October 17, 2007
Apology to Bob
A few days ago, Reuters had to publish a correction because I misspelled the Libyan city of Sirte as Sert in a story. I felt pretty bad about it at the time.
Then I read this apology/correction on the front page of today’s Khartoum Monitor. And things kind of slipped back into perspective. [By the way, I have renamed the target of the apology as ‘Bob’ so I don’t repeat the libels against him. Another man has been re-christened Tom for the same reason. Let's just say Bob and Tom are both big in South Sudan.]
Apology to Bob
Khartoum Monitor Oct 17, 2007In its issue number 1289, volume 6 July 14, 2007 (wrongly dated July 14, 2005), on page 6, Khartoum Monitor carried an article entitled South Sudan: Bob takes over the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA).
In the article, which was posted on the internet by Sudan Today in its issue no V, very many serious allegations were made against Bob.
These include:
- Charges that Bob is the greatest traitor that South Sudan has ever known.
- Accusations that Bob is the deadliest enemy of the SPLA.
- Allegations that Tom is a henchman of Bob.
- Allegations that Bob and Tom together conspired on how to stage a coup against Dr John Garang, especially after Bob fell out with Dr John Garang.
- Charges that Bob embarked on a vicious path to topple or kill John Garang.
- Charges that Bob agitated his followers in the SPLA-controlled areas to shoot John Garang in the head.
- Charges that Bob engaged himself in foul-mouthed talk against Salva calling him a simpleton and ranker who came to power by chance.
- Allegations that Bob slaughtered two bulls in his house in Khartoum to mark the occasion of the appointment of Tom.
- Accusations that Bob does not care for Salva’s security and is pursuing the National Congress Party agenda.
- Allegations that Bob’s agenda is to assume leadership of the Southern Sudan.
- Charges that Bob is the NCP-chosen candidate for Southern Sudan.
- Allegations that Bob’s only obstacle to leadership is the SPLA.
- Accusations that Bob slaughtered bulls because he had taken over the SPLA by proxy.
- Charges that a Bob leadership would provide protection to the killers of Dr John Garang.
- Accusations that the new SPLA will be shaped and disciplined according to the liking of Tom and Bob.
- Charges that Bob is working to split the SPLM.
- Charges that Bob had a hand in the deaths of William Deng Nhial, Joseph Garang and John Garang.
- Allegations that whoever disagrees with Bob meets a tragic death. That Bob quarrelled with William Deng Nhial and that quarrel never ended until Dengh was assassinated in mysterious circumstances in 1968. That Bob hated Joseph Garang from the late 1960s until 1971 and their quarrel never ended until Joseph Garang was slaughtered. That from 1999 to 2005, Bob picked up enmity with John Garang. He publicly advocated Garang’s shooting and spent years travelling between Nairobi and Kampala. He never rested until he saw the coffin of John Garang laid to rest in Juba.
All these allegations, charges and accusations are completely false and we are sorry we published the article. We sincerely apologise to Bob for the article that tarnished his reputation.
Posted by aheavens at October 17, 2007 3:11 PM
Comments
LOL.
This sounds like the kind of 'allegations' you'd read in a weekly Ethiopian news paper.
Except nobody will bother to 'apologize', and most likely any one of the Editor of the newspaper, the reporter, Tom or Bob will end up in jail in months to follow.
Posted by: Tobian at October 17, 2007 6:20 PM
Ha ha ha. I laughed for a long time. Until I wondered whether it was Robert Mugabe. Then I stopped.
Posted by: Rob Crilly at October 17, 2007 11:01 PM
wow, that's terrible. seems like KM is something of a pretty established paper there - how does something so false get published? I wonder if Bob could expect any other compensation aside from what appears a hollow apology.
Posted by: Mengesha at October 18, 2007 7:05 PM