The Press Secretary of First Vice-President Riek Machar, Puok Both Baluang, has confirmed the release of several individuals who were arrested alongside Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol following recent tensions in Nasir, Upper Nile State.
Baluang told Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday that eight out of the 21 people detained by National Security Service agents had been freed, including relatives of the Petroleum Minister.
“We would like to confirm that eight individuals have been released out of the 21 people who were arrested together with the Minister of Petroleum, Puot Kang Chol,” Baluang said.
Those released include Nelson Malou Lueng Makeny, Kun Tut Gatluak, Peter Magong Degay, Koang Puok Thoat, and Biluny Puok Thoat, as well as Buay Thichuong Buoy, Yien Dak Kuach, and Bidit Hoth Guandong.
However, Baluang noted that the Minister for Petroleum and Gen. Duop Lam, the SPLA-IO Chief of General Staff, remain in detention. He reiterated the SPLM-IO’s call for their release, along with other detained members.
“We reiterate our call for the release of Puot Kang Chol, Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, Deputy CDF of the SSPDF; Mr. Camilo Gatmai Kel, former Office Manager in the Office of the First Vice President; and the other 20 SPLM/A-IO detainees,” he said.
Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, welcomed the release of the eight individuals but urged authorities to free the remaining detainees.
Yakani emphasized the importance of upholding the rule of law and respecting human rights, particularly amid political tensions among parties to the 2018 peace agreement.
“The leadership of the parties to the peace agreement should refrain from resolving their political differences through violence,” he said.
“What we witnessed following the Nasir violence and the change of leadership in Western Equatoria State is a clear demonstration of political immaturity and indiscipline,” Yakani added.
He warned that failure to take political responsibility for implementing the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) could lead to its collapse.
“The Presidency must be proactive in mitigating any major political misunderstandings among the peace partners,” Yakani stressed.
In recent weeks, tensions have escalated between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and those of First Vice President Riek Machar, who leads the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition (SPLM/A-IO).
The recent clashes between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and the White Army, a loosely organized armed youth group in Nasir County, Upper Nile State, prompted Kiir’s administration to intensify its crackdown on Machar’s allies.
Among those still detained are the Petroleum Minister and several senior military officials aligned with the First Vice President.