Journalist William Kuol Makuar, a former Kandia FM radio journalist, was briefly detained by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLA-IO) in Unity State on Wednesday.
Chondok Stephen, a coordinator for the Journalists of South Sudan’s (UJOSS) Unity State confirmed the incident to Radio Tamazuj, shedding light on the circumstances surrounding his arrest and subsequent release.
According to the UJOSS official, William Kuol Makuar had previously worked as a journalist for the local FM radio in the state since 2016 but was currently operating as a freelancer in Unity State.
Chondok expressed his lack of knowledge regarding the reasons for the SPLA-IO forces’ arrest of the journalist. He stated, “I don’t know the reason why he was arrested; he was arrested at Bentiu IDPs camp, and he was taken to sector 1 gate. After SPLA-IO forces arrested him, they claimed that he was a soldier before 2015; what’s important is that he has been released, and we welcome him.”
Chondok accused the SPLA-IO forces of violating journalists’ rights by arresting them without apparent justification. He explained, “The SPLA-IO came to Bentiu IDPs camp to collect their soldiers who left the cantonment site in Dingding in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. That’s why they arrested journalist Kuol Makuar.”
He firmly denied the SPLA-IO’s claim that William Kuol Makuar was an active soldier, emphasizing that the journalist had transitioned from a military role to journalism in 2016, working as a reporter for Kondial FM in Bentiu town.
Chondok affirmed the Union of Journalists of Unity State’s commitment to engaging with the authorities to enhance the media landscape in the state.
Journalist William Kuol Makuar, upon his release, confirmed that he had not faced harassment from the security forces but was held in detention until his eventual release.
He clarified that the SPLA-IO falsely asserted that he had been a soldier affiliated with them before South Sudan’s independence. “I told them that I was not a soldier before South Sudan’s independence, and they continued to claim I was their soldier in 2014 during the conflict,” he recounted.
SPLA-IO officials in the area could not immediately be reached for comment.