![May Arok Thon Arok. [Photo by Al Jazeera]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sudanspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/May-Arok.png?resize=850%2C457&ssl=1)
In February 1998, a Sudanese military plane carrying the country’s first vice-president Gen. Zubeir Mohamed Saleh and other senior government and military officials including Arok Thon Arok crashed at Nasir town of the presence day South Sudan.
Then information minister Brigadier Mohamed Kheir – one of the few survivors – said the plane came down due to bad weather.
The rebel SPLA led by Dr. John Garang claimed it downed the plane, but then rushed to withdrew the claim.
Speaking in a documentary aired by Al Jazeera on Friday, May Arok Thon Arok said she believes her father’s death and the whole incident was pre-planned because she was was informed of the risk his father’s life would be in taking the trip.
“I can say that it was planned accident because prior to my father’s departure, someone called me and told me that it is me only who can convince my father,” she said.
“He told me that my father should not take tomorrow’s trip. I came at around 5:00PM after taking his dinner and entered to him and he told me that ‘I am travelling’ going to Bor, Malakal. I told him not to take that trip and he said that nothing and he would go.
“After the incident, I remembered the advice that I should advice my father against going and that I understood that it was an orchestrated accident,” she added, claiming that she had information of fire exchange between Zubeir and her father’s bodyguard.
But Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin one of the survivors of the plane crash who was then a senior government official having joined the Khartoum regime alongside Riek Machar in 1997 denied claims of fire exchange within the plane and said it was purely a weather issue.
“There was no exchange of power inside the plane, these are just speculations and it is baseless,” he told the Al Jazeera.
![Chairperson of Jonglei Civil Society Network (JCSN) and Executive Director of INTREPID South Sudan (ISS) Bol Deng Bol. [Photo courtesy]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sudanspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/335406012_1173859383281591_4225055987247768993_n.jpg?resize=120%2C86&ssl=1)
![SPLM Secretary for External Affairs Bol Makueng speaks to reporters during a press conference held at the SPLM House in Juba on Tuesday, 21, March 2023 [Photo by Sudans Post]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sudanspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/SPLM-1-1.jpg?resize=120%2C86&ssl=1)
Gen. Arok’s Death was purely planned by some Government individuals who later on went cry with his relatives .
Sudanese Government made a conspiracies with Southerners who later on signed an agree with Sudanese Government of President Bashir .
Southern Sudanese who were serving in the Government of Sudan confide to Sudanese President Bashir that the existence and roles of Arok in the Sudanese Government is a risky idea and plan which need to be gotten ride in a well designed way a plan which didn’t take time to be implemented.
This plan was seen by some Southern Sudanese who detected how the investigation was carried out by the Government .
Southern Sudanese who would have been a good witness of what had happened got briefed to the point that they were denying the plan made by Khartoum Government and use weather as their escape goal .
Thr news of Arok ‘Death came to the people of Southern Sudanese like an earthquake it was really a great shock to hear such a brave man with a lion heart .
Bashir Government briefed those Southern Sudanese who were in the scene , up to date no survivor had ever tells the how did the plan they were travelling in came down .
Long live Gen. Arok Thon Arok .
Long Live Man of People .