The family of Sultan Akol Mel Kuol says the newly installed executive chief of Abiem in Aweil East County has been released after a brief detention by South Sudanese security forces, dismissing claims that the arrest was politically motivated.
Sultan Akol Mel, the youngest brother of former Vice President Benjamin Bol Mel, was released on Dec. 27 after a brief detention, relatives said.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, family member Amet Kuol Wieu said Sultan Akol Mel was held following a family dispute involving the former vice president, who has been under house arrest in Juba since November.
Wieu said the detention stemmed from allegations that Sultan Akol Mel had mismanaged or misused his elder brother’s personal assets, including vehicles and parcels of land, while Benjamin Bol Mel was confined to his residence.
“Sultan Akol Mel was arrested by security personnel affiliated with the South Sudan People’s Defence Force Tiger Division and held in military custody in Giada for two days before being released on Dec. 27, 2025,” Wieu said.
“It is true that he was arrested and held briefly, but the matter was purely a family issue and not a serious government or political case,” he added.
According to family sources, the former vice president requested the arrest to prevent the alleged unauthorized use of his private property by his brother Sultan Akol. Relatives said the dispute arose after Bol Mel was placed under house arrest following his dismissal from office on Nov. 12.
Wieu also rejected claims circulating online that members of the First Lady’s family were involved in the arrest of Bol Mel’s brother, describing the allegations as false.
Another family member, Santos Kuol Kuol, echoed that view, urging the public to disregard what he described as misinformation on social media.
“This should not be interpreted as a political matter,” he said. “It was a family misunderstanding, not an action taken by the government.”
President Salva Kiir dismissed Benjamin Bol Mel from his positions as vice president and head of the economic cluster in November, in a move that surprised many political observers. Kiir also stripped Bol Mel of his military rank of general and removed him from the National Security Service before placing him under house arrest in Juba.
The government did not publicly provide reasons for the dismissals, which came amid growing concerns about political instability and internal power struggles.
Bol Mel, a businessman, responded publicly without expressing resentment.
“I extend my deepest gratitude to you for granting me the privilege to serve the people of South Sudan as vice president,” he wrote in a letter addressed to Kiir. “I have full confidence that South Sudan and the SPLM will continue to rise under your stewardship.”
Bol Mel had been appointed vice president in February 2025 and elevated to first deputy chairman of the ruling SPLM, positions analysts said placed him among potential successors to the 74-year-old president. He was later promoted to the rank of general within the National Security Service.
His rise came despite U.S. sanctions imposed on him in 2017 over alleged corruption.