South’s Ambassador in Khartoum Mayan Dut Wuol says his embassy is closely following the case of six South Sudanese detainees in Sudan’s Sennar State accused of involvement in September 2011 events in Blue Nile State.

The six detainees were identified as Col. Taj Edden Makuer Bol, Capt. Dok Koryom Dok, 1st Lt. Taban Garang Nhial, Walid Ahmed Saeed, Al Fateh Fadallah and Atem Atem, who were serving in one of the Joint Integrated Units (JIU) since before the independence of South Sudan.  

They face charges under the Sudan Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Law, alongside 72 Sudanese nationals allegedly associated with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North.

Recently the tribunal in Sinja, Sennar State, acquitted Col. Taj Edden Makuer Bol after he became handicapped allegedly owing to torture by the Sudanese security in the prison.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday, Ambassador Dut said the detainees’ issue was meant to be discussed in the Joint Political and Security Mechanism (JPSM), but this was affected by the current political turmoil since mid-December last year.   

“Yes, the six detainees in Sinja had served in the JIU unit, but after the independence they were demobilized, so they did not take part in the Blue Nile State incident at all,” underscored the ambassador.

“The embassy is still following it although this issue is out of our hands after it was referred to the JPSM meetings,” he explained.

File photo: Police building in Sinja, Sudan

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