South Sudan's National Security Service (NSS) arrested the former caretaker governor of Northern Bahr el Ghazal state Kuel Aguer Kuel this morning, according to a family member.
The comes after a coalition of civil society groups launched a public campaign to demand political change in the country, declaring: "We have had enough".
On July 30, the People's Coalition for Civil Action (PCCA) said it wanted South Sudanese to mobilise and "make their voices heard", warning that if nothing changed, the country could be heading back to war.
It is the first time in South Sudan's history that such a call for public action has been made and by such a broad cross-section, including academics, civil society, think tanks and former senior government officials.
Mr. Kuel Aguer Kuel signed the declaration as a representative of the South Sudan intellectuals group. The other signatories include civil society activist Rajab Mohandis and Abraham Awolich, a renowned researcher from national think-tank the Sudd Institute.
Awut Kuel Kuel, a close family member, told Radio Tamazuj this afternoon that Mr. Kuel Aguer Kuel had been arrested by authorities in the capital Juba.
“I have been informed about Kuel’s arrest this morning but we don’t know what the problem was. These things are connected with the government,’’ Awut Kuel said. “We heard that Kuel has signed a certain document, but it is not clear what did he say about the government, so we don’t know until now.”
Government officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
According to sources, Kuel was arrested alongside other people. It is not clear who else was arrested and why they are arrested. Radio Tamazuj will keep you updated as this story develops.