The commissioner of Akobo County in South Sudan’s Jonglei State has rejected his suspension by Governor Dr. Riek Gai Kok, calling the move unsubstantiated.
Commissioner Puok Nyang Tutjiek, a member of Riek Machar’s SPLM-IO party, was suspended over the weekend. The decision comes amid heightened tensions following the house arrest of Machar, the first vice president, in the capital, Juba, on March 26.
Akobo County has been a stronghold of Machar’s party since the 2013 civil war.
The governor, a member of President Salva Kiir’s SPLM party, accused Puok of calling for Machar’s release and other administrative violations.
Kiir and Machar signed a peace deal in 2018 that led to a unity government in 2020, but key provisions—including security reforms and plans for elections—remain unimplemented.
In an interview with Radio Tamazuj on Monday, Puok dismissed the suspension, saying the charges were unfounded.
“The four charges for my suspension are not genuine for a sitting governor to remove a commissioner,” he said.
Among the reasons cited were a trip to Ethiopia without the governor’s approval—though Puok said he had permission from the former deputy governor—and his public demand for Machar’s release.
“Machar is my chairman, and it is my right to demand his release,” he said.
He also denied wrongdoing for traveling within his county and welcoming a fellow commissioner seeking medical treatment.
Puok argued that the governor lacked authority to suspend him and suggested the move was politically motivated. “If Riek Machar remains under arrest, then there is no peace agreement,” he said.
Ter Manyang Gatwech, a Juba-based civil society activist, warned the suspension could further destabilize the Jonglei region. “This is a violation of the peace deal and could provoke the Lou Nuer community,” he said.