our work is what differs between people. May god help us all."

Mustapha at The Beirut Spring:
"The international community has to move fast to avoid another embarrassing repeat of Rwanda. What adds more to the urgency is the symbolic nature of the Sudan conflict: a fight between Moslems and Christians. This should end very quickly. God knows how little we need other Jihadists and Crusaders."

Chinese man in Beijing says today is a really horrible day for all the muslims of Sudan.

US blogger Rocket Jones:
"The article tries hard to be upbeat about the continuing prospects for peace, indicating that no Rwandan-style buildup to violence has been noted. Of course, no buildup was noticed in Rwanda either before almost one million people were massacred in three months. Everyone is saying the right words, but some things aren't adding up quite yet. It could be the confusion of the moment, and the situation may clear up as details emerge."

Raising Kaine in the USA:
"His flight's disappearance evoked memories of the 1994 downing of the airplane of Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana, who had been trying to implement a power-sharing deal between his fellow Hutus and the rival Tutsis. His death opened the doors to the Rwandan genocide in which more than 500,000 people were killed, following months of preparation by Hutu extremists."

US blogger Tim at bLogicus: "Considering that Northern Sudan has a terrible track record full of human rights violations (e.g., Darfur) and would certainly welcome the demise of the SPLM, it is incumbent upon those overseeing the peace process to conduct a full investigation into Garang's death. Garang survived a 21-year civil war but when peace came died in an aircraft accident, reportedly because of poor whether conditions. I'm suspicious."

Alluta, in the comments at Africa Resistance writes:
"Another source indicated that in an attempt to turn back to Uganda, the helicopter might have veered into what he called 'enemy territory' towards eastern Sudan, but no details were given. This part of Sudan is known to harbour Ugandan rebels known as the Lord's Resistance Army led by Joseph Kony. Yet, another version had it that the helicopter landed safely in another town not too far from Rumbek, from where Garang travelled by road to Juba. This account could not be confirmed."

From MarteyDodoo.com:
"I cannot help but think of the plane crash that killed Rwandan president Juvnal Habyarimana, which sparked the genocide there. I worry that if Garang's helicopter has crashed, suspicions that Khartoum was behind it, might derail the peace. The Washington Post had a good article today about the hopes of the people in southern Sudan for stability and development as a result of the new peace."

UK blogger Mick Hartley says of John Garang:
"He joins the list of African politicians killed in mysterious plane crashes, like Rwandan President Juvnal Habyarimana, whose death was the trigger for the Tutsi massacre, and Mozambique's Samora Machel."

American blogger Bill at Jewels in the Jungle in Germany writes:
"I am personally very saddened about the news of John Garang's death and concerned about the absence of any independent investigation into the crash by accredited international aviation accident experts. To make matters worse it wasn't 2 weeks ago that I was discussing the taking of office by John Garang in Khartoum with a friend of mine here. My friend, a devout Muslim from Senegal, and I rarely agree on global politics and issues and we have especially heated debates (near fistfights) about issues in Africa and the Middle East but on one opinion we were in complete harmony: If John Garang remains in Khartoum the Bashir regime there would kill him. Now he is dead, by an accident, they say."

Eugene at Coalition for Darfur asks:
"Why The Silence? I am just wondering why, as of 11:30 am, there have been no statements released by the State Department (here or here) or White House (here) on Garang's death." -- And Was It An Accident?

British blogger Keith has updates on Africa with news of Garth's idea called Bloggers Unite For Africa. Garth is trying to encourage bloggers to raise awareness and funds for the different crises in Africa such as Sudan and the Sahel food crisis that is hitting West African countries including Niger, and Burkina Faso. He is suggesting people do a yard sale or garage sale, and you can add your name to say you'd like to join in.

Bulletin at Genocide Intervention Fund.
Guardian Unlimited: Newsblog

Tags: Garang Sudan Darfur Africa Genocide Intervention Fund Black Looks Kuwait Guardian Cairo Guardian Cairo Beirut Beijing Rwanda Niger Burkina Faso