A new statement in the name of the Zande (Azande) community calls for the release of Paramount Chief Wilson Peni Rikito who was detained last week, saying, “Members of a particular ethnic group do not become rebels by virtue of their tribe. The paramount chief and the civil population are not rebels." 

The statement shared with Radio Tamazuj by a clergyman in the Western Equatoria State capital Yambio says that Peni is being held by SPLA Military Intelligence in an unknown location. He is a grandson of the last Zande king and has been the favorite for a proposal to enthrone a new king to resurrect the Zande Kingdom.

However, the statement also calls him a “symbol of unity and peaceful coexistence among diverse communities of South Sudan,” pointing out that the chief has traveled widely in South Sudan and beyond to promote peace and learn from the experiences of others.

The statement reads in part: “We condemn in the strongest term possible, the arrest of Paramount chief Wilson Peni Rikito and other civilians who were detained with him the same day and are being kept by the Military Intelligence in unknown location. We call on the president to act wisely and order the immediate and unconditional release of the paramount chief and all the civilians detained so far.”

“Members of a particular ethnic group do not become rebels by virtue of their tribe. The paramount chief and the civil population are not rebels. They were arrested without charges from their houses in Yambio. They deserve government protection as stipulated by the constitution of the Republic of South Sudan.”

Separately, ex-Governor Joseph Bakosoro last week also called for the release of Chief Wilson, telling Radio Tamazuj that the chief is a "respected personality" and that his detention would "destroy the social fabric of the Azande community." 

Warnings of planned atrocities and hate speech over the radio are also mentioned in the commuinty statement. Recently, a state official in Yambio spoke to Radio Tamazuj about plans for a military offensive in the area saying an amnesty offer for so-called 'rebels' has now expired. 

Several armed groups operate in Western Equatoria State including forces loyal to the SPLA-IO, which signed a peace deal with the government in August 2015, but the government has declined to accept that rebel troops in the state are protected under the terms of the peace deal. Another group called the SSNLM signed a separate deal with the government earlier this year. 

In spite of these peace deals, civilians have been targeted in the state in incidents in 2015-2016 in various areas including Mundri, Maridi, Yambio and Source Yobu.