Security operatives of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-Juba) faction loyal to President Salva Kiir are still holding a journalist after detaining him for covering a public demonstration.
Mading Ngor Akec Kwai, a freelance journalist and the host of a weekly program aired on the SPLM-Juba controlled national television station SSTV was arrested by SPLM-Juba agents after taking pictures of demonstrators from Shirkat suburb, Juba, who were protesting a planned demolition by the Central Equatoria state government.
The demonstrating citizens were later joined by government employees seeking to draw the attention of the Central Equatoria state government to lack of payment of the more than nine months arrears.
The place where the journalist is being held remains unknown. Relatives and family members claim he is at the military headquarters belonging to the presidential guard force.
“We have talked to key security officers and officials at the presidency, including defence minister about this incident and how it could be resolved amicably because this is an issue I believe could not have taken someone to jail,” Kwai’s relative told Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday.
“We were assured that he (Mading Ngor) would be released soon but now another day and he has not been release since yesterday,” he added.
Earlier the Presidential Spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny was quoted as saying he was not aware of the cause of the arrest and did not receive any report about the arrest of any journalist.
Ateny said the presidency would do what it could to establish the facts surrounding the incident and ensure that appropriate measures and steps are taken to secure the release. But he did not say when the journalist would be released.
File photo: Salva Kiir Mayardit