The opposition United People’s Alliance (UPA) said Tuesday that the recent wave of arrests targeting senior officials in the capital, Juba, and elsewhere may be an attempt to deflect attention from what it described as an imminent collapse of the state.
The UPA, an alliance of military and political opposition groups that did not sign the 2018 peace agreement, had sought to negotiate through the Kenya-led Tumaini Initiative last year, but the process stalled. The coalition is led by Pagan Amum, who also heads the Real SPLM and previously served as secretary-general of the SPLM.
Since last month, security forces have arrested several high-profile figures in the finance, banking and security sectors. The latest arrest was that of former head of the Revenue Authority Simon Akuei Deng. Information Minister Ateny Wek Ateny has said the arrests are related to corruption and are not politically motivated. None of those detained has been formally charged in court.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday, UPA spokesperson Bor Gatwech Kuany said the country was experiencing escalating violence and instability, and suggested the arrests could be aimed at easing regional and international pressure on the government to engage in dialogue. He referred to discussions on South Sudan at the recent African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
“At the recent summit, South Sudan dominated discussions because our country is disintegrating with intercommunal violence, displacement and war everywhere — all symptoms of a collapsing state,” Kuany said. “In Juba, arrests are ongoing, targeting people we believe are running the government, so we do not know who is giving orders. We do not know if this is a genuine step to tackle corruption or a deflection from major issues, since the government is under pressure to engage in meaningful dialogue.”
Kuany said the UPA feared the arrests could be used to sidestep planned political talks aimed at restoring peace. He reiterated the group’s willingness to participate in any initiative intended to stabilize the country, including a proposed retreat in South Africa, to which he said the UPA had not yet been invited.
“We are ready to attend any initiative aimed at rescuing this country from collapse,” he said.
On recent violence in Abiemnhom County in the Ruweng Administrative Area and Ayod County in Jonglei state, Kuany expressed condolences to the victims’ families and condemned the killings, which he described as further evidence of state fragility.
“We condemn the massacre of nearly 200 people in Abiemnhom and 21 people earlier in Pankor of Ayod County. As UPA, we are saddened by these horrific acts,” he said. “These are symptoms of a collapsing state. While we express our condolences and stand in solidarity with the affected communities, we appeal to our people to unite and resort to traditional means of resolving conflict. Politics will end, but our people are here to stay.”