13/07/2025
CAUSE OF AROK THON's DEATH😭😭
In 1998, a plane left Khartoum heading to Malakal and then Bor. On board were CDR Arok Thon Arok and the Vice President of Sudan at that time, Gen. Muhammad Salah Zubier. While in the air, a serious argument broke out between them. The disagreement was about a plan by the Sudanese government (NIF) to build concentration camps across South Sudan. These camps were meant to block the SPLM/A from getting support and supplies. Gen. Zubier asked CDR Arok to begin this plan in Bor, his hometown. CDR Arok strongly refused, and the argument became violent.
It is reported that CDR Arok shot Gen. Zubier in the head during the fight. In return, Gen. Zubier’s bodyguards shot and killed CDR Arok. The pilot was also hit in the chaos, and the plane lost control and crashed. Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin, who was sitting at the back of the plane, was the only survivor. He was later found unconscious in the wreckage near the Sobat River in Upper Nile. Dr. Lam wrote about the incident in his book.
The photo below is of the late CDR Arok Thon Arok. Even though he faced many political challenges, including being jailed in 1987, he stayed loyal to the cause of South Sudan’s freedom. He remained committed to the SPLM/A’s goals until his last breath on that tragic flight. CDR Arok is remembered as one of the founding fathers of our nation. May he rest in eternal peace.
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