Yel Deng Nguel, an advisor in the state government of Northern Bahr el Ghazal who is currently detained at Wunyiik military base, says he has refused to be transferred to Juba. Meanwhile, the state’s information minister says the state government is exerting efforts to secure Yel’s release and thinks he will be released soon.
Yel was arrested last week on the allegation that he was going to violently resist changes in the secretariat of the ruling party in the state. The order for his arrest allegedly came from the Chief of General Staff, General Paul Malong, who hails from the state and is himself involved in the power struggle for control of the state SPLM secretariat.
In an interview by phone Yel said, “Malong told [Division Commander] Santino Deng Wol that I should be transferred to Juba. Santino told me he had been ordered by Malong to act on orders but I told him I will not go. I will rather die than going to Juba.”
The official said the charges against him are baseless, saying people who made these fabrications purportedly told General Malong that he would slap him in a meeting if he introduced changes he and some of his colleagues do not like.
Yel said the cause of his arrest and that of the former deputy governor Arkenjelo Athian Teng Angok was due to objection to inclusion of people in the SPLM leadership meeting who were not members of the state liberation council.
He explained: “The cause of the arrest is a long story. First, [Police Commissioner] Akot Deng asked me support him in the bid to become chairperson of the SPLM in the state. I told him what about the person who has appointed me,” said Yel, referring to Caretaker Governor Kuel Aguer.
“This answer irritated him and he with some people went and tried to come up with the list of the people who would participate in the meeting. When that list was produced, we found the names of some people who are not members of the liberation council and never delegates of the congress. We then asked the basis for bringing people from outside the council to the meeting,” said Yel.
“This was not answered and when they saw there was no way out and it became a challenge, they decided to concoct stories that I said I am the one who can challenge Malong and I will slap him in the meeting if he insists on adding members from outside the council. These lies were reported to Malong and when he received these lies, he ordered Akot to arrest me and Athiandit.”
“When the order was given to us, I told him you cannot arrest me because you are not neutral in this matter. So he decided to call the military and we were sent military trucks to collect and brought us here.”
Meanwhile Wek Kuc, state minister of information and communications said on Saturday that the government had no hand in the arrest of the advisor and is exerting efforts to secure his release as soon as possible.
“The state government has no hands in this arrest. It was action taken by the party and we are now exerting a lot of efforts to ensure he is released as soon as possible. Already one of the people with whom he was arrested with the advisor has been released. Athian is out.”
“It is only Yel who is still under arrest but I think he will be released soon. We have elevated the contacts and people are working on the issue,” said Kuc.
Related:
Unusual reception for NBEG governor in Juba (10 Jan.)
SPLM-Juba launches crackdown on dissent in N Bahr el Ghazal (7 Jan.)