Two senior members of SPLM-IO, a principal party to the peace agreement, were on Thursday morning arrested briefly by National Security officers in Rumbek town of Lakes State.
Adija Makot Domkoc, a member of the SPLM-IO Party led by First Vice President Riek Machar, told Radio Tamazuj on Thursday that the SPLM-IO-appointed human rights commissioner in Lakes State, Malok Makoi, and SPLM-IO MP Mary Nyanbuot were arrested at Rumbek Airport by National Security agents while welcoming their Secretary General, Ms Regina Joseph.
The SPLM-IO Secretary General travelled from Juba to Rumbek on Thursday to inaugurate the party’s state secretariat. The inauguration of the SPLM-IO state secretariat is set to take place in Rumbek town on Friday.
According to the SPLM-IO official, the human rights commissioner and the lawmaker were arrested at Rumbek Airport and taken to the National Security Service offices before being released later.
“And again the National Security personnel arrested a handful of boda-boda riders who were transporting members of the SPLM-IO party and were wearing SPLM-IO T-shirts,” Adija said.
For his part, the acting state information minister William Koji Kirjok confirmed that the two SPLM-IO officials were briefly arrested in Rumbek.
“Yes, it is true; there was a misunderstanding between the SPLM-IO supporters and the National Security personnel over the slaughtering of a bull to welcome their secretary general. But that misunderstanding has been resolved, and they have been released,” Kirjok said.
Meanwhile, Daniel Laat, a civil society activist Daniel Laat, said:” “Yes, I was at the scene in Rumbek airport where the human rights commissioner was manhandled and thrown in a pickup.”
“There was an argument about a bull to be slaughtered for the welcoming of the SPLM-IO secretary general while there was a resistance from the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) not to allow any slaughtering of a bull to welcome SPLM-IO secretary general at the airport, and this is where the problem happened,” he added.
The civil society activist decried a “lack of political space in Lakes State.”
On 4 August, First Vice President and SPLM-IO leader Riek Machar called on President Salva Kiir to allow political parties and civil society to operate freely in the country.
Machar made the call in the capital Juba during the signing and formal declaration that parties to the 2018 revitalized peace agreement consented to extend the transitional period by 24 months.
President Kiir, however, did not respond to Machar’s call.
On Thursday, the United Kingdom, the United States, Norway and the EU issued a joint statement calling on the government to expand political and civic space to ensure that the voices of the South Sudanese people, including those who hold opposing views, are consistently heard throughout the implementation of the peace agreement.